Michelle Ducworth grew up helping on her family's cattle farm. It fell into disuse for a few years, but now she's running it again, watching, weeding and worrying over 3 acres of plants that aren't optimal for growth in the Upstate.
Growing lavender, the fragrant herb found frequently in soaps and candles, is now Ducworth's full-time job.
Her father, who primarily ran the farm, died in 2015 and she decided she wanted to do something with it. The result is Twin Creeks Lavender Farm in Williamston.
"I found that I felt closest to him when I was here on the farm because we grew up running cattle," Ducworth, 42, said. "I love cattle, but I'm single and it's kind of tough to do by yourself. So I thought, what can I do that I can manage?"
She decided on lavender after researching what plants would be practical to grow on her own. From a list of easy-to-grow herbs, she picked lavender because she liked it. Then she spent a year researching what it would take to grow it successfully. She worked with an expert consultant from Washington state and had Clemson University test her soil.
The Upstate is not optimal for cultivating lavender because of the heat and the clay soil, said Steven Jeffers, professor of plant pathology at Clemson University and Clemson Extension Services.
"This is not the ideal place to be growing lavender," he said. "It's usually grown in cooler climates with soil that drains well."
Successful lavender growers in the South generally grow their plants in rows of mounds of soil to raise the roots so they can be kept more dry, Jeffers said.
Ducworth uses the technique for her acreage.
In 2017, she planted about 20 plants as a test.
In 2018, she and a small team hand-planted 7,500 lavender plants that bloomed this year.
She's increased production of her lavender-based products like candles, soaps, sugar scrubs and deodorants. She's also partnered with a local beekeeper to have honeybees on the farm to create lavender-pollinated honey.
For five weekends throughout May and June, Twin Creeks opened to the public for U-pick events. This will be the last weekend for U-pick.
Morgan Cox, owner of a Simpsonville candle company called The Barn at Post Oak, attended a U-pick event with her kids in spite of the rainy weather for lavender to use in her candles.
It was Cox's first time attending any sort of U-pick event, and she said she and her children enjoyed the experience.
Denise Tow and Gina Harlan spent part of the morning picking lavender as part of what they were calling a "mental health day."
Harlan has been using lavender in various forms for her whole life. She's made her own lavender-infused sugar and lavender lemon shortbread cookies. She uses it for room sprays and bug bites and grows a couple of her own lavender plants.
She said with the lavender she picked that day, she would probably keep some in a vase or give some as gifts.
The demands of harvest time and the increase in demand for products led Ducworth to quit her full-time job as a medical surgical device sales representative recently to focus on the farm.
"I tell people I've retired, but I don't want to jinx myself because if for some reason some lavender disease comes out of nowhere and kills my crop, I will have to get back to work," Ducworth said.
She acknowledges she took a risk, but she says that's the risk any farmer takes.
"There's always concern and worry when you're a farmer, but you give it to God and trust him and just work hard and do the best you can," Ducworth said.
The lavender disease Ducworth mentioned is not just a hypothetical. Phytophthora root rot is a fungus-like plant disease that can affect lavender plants and has no known effective cure yet.
LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING?
Support stories like this by supporting local journalism. Please consider becoming a subscriber. Here's our special offer.
"The disease is much more severe in wet soil conditions," Jeffers said. "It's become quite a problem to lavender because that seems to be a susceptible plant species."
All the planting, weeding and running the day-to-day operations of the farm culminated in about a one-month period of the plants at their peak bloom from mid-May to mid-June.
"It's fast and furious," Ducworth said. She brings in some part-time employees when she needs help and she said her brother comes in from Charleston nearly every weekend.
"I'll be excited for next year. I didn't do as much marketing for it (the farm) this year because I thought, what if I market all this stuff and for some reason my lavender doesn't bloom? Now that I know I've done it right, next year I think it'll be really exciting."
Ducworth has goals to expand the operation at the farm, including building a general store and event space on the property, planting more acres of lavender and creating and selling more products.
For her, the focus is continuing the family's legacy.
"I think part of this whole journey of doing the lavender has been healing, too," Ducworth said. "When you lose a parent and then you're able to do something that makes you feel close to them, there's something special about that. I really feel like Daddy will be proud."
Kathy Pierre covers all things Anderson from its growth to its people. You can email her at [email protected] or reach out on Twitter @kpierrejourno.
864-437-9797
Service Areas
