The Rural Voice, 2001-11, Page 10CID
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3t'a about time
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6 THE RURAL VOICE
Robert Mercer
Taking a look at fragrance not furrows
Mid -September is the time of farm
shows and plowing matches. I didn't
get to any this year, but I did visit a
farm where they were selling the
aromatic quality of a product, not the
food value.
Lavender for
most people,
comes from the
south of France,
but there is also
one small
holding on the
south end of
Vancouver Island
that is making a
name for itself
with lavender
products.
I met with
Lynda Dowling
of Happy Valley
Lavender and Herb Farm in
September and she currently has
about 3,000 lavender plants on one
acre, with plans to plant a thousand
more next spring.
Lavender is an alternative crop
that works on Vancouver Island, and
it was good to talk to someone who
had the initiative to be an innovator.
So far Lynda has had no trouble in
selling the lavender she produces and
it is normally all gone by Christmas.
The crop is harvested by hand in July
and August. Support is just a call
away with 100 friends and
neighbours who come to help as
volunteers and enjoy a farm picnic
atmosphere.
After harvest, the crop takes about
two weeks to dry and is then hand -
rubbed to separate the seed from the
stem. Before bagging there is a little
screening done where necessary.
The lavender is sold in one pound,
see-through plastic packages for $40
each — that is about 15 cupfuls to the
bag. Sales are mostly to crafters in
the area, although a bulk sale is made
to the Shady Creek Natural Ice
Cream makers for their Lavender
variety of premium ice cream.
Other retail sales are made for
weddings and those who want to
make scent sacks, sachets or
potpourri.
Lavender grows as a bush. The
head is on a long stem and flowers in
July. The bush is trimmed after
harvest. This is to keep the bush low
to the ground, thick and dense and to
make it tiller into more and more
shoots. Some of the plants are almost
a meter across, but at about 12 years
the bushes are grubbed.
At Happy Valley the soil is sand -
based which is good for lavender as it
does not like to have its roots wet,
except when young. To get moisture
to the plants Lynda first checks the
soil moisture and then delivers water
through a micro drop line buried
beneath the woven landscape fabric
that acts as a weed shield and
moisture evaporation barrier. Too
much water, Lynda says dilutes the
fragrance, so care is needed.
In between the rows of lavender
bushes, the ground is covered with
grass that is kept neatly mown and
gives the appearance of the classic
English garden. The rows are wide
enough for ease of mowing and to
give space for root development and
ample direct sunlight.
It is the visual impact of this crop
that makes you stop and look and
then smell. It is grown here just like
in a classic English manor garden.
Lavender is for more than cosmetics,
I found out, it's also culinary and
medicinal.0
Robert Mercer was editor of the
Broadwater Market Letter and a farm
commentator in Ontario for 25 years.
CROP/QUEST
Nutrient Management Planning
& Consulting
Andy de Vries C.C.A.
519-229-6559
CERTIFIED
CROP ADVISOR
Ron Pennings
519-345-2702
Fax: 519-229-8029
E -Mail: cropquest@quadro.net