Many people want to support local businesses, and one business that is worth mentioning is the Colorado Mountain Lavender Farm.
Colorado Mountain Lavender is a family owned business that’s situated in Cotopaxi, Colorado. The business sells a variety of products that use their lavender, as well as conducting tours of the farm. The property currently holds 4,500 plants and is a total of 162 acres, only 20 of which can be used.
It was started in 2017 when Melanie and Tandy Key moved from Texas to Colorado. They were inspired to start the lavender farm because of their love of being outdoors and wanted to produce something for visitors to experience. Visitors to the farm come from all over, and about 25% of them don’t live in Colorado. Melanie explained, “It is very rewarding to see visitors walk the lavender fields, ask questions, and share in our experiences as lavender farmers.
One of the biggest challenges they face is the climate. With the dry Colorado winters, watering so many plants at such drastic temperatures is difficult. “At 7000 feet elevation, temperatures and temperature swings with very little snow stress our plants, especially the new plants experiencing their first winter.” Key explained. The business tackles this issue with frost blankets, which provide the plants with protection from the Colorado climate, as well as stabilize the soil temperature throughout the winter. However, the frost blankets also make it easier for Western Pocket gophers to tunnel directly to the lavender and eat the roots of the plants which can lead to the loss of plants.
The farm starts its growth process by stapling down irrigation lines on top of weed cloth and creating six inch circles in the cloth for the plants. “Fortunately, lavender does not need rich organic soil, so we typically plant straight into the ground without adding any soil amendments.” Key said. The farm has planted about 5000 plants so far. All of the lavender, other than the 300 original plants, is propagated. Propagation means that they take small clippings from mature lavender plants and root it in a plug tray, each of which holds up to 72 cuttings in their case. After the cuttings have taken root, the farm plants them in late May.
Harvesting of the lavender begins in July and goes through August. “We grow 13 different types or cultivars of lavender that have peak blooms at different times during this period so it remains showy in the fields for about 5-6 weeks,” said Key. All harvesting is done by hand using a tool called a Japanese sickle, which takes about one and a half hours to harvest fifty lavender plants. The lavender bundles are either hung to dry, or processed for essential oils.
The harvested lavender is used in a wide range of farm-made items that can be purchased at the farm’s shop. The farm has taken part in the Salida Farmers Market’s Foodshed Alliance since 2019. Their products include self care items and culinary items using their lavender, as well as dried lavender bouquets. They are all-natural and don’t include preservatives of any kind. Many of their items also have the benefits of lavender essential oils.
The Colorado Mountain Lavender Farm is an ideal destination for a summer outing, and they carry many goods that utilize their all-natural and hand-harvested lavender.
