Where can I find land to start a lavender farm?
Question:
I live in Yarmouth, Maine and am looking for land to start a lavender farm. I am starting small, maybe one acre to see how it will go. My limitations would be: zone, 6a, 5b or5a, not very rich, sandy soil, well drained, around one hour drive from Yarmouth. Could you advise where I should start looking?
Answer:
Donna R. Coffin, Extension Professor
This publication The Soils of Maine includes soil unit descriptions and a map of where these soil units are located across the state. It looks like soil unit 19 Cornish-Fryeburg-Podunk-Ondawa is what you are looking for. See page 17 for the soil description. and 20 for the map.
Since you are only looking for a few acres, a residence may serve your purpose. An online real estate site (Zillow, Trulia, etc.) might be able to help you match homes for sale with your soils criteria.
If you have needs for more acreage or a farm, the Maine Farmland Trust has a site: Maine FarmLink that matches farmers with land/ farms to sell with people who want to buy a farm.