KJFM NEWS — Garden Talk is produced monthly at the Adair County University of Missouri Extension Center in Kirksville, Mo.

Have you driven past the University of Missouri Extension Center in Kirksville and wondered what all those rows are covered in black plastic? Well, wonder no longer. It is a lavender research plot.

University of Missouri Extension is about to take some of the guesswork out of growing lavender. Three lavender demonstration plots have been planted in the state as part of a Missouri Department of Agriculture Specialty Crops block grant. The sites are the MU Extension Center in Ste. Genevieve, the Green County MU Extension Center at the Springfield Botanical Garden, and the Adair County MU Extension Center in Kirksville. A research study is being done at each site to  determine how to grow lavender as a commercial crop in Missouri.

“There is a lot of interest and potential market for specialty crops like lavender that can be grown on smaller acreage, but we don’t have any research-based guidance and information to share with growers.” Lavender appeals to small growers. Every part of it can be used as product — from essential oils to dried arrangements — and it offers opportunities in agritourism. But the plant thrives in arid climates, so Missouri’s cold winters and humid summers can make it difficult to grow here.

Research on the three plots — each planted with seven cultivars and located in different microclimates — will help develop standardized practices such as cultivar selection, soil preparation, establishment, fertilization, winter protection, dealing with insect and disease issues, and parameters for optimal flower and oil production.

Beginning in late 2022 or early 2023, MU Extension will share results through publications, presentations and workshops. “One of my favorite things has been all the people who’ve reached out to me since this project has started. “Farmers learn from and want to collaborate with other farmers. We are also creating a growers network so interested farmers will have a way to connect with each other.”