Lavender Business Blossoms In Arizona
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Scrub brush and juniper trees aren’t the only things that grow on the rocky, limestone soil near Heber, Arizona, says Lois Hunt. She and her family have been growing lavender since 2009 and selling natural products made from the plant online and in a restaurant-turned-boutique.
“It’s a wonderful way to experience farm life,” says the active 74-year-old, who runs the business with her son, Bryan Schooley and his wife, Cindy.
Hunt’s 120-acre farm is off the grid, powered by an array of solar panels she has built up over the years. She calls it Windy Hills Lavender Farm because the wind blows often along the edge of a canyon, and it has proven to be a good location to grow the calming and sweet-smelling herb.
“Our soil isn’t very deep, but lavender loves it. And we have hot, dry summers, which it also loves,” Hunt says. Each plant only requires about 1 gal. of water a week from drip irrigation lines. This spring she had 3 acres of lavender (1,000 plants/acre) with another 2,500 plants started in a greenhouse. Plants must be 2 or 3 years old before blooms can be harvested.
“Our bloom season runs from mid to late June through September,” Hunt says. She grows five varieties that bloom at different times.
It’s a labor-intensive crop: planting in May, then weed pulling and continuous harvest, drying, cleaning and processing into products. Off-season, the plants must be pruned.
The lavender is harvested when the bottom fourth of the blooms open. Only the stalks of blooms are cut, tied together and hung to dry for a couple of weeks. The plant’s value is in its buds.
Using the former restaurant’s kitchen, the Schooleys use a copper distiller to extract the oil. They bottle and sell it as an essential oil, which is used for a variety of purposes.
Cindy blends the lavender oil with other natural products to make soaps, salve, scrubs, bath oils, and lotions.
“The most popular product is Cindy’s lotion bar. You can take it when you travel and it’s really handy to use,” Hunt says. “Another big selling item is lip balm.”
Many customers also like the water that is the byproduct of distilling. Windy Hills sells Lavender Mist in a spray bottle to repel mosquitoes and flies, freshen up a room, or spray on freshly washed laundry such as sheets. They also sell bundles of dried stems to throw on campfires for a sweet smell.
Lavender is known for its calming effect, but thankfully antelope, deer and bugs and other pests don’t like it.
“Mice avoid it, too,” Hunt adds. “I hang sachets in my closet to keep moths away and in my pantry to prevent weevils.”
Besides oil and body care products, Windy Hills offers tea and culinary lavender buds that Bryan, a chef, likes to use in recipes.
Students in a May 18 class about propagating lavender – starting cuttings from plants – will be treated to lavender cookies and lavender lemonade. (Check out the Facebook page for class openings.)
“It’s a lot of work and we’re not getting rich at this,” Hunt says. “But it’s also fun.”
Growing lavender has brought out the farmer in her, and she’s proven that something beautiful can grow in a place that’s only known cattle, juniper and tumbleweeds.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Windy Hills Lavender Farm LLC, P.O. Box 242, Heber, Arizona 85928 (ph 928 240-2273; windyhillslavender@yahoo.com; www.windyhillslavender.com).
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Lavender Business Blossoms In Arizona CROPS Miscellaneous Scrub brush and juniper trees aren’t the only things that grow on the rocky limestone soil near Heber Arizona says Lois Hunt She and her family have been growing lavender since 2009 and selling natural products made from the plant online and in a restaurant-turned-boutique “It’s a wonderful way to experience farm life ” says the active 74-year-old who runs the business with her son Bryan Schooley and his wife Cindy Hunt’s 120-acre farm is off the grid powered by an array of solar panels she has built up over the years She calls it Windy Hills Lavender Farm because the wind blows often along the edge of a canyon and it has proven to be a good location to grow the calming and sweet-smelling herb “Our soil isn’t very deep but lavender loves it And we have hot dry summers which it also loves ” Hunt says Each plant only requires about 1 gal of water a week from drip irrigation lines This spring she had 3 acres of lavender 1 000 plants/acre with another 2 500 plants started in a greenhouse Plants must be 2 or 3 years old before blooms can be harvested “Our bloom season runs from mid to late June through September ” Hunt says She grows five varieties that bloom at different times It’s a labor-intensive crop: planting in May then weed pulling and continuous harvest drying cleaning and processing into products Off-season the plants must be pruned The lavender is harvested when the bottom fourth of the blooms open Only the stalks of blooms are cut tied together and hung to dry for a couple of weeks The plant’s value is in its buds Using the former restaurant’s kitchen the Schooleys use a copper distiller to extract the oil They bottle and sell it as an essential oil which is used for a variety of purposes Cindy blends the lavender oil with other natural products to make soaps salve scrubs bath oils and lotions “The most popular product is Cindy’s lotion bar You can take it when you travel and it’s really handy to use ” Hunt says “Another big selling item is lip balm ” Many customers also like the water that is the byproduct of distilling Windy Hills sells Lavender Mist in a spray bottle to repel mosquitoes and flies freshen up a room or spray on freshly washed laundry such as sheets They also sell bundles of dried stems to throw on campfires for a sweet smell Lavender is known for its calming effect but thankfully antelope deer and bugs and other pests don’t like it “Mice avoid it too ” Hunt adds “I hang sachets in my closet to keep moths away and in my pantry to prevent weevils ” Besides oil and body care products Windy Hills offers tea and culinary lavender buds that Bryan a chef likes to use in recipes Students in a May 18 class about propagating lavender – starting cuttings from plants – will be treated to lavender cookies and lavender lemonade Check out the Facebook page for class openings “It’s a lot of work and we’re not getting rich at this ” Hunt says “But it’s also fun ” Growing lavender has brought out the farmer in her and she’s proven that something beautiful can grow in a place that’s only known cattle juniper and tumbleweeds Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Windy Hills Lavender Farm LLC P O Box 242 Heber Arizona 85928 ph 928 240-2273; windyhillslavender@yahoo com; www windyhillslavender com
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