Every year for the past fifteen years I have cut lavender during the second week of July. It's part of my yearly homestead chore schedule, and the cutting of our lavender when it hits optimal bud stage has always occurred like clockwork during the second week of July. I know this because I planted all three hundred plus plants the year our daughter was born, sixteen years ago. One tends to remember putting in that many plants while lugging around an infant in a car seat.
Anyway, last week I checked the lavender field, and sure enough, the plants were coming along as they always do. Lavender is such a wonderful plant! A tough and hardy perennial, my lavender plants in particular have survived so many things, including temperature extremes. This year, however, they were faced with something new, all time record-breaking heat.
Where I live in the inland Pacific Northwest, we just do not get long periods of sweltering heat. In fact, some summers we don't break the triple digit temperature mark at all, so to have many days of 100 degree plus heat was a bit, odd. And miserable. I worked overtime trying to keep all my animals cool and hydrated, not to mention keep my plants lush and happy. Thank goodness we installed timed drip irrigation in the garden and orchard this year!
Anyway, yesterday I went out to check the lavender field, and saw to my chagrin that the plants were ready for harvest a whole 8-10 days early. The problem is that everything is all messed up from the heat, so not only do I have to cut the lavender early, but I also have to go get my hay early, and oh yes, I have a massive party happening on the fourth this Sunday at my farm, and I have to run the library Saturday and be in the parade Sunday for the library too.
The next 72 hours are going to be lit😅.
I keep saying that it seems, telling myself that I can make it through the next two or three days, but that has all bled into itself at this point, and there's no point in whining about change or viewing it as an inconvenience, so with that sentiment in mind I cheerfully popped out of bed at 5:23 this morning and go to work cutting my early budding lavender.
Before any lavender could be cut though, I had to throw some hay to the horses and feed and water the ducks. They would have all screamed at me most indignantly while I cut the flowers, and there's just something magical about lavender harvesting that makes one want to enjoy the whole serene experience minus a neighing and quacking soundtrack.
While waiting for the duck's pool to fill with water I checked on the garden and was happy to see the presence of dew on the plants. After the Scorchening the drops of glistening dew were really an encouraging sight. I also had to give out pets to my entourage, they follow me everywhere:
After a few minute animal care interlude, I got down to business. Lavender is a pretty pleasant crop to harvest as far as crops go. If you are harvesting lavender for buds, you need to cut the flowers right as a few of the spikes start just flowering. I'd say bout a 1/4 of my plants had hit that threshold this morning, so I spent a couple of hours cutting, bundling, and rubber-banding the flowers.
Since the heat wave broke, it was about 68 degrees this morning while I worked in the muted dawn light, and as I bent over each plant snipping stems, the floral bliss that is the scent of lavender wafted into my nasal pathways and put me in the most chill vibey of moods.
It being early morning, the only noise was from our friendly raven, my little brother as I refer to him, clicking and squawking in the breeze, and the only company I had was this creature:
Thankfully I had fed the horses, so my gelding wasn't nibbling on my backside as I cut the lavender. He can't stand it when I pay attention to anything but him when I am in the north pasture. Spoiled beast.
Before I knew it, I had filled my tray with bundles of fragrant lavender and left the field to go hang the bunches up to dry. Inside my school room I have lines of twine attached to the wall for hanging the bundles on to dry. This room works nicely because it has cross air flow and no direct sun, as anyone who dries a lot of herbs knows is important for proper drying to occur.
Now, after doing about a billion more chores, I am going to go take a nap, because tomorrow I get to cut more lavender and pick up several tons of hay before I go to work. Hooray for heat waves...#sarcasm......
Sounds like you will be hopping this weekend.....
It's to rain here and is cool. I just realized I'd not harvested peas on Thursday.... Must do it before my intern arrives at 7AM to move mulch hay before more rain starts...
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What do you do with so much dried lavender?
The lavender looks perfect. I often miss that moment with mine and come to it a bit late. How do you use the lavender once dried?
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Beautiful flowers and beautiful cat😊
The pictures alone show how peaceful and tranquil your place is. With the bright colors jumping off my screen, i'm almost perceiving the fragrance.😁
Thank you for sharing.
Yes, this weather has really messed with a lot of plants! (Not to mention humans.)