Harvest on the Horizon
May
We have flower spikes!
While some of our lavender plants are still pushing out this year’s fresh green growth, another exciting sign of the season has arrived — thousands upon thousands of flower spikes have emerged across the field. These tiny spikes are an early glimpse of the beautiful lavender harvest to come.
Over the next few weeks, the stems will continue to lengthen and the tips of the spikes will slowly begin turning purple. Soon after, the flower buds will appear and each stem will transform into the familiar lavender flower we wait all year to see.
One of the questions we hear most often is: “When do you harvest?”
The answer is always… it depends on the plants.
Since we started growing lavender in 2017, harvest season has arrived a little earlier each year. Last season, we started cutting some of our English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) during the second week of June. Different lavender cultivars bloom at different times, so nature ultimately decides the schedule.
The timing of harvest also depends on how the lavender will be used. Most of our lavender is harvested before the flowers fully open. The ideal harvest moment comes just as the lowest flowers on the stem begin to bloom. At that stage, the buds contain their richest color and highest concentration of essential oils.
For now, we wait, watch, and enjoy this beautiful stage of growth as the field transforms day by day.
