In January 2015, we planted 35 lavender cuttings into a prepared plot within the compound of a rented home in Entebbe. Following the instructions of planting – as would be done to plant a large field, a 20 x 21ft plot was dug and raised rows were formed to allow drainage, with exact measurements of spacing between each plant and each row…
it was tempting to add more plants and reduce the spaces – it seemed like a waste of space… but we stuck fast to instructions!
Samson – my son, is the one who did all the hard work of digging and preparation for the plot… with the children helping to clear the bricks and rubble under the surface of the original grass.
I, together with Israel – my 6yr old grandchild measured the holes to plant the cuttings, then the whole family dropped the cuttings into place. There were five rows with seven plants planted three feet apart, and then 15 cuttings planted in pots.
But the sun was hot – we were into the dry season, and although they can handle the hot weather, as young plants we needed to make sure they were watered enough to grow – but not to burn….
So Salome went into action!
Taking the dried banana leaves and breaking them down, she lovingly placed them around the cuttings to keep the hot sun from the baking ground. preventing the roots from burning, and keeping moisture within the plants.
Five months later…
It was absolutely fantastic… the pots were doing fantastic – but we realised they were not getting as much sun as the plants in the plot – so we moved them out further so as to get as much sun as possible… we are told they do best with 8 hours of sun. We realised that the plants nearest the wall – were not as big as the ones in the middle of the plot, where sun is maximised.
Seven months on…
Can you see the plants at the front (nearest to the wall) have not filled out as much as the ones to the back of the picture? The ones in the right picture have almost closed the gaps between in the row….. but what is Salome doing?
Salome is collecting the dried leaves from the underside of the plant…. she then continues to dry them in the sun, crushes them – and makes lavender tea! It is delicious and so healthy!
Lavender is antibacterial, and is recognised for many healing qualities… however my daughter in law – Salome,who has suffered from many stomach pains and stomach ulcers, has found since drinking this tea – she has less problems. Josephine was also suffering from stomach pains but had no medicine… she drank some hot tea, slept and when she awoke the pain was gone. Salome has also drunk it when she had a headache and found relief!
At eleven months:
The flowers are blooming, and the plants are so tall that they almost hide Salome and Josephine collecting the leaves for tea….
The smell is just soooooooo amazing… and indescribable and overwhelming when Salome crushes the leaves in the pestil and mortar.
Since planting the lavender i noticed that there were less mosquitoes in the living room at night than before. I had always had to go to bed early to be under my mosquito net, because the mossies love me! I found myself without thinking – sitting and being in the lounge til sometimes midnight chatting instead of being chased. For sure the lavender growing was a huge success at reducing the mosquitoes. Not all – but they could have been entering from the back part of the house – where water is stored in buckets for washing, something we need to try and prevent waterholes for them to lay their eggs.
Harvesting the flowers was very exciting. The harvest was not a huge one – but that is expected of the first harvest. I made a line in the lounge and together with Melissa my grand-daughter we hung them upside down to dry. My expectations of lavender in the house was that the remaining mossies would be chased away – but they didn’t seem to bother about the drying lavender…. so its use indoors as a dried bag or dried bunches which also look beautiful, are ineffectual at 
repelling the mosquitoes. I have heard however that they are good for deterring moths – so they can be used in the wardrobes for other purposes.
It was time to look for instructions on how to prune the plants. We realised we were not to prune before the plants were one year old. On the videos i saw – the one year old plant should see as such… and the plant they showed was approx six inches high. A second year plant approx 9 inches high and the three year plant was about a foot – 12 inches high. WOWOW – Our one year plants in the plot were three feet high (36 inches!)
One year on: The first of the prunings…
With music on the ears and pruning scissors in hand… short back and sides in action.
One row done… 7 plants down and another 28 to do… well done Samson!
But what about all the clippings… knowing we can make tea from the leaves… where can we store them and help them to dry?
We moved all the furniture from the lounge into the dining area, making the sofa into a wall to prevent the children from playing there… and everyday we would go in and through the cuttings up in the air to help with the drying process…. after which it was stored in holders before crushing to make the tea.
In the twelve months we have learnt much about the planting and caring for this amazing plant… and the harvesting…. – WHAT NOW?
We have had people offer land to use – to plant and grow lavender. Some have offered the land free of charge until there is profit being made and wanting a part of it…. others have offered land but need a rent and a wage for the tending of it… obviously…. but there is no money to do it. The lands offered are at a distance too far for us to plant and oversee. For the most precious product of this plant to be collected – we need to build a distillery to extract the oil…It can be simple – powered by gas to keep a constant heat to produce the highest quality which would then be exportable
My son has told me that there is some land in the closeness of where we live for sale about 2 acres. If we could buy it – it could be a training ground for people to come and learn how to prepare the ground, and tend the land, before sending them to the lands further away to do the work. All of this will take time and money before there are profits for the lavender. Tea of course can be harvested through out the year, but other produce has to wait at least for one year of growth and longer. This is a long term plan!
I have a vision, but i need partners in this who have the financial backing to further this project.
Rejoice Ministries: 