We are Pam and Mark Baker (along with our kids Lauren, Josh and Noah), the proud owners of Little Lavender Farm in Dundee Oregon.
We are often asked, how we decided to farm lavender. Well, it all started, as many good things do, by accident. Mark and I had an area in our back yard in Escondido CA where we just couldn't grow anything -- a hot, south-facing slope of about 1/4 acre with terrible, granite soil. But after visiting a local lavender farm with similar conditions, we realized that maybe, just maybe, we could grow lavender on that slope. So we bought 50 lavender plugs that very day and got to work. And they grew. And we were hooked. And we bought more plants. And the more we studied this wonderful plant, the more we wanted to learn and grow and experiment.
We are often asked, how we decided to farm lavender. Well, it all started, as many good things do, by accident. Mark and I had an area in our back yard in Escondido CA where we just couldn't grow anything -- a hot, south-facing slope of about 1/4 acre with terrible, granite soil. But after visiting a local lavender farm with similar conditions, we realized that maybe, just maybe, we could grow lavender on that slope. So we bought 50 lavender plugs that very day and got to work. And they grew. And we were hooked. And we bought more plants. And the more we studied this wonderful plant, the more we wanted to learn and grow and experiment.
Fast forward 2 years, and we got the opportunity of a lifetime to move up to Oregon. We were able to start up a slightly bigger version of our little lavender farm again, learning from the mistakes we made on our first farm and making completely new ones at our second farm. But we have loved every minute of it. We continue to learn and experiment and love this lavender dream. And we're excited to share a little of that dream with you.
Our goal is to put something beautiful, calming, and uplifting out into the world. Self-care, both mentally and physically, is such an important part navigating our stressful lives and we hope to support that effort not just through our products, but also through sharing our experiences here on this farm. We hope that the photos and writings on this website provide a bit of a sanctuary, an escape to a slower, calmer, beautiful lavender life.
Stay tuned for news about our upcoming book A Lavender Life.
Coming Summer 2023
(above photos by the amazing Ingrid Franz Moriarty of IFM photography)
