Community Garden Lavender

Every July, lavender is celebrated and harvested around the world. If you have a chance, consider seeking out a local lavender farm with your friends and family. Many farms have lavender festivals to celebrate the peak season. You’ll be swept away with the raw beauty of a field of lavender in full bloom and you’ll get to enjoy unique culinary treats like lavender lemonade or lavender ice cream.

Three years ago, gardeners at Rose Roots planted a row of lavender in a native garden bed near the entrance. It was chosen because of its low water needs, beauty, ease of growing, and its native to Colorado. Since most lavender cultivars take 3 years to fully mature, the plants had reached a healthy size this year to harvest the blooms so I planned to harvest them with a fellow gardener. We harvested at 7 o'clock a.m. as the cool mornings keep the oil content in the buds.  You can also tell when the buds are ready to be harvested by watching the honeybee activity.  When the bees come in mass, the oil is at its peak.  Knowing this, it is essential to be prepared for a sting.  I'm told the best remedy is a combination of Vicks & lavender oil.

We harvested about 3 dozen lavender bundles and hung them in our garden barn to try with an open invitation to gardeners to take them home. Within a few days they were gone.

Here's to trial harvest success,

Gina