HOW TO GROW, HARVEST & DRY FRESH LAVENDER.
Are you growing lavender in your garden? Lavender is my all-time favorite flowering plant to grow. It takes time to learn how to grow lavender at home, especially since lavender is an herb native to northern Africa and the mountainous regions of the Mediterranean. It is not only pretty and aromatic, but it’s soothing to both your skin and your mind. My lavender garden is one of my happy places, for sure! Give me time in my lavender with my grandbabies…now that’s a blessed day!
I grow 6 varieties of lavender: Royal Purple, Royal Velvet, Betty’s Blue, Grosso, Phenomenal, and my absolute favorite, Folgate. I love Folgate, probably most because it has been the hardiest for me in our unpredictable Ohio winters.
When to Harvest Lavender
My first varieties to bloom are my English varieties; Royal Purple, Royal Velvet, Betty’s Blue and Folgate. That harvest begins mid-June, to the end of June -we are in northeast Ohio, which is region 6a. These varieties are culinary, and I harvest them for a local health food store – The Mustard Seed Market. I dry these varieties so that the bundles are ready to be sold and the buds can be used for culinary purposes. Their customers love this lavender and snatch it up quickly!
My last two varieties of lavender that I grow, Grosso and Phenomenal aren’t ready for harvest until the beginning of July to mid-July. These varieties are long stemmed lavender and are beautiful for décor. This past year we held a wreath making class with 25 participants. It was so much fun!
The best time to cut lavender is early in the bloom. I usually watch for about 1/3 of the buds to have popped open. Of course, fully opened lavender will produce the most color and are beautiful for bouquets, but for culinary and dried decorative purposes it is best for them to just be beginning to open. Especially since as they mature the buds turn brown and will easily fall off.
It’s also important to harvest in the early morning, once the dew has dried but when the plants are still perky from the cooler night. As the sun gets hotter, some of the fragrance (especially when harvesting for essential oil and medicinal purposes), will dissipate. However, life gets busy and just harvest when you can!
Where to Cut on the Stem
Use scissors or small pruning snips to cut just above the second set of leaves, as shown.
Of course, when you’re harvesting over 200 plants, it’s too difficult to cut one stem at a time. As you become more familiar with your plants, you will feel more comfortable taking handfuls at once to cut, possibly with a small hand sickle. The key is to always stay an inch or two above the woody part of the plant, shaping and rounding as you go.
How to Dry Lavender Flowers
Hang lavender to dry upside down.
I have found that small bundles work best for drying upside down – approximately 75 stems. Large dense bunches of lavender will receive less air flow, dry more slowly, and will be prone to molding.
Use rubber bands to secure the stems. Twine or string will loosen as the stems shrink a bit and will fall out of the bundles.
Hang upside down, in a dry location. I have tried multiple places and have found that with our high humidity in Ohio, my lavender dries best in the house, garage or in our attic (which gets extremely hot).
The attic is my favorite, first because this is where I have the most room for the amounts that I’m drying, second because it dries the fastest for me (in fact, it only takes a couple weeks in the attic), and third because I don’t have to worry about the petals dropping (after 3 years of drying in the attic, there is a nice layer of petals on the floor which leaves a beautiful aroma all year round). I found that our barn had too much moisture. You may have to experiment to find what location works best for you depending on the climate in your area.
After it’s finished drying, I use dark totes for storing until I’m ready to use it. This keeps the scent and color the best. Note that, if you keep lavender in the sun, it will fade overtime. I found this out by hanging a wreath on my front door and it soon lost its color. However, the one hanging in our bedroom is just as beautiful as ever!
There are additional ways to dry lavender, such as, drying in a food dehydrator or on screens. However, I personally don’t have any experience with either of those ways, but I’m sure they could work well.
It was out of my love for lavender & the Lord, that Salt & Light Box was born. At Salt & Light Box we love seeing others love lavender and the Lord! If you would like to learn more about Salt and Light Box – A lavender spa gift box and/or subscription, join our Facebook group.
