Farm update: May to July

Never stop learning, that is a motto that I have come to live by. I know that there are some who see failures as just that, failures, but I see then as learning opportunities (after I get over the initial sting and annoyance). Last year I completely lost focus and over extended myself, This year I thought I could keep that same focus and just do things a little differently. I created a plan that I thought I would be able to manage. Well, I was wrong. I now know what I can and can't handle (I think) and what you as my customers want (I also think). But before I get to what I am now working towards, let me first show you what I have been up to for the past couple months.

Man, did I have big plans for this year, and I thought I was on top of things. We got the fabric down for the cut flowers, with a mishap or two, and I was getting the flowers planted in quickly and on time. I even got the dahlias in the ground ahead of schedule, which I will admit worried me a little. I was terrified that we would get one of our famous late season cold/snow snaps, but that didn't happen.

For the first couple weeks of May I was feeling pretty good about the year, and then the lavender EXPLODED with blooms. Which is great, and I was/am very thankful for it, but I was in no way ready for it. For the past several years my lavender harvests have been small and very manageable with each variety being ready to harvest one after another. This year they were all ready to harvest within the span of a few weeks. From mid May to about mid June I could really only focus on getting the lavender harvested, and I still wasn't able to get it all harvested because I ran out of room in my drying shed. Once again, that is a good thing, just very overwhelming.

This is where I thought I had changed my plans enough to where I wouldn't get in over my head. And guess what, I was completely wrong! I had to basically stop all progress on the cut flowers so that I could get the lavender harvested. Needless to say, what flowers I still needed to get in the ground were dead, dying, or barely hanging on. And what I did get planted had gotten over run with weeds, but I have to give it to my snapdragons, nothing was keeping them down. They produced and they produced amazingly, nothing was going to keep them from showing off. I did have a few other flowers that started to show off as well, but nothing like the snaps.

It was during this time that things on the farm were starting to run away from me. I couldn't get the lavender plants in the ground like I wanted because I was busy harvesting the flowers/lavender, or trying desperately to get caught back up with pulling weeds from around the dahlias, and sales at the farmer markets were at an all time high. So high in fact that I was running out of my lavender products so fast that I couldn't get them made fast enough to keep some things in stock. I was in a cycle where no matter what I did or how much I worked (and my dad was working harder that I was trying to help me out) I couldn't keep on top of things. This led me to make the decision to let the cut flowers go and focus on what you were telling me you wanted, the lavender farm experience. And I can not tell you how much that took off my plate. By letting the flowers go I was able to finally get my workshop functional (not finished, but to where I can work in it) and I was able to get caught back up on making my products. I revamped my plans on how to set up the farm and I have a set plan to build up my lavender field/farm one section/project at at time.

Phase one of the lavender farm experience. 12 150 foot rows that will house 432 lavender plants.

This fall when the weather cools off some, we will begin digging irrigation lines and getting fabric down for the first "field" that I have plans to open to the public in 2026. You have asked me for years if I had a farm store or if you could come out and see the lavender. I am finally listening and focusing in on the lavender, so that I can bring you what you want, and if I am honest with myself, what I always dreamed of when I started this farm.

BUT, I haven't thrown in the towel with the flowers completely. I have an idea or side project that I will be working on with dahlias. I don't know what it is is about dahlias, but they have wormed their way into my heart, and I have found that I can keep up with the dahlias and lavender at this time (if I can keep ahead of the weeds). I will let you guys know more about my dahlia side project as it progresses.

The past few months have been a slap in the face on what I can and can't do/handle and it has helped me get my priorities straight with the farm. I can't do it all and I most definitely can't do it all at once. As much I would love to be able to plant the whole farm out this year and have acres of lavender for you to enjoy next year I know that that is not feasible, nor sustainable right now. I have learned that there is nothing wrong with starting out small, completing one area at at time, and building up one step at at time. Lesson learned.