When Are Lavender Harvesting and Drying Done?

29 janv.

When is the best time to harvest lavender? How should you go about harvesting, drying, and storing the flowers? Let's explore these questions together.

When Should Lavender Be Harvested?

True lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia) thrive in Provence, enchanting us with their soothing fragrance and multiple benefits. If you grow lavender in your garden and want to harvest it for culinary or wellness use, you need to follow essential steps.

To harvest lavender flowers, you must wait until they are fully developed. Flowering generally occurs between early July and late August, depending on:

Geographic location
Altitude
Weather conditions

In sunny regions, harvesting can start a bit earlier—around late June—when the flower spikes begin to wither. The best time for harvesting is early in the morning to preserve the flowers' essential oils. Ideally, harvesting should take place on a dry, sunny day.

Lavender can be harvested using pruning shears or, more traditionally, a sickle. A useful tip: harvesting can begin when bees are no longer interested in the flowers, and it is recommended to stop watering one to two weeks before harvesting to improve the quality of the yield.

Traditional Lavender Harvesting Method

If you prefer a traditional harvesting method, use a sickle. Historically, lavender was harvested manually with this tool. However, caution is needed, as many harvesters have injured themselves using it.

After cutting, the lavender stems can be bundled into bouquets using rubber bands and then left to dry. This manual method requires time, effort, and technique.

For commercial production, some farmers use mechanized harvesting to collect lavender flowers more efficiently.

How to Dry Lavender?

To properly dry lavender and preserve it as long as possible, you have several options:

1. Air Drying (Traditional Method)

This is the most effective method for long-term preservation.

Spread the lavender stems in a wooden crate or basket in a single layer.
Let them dry for a week in the open air, provided the weather is dry.
Another option is to hang lavender bouquets upside down in a dry, well-ventilated place.

2. Oven Drying (Faster Method)

Place the lavender stems in a baking dish.
Set your oven to 75°C (167°F) and dry for one to three hours.
Keep an eye on the drying process to prevent burning.

What to Do with Dried Lavender?

Once your lavender is fully dried, you can:

Keep the stems intact and create dried lavender bouquets—perfect as long-lasting decorative pieces with a beautiful fragrance.
Remove the dried flowers from the stems by holding the stem with one hand and pressing the base of the flowers with the other, pulling them off in a single motion. If properly dried, the flowers should come off easily.
Store the dried flowers in a glass jar, airtight container, or fabric sachets away from light to maintain their aroma.

Mazzoni Lisa