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It’s been a mixture of rain and shine over at Hitchin Lavender this week. Despite mixed fortunes with the weather, the farm has remained a hive of activity. Trailer-loads of weeds have been removed from the Main Field, pumpkin planting continues apace, and we’re also making adjustments and improvements to our food trucks.
It’s due to be a busy few weeks at the farm as we get ready to welcome our first visitors of the summer season. As ever, keep an eye out for our posts on social media and this blog for updates on how the field is looking!
How is the lavender looking?
As you can see from the picture at the top of this post, most of the Main Field is not yet in flower. The plants depicted in that photo are mainly intermedia lavenders, which typically flower through July and August.
Below, you can see photos of our angustifolia lavenders. This species blooms a little earlier than intermedia lavender and, as shown below, is just starting to come into flower. By the time we open in a few weeks, these rows will be looking and smelling fabulous, with flowers of purple, pink, and blue!
How are the wildflowers and sunflowers looking?
The wildflowers and sunflowers are not in bloom yet. We expect to see some wildflowers in the next month or so, but we’ll need to wait until August to see sunflowers!
We’ll have more photos of these areas as they develop, but there’s not much to show just yet!
Other News and Views
Beyond the borders of the Main Field, we’re also busy planting our now-germinated pumpkin seeds! We’re planting more than ever this year, hopefully leaving us with plenty of pumpkins, gourds, and squashes for visitors to pick come the autumn.
Pumpkin planting – 29/05/2024
Above you can see us inserting the homegrown pumpkin plugs into holes in sheets of planting film. The film is there to prevent weeds growing around the plants and to moderate soil temperatures, and will be removed and re-used once the pumpkins are fully grown. With these protective measures and a little push from Mother Nature, thousands of pumpkins should appear in the field over the coming months.
That’s it for this week, lavender fans. Tune in next week for another update!
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