Growing Lavender in New York State
Answered by: Richard Alan Miller
Question from: Becca Morelli
Posted on: February 26, 2007

I have gone through all I can find that you write in regard to growing lavender, can you please add one more line?

Am considering growing lavender on my 12 acres in Candor NY (1/2 hour from Ithaca), what do ya think? Will it do well? (Lavender in gardens does well with no care here.)

My opinion will not change, even for Candor, NY. The only successful farming of lavender is when it is used for a bed-and breakfast type crop. Good lavender does require grooming and constant pruning. To take it into a topiary format is also recommended, especially for bed and breakfast situations.

The lavender oil can be produced much cheaper via Mentha citrata, a mint with high lavandin oil content. I also like lavender, but from an economic point of view, it does not make any sense for cultivation in North America. I can’t seem to add many more words to this crop, per se.

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