Diane Van Camp sells homegrown lavender plants at Fernley Farmers Market on Thursdays.
Mike and Diane Van Camp, Stagecoach residents who own Campie’s Lavender Patch, have the best of both worlds when it comes to scents, flowering plants and a thriving family business.
Campie’s Lavender Patch originally came into being more than 11 years ago. The opportunity to make lavender mist, or hydrosol, lavender essential oils, sachets and other products including journals seemed to have been a natural evolution.
Although Nevada offers two of the most essential ingredients to grow lavender — lots of sunshine and a location with good drainage — it’s also a hostile environment when it comes to temperature ranges and water access. Being drought resistant is a plus for lavender plants. Yet, with the high winds and lack of moisture, propagation can be difficult.
The Van Camps use a drip-line irrigation method to satisfy the plants watering needs and keep the wind from dispersing the moisture.
Nevada’s high altitude of more than 4,000 foot elevation at Stagecoach contributes to hydrosol and essential oils being more fragrant than that from plants grown at a lower elevation.
To retrieve the oil, the plants used in the process are pruned shortly after they bloom. Once they are distilled, products become available online at http://campieslavenderpatch.com/ or at farmers markets throughout Northern Nevada.
Campie’s Lavender Patch also operates a booth at the Fernley Farmers Market from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursdays through Aug. 14. It’s located next to the Mirage Garden & Gifts, 350 E. Main Street in Fernley.
For more information about the farm, email campieslavenderpatch@earthlink.net, or call 775-720-2420. For more about Fernley Farmers Market, find it on Facebook, or email fernleyfarmersmarket@gmail.com, or call Lisa Young at 775-287-2811.