MountRiver Farm Overview: MountRiver Farm is a family-owned, WSDA/USDA certified organic farm in Arlington, Washington. Situated in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, the farm covers 25 picturesque acres at the fork of the Stillaguamish River. This scenic location boasts stunning valley views, majestic mountains, a nearby rafting river, and the charming Whitehorse Trail. Currently, the farm cultivates lavender, hay, and a variety of fruits.
A Vision for Organic Farming and Community Well-being: Our vision is to cultivate a sustainable and scalable organic farm that fosters community well-being and relaxation. By expanding our plantations and integrating advanced technologies like AI and IoT, we aim to create an educational and recreational hub that promotes the benefits of organic farming and serves as a peaceful retreat in today's fast-paced world.
History and Development: Rooted in the past, thriving in the present, shaping the future.
2020: The farm's journey began with hay production.
2021: Achieved WSDA Organic Certification for hay and initiated plans for lavender farming
2022: Established the first lavender plantation with 15 varieties & 5,000 plants across 3 acres, starting in June, with WSDA organic certification.
2023: Launched the first year of lavender farming, offering U-Pick & lavender products, & opened to the public on weekends during July & August.
2024: Began cultivating an organic orchard with apple, pear, peach, plum, & cherry trees, expected to bear fruit in 2 to 3 years.
Current & Upcoming Offerings: MountRiver Farm is excited to open its lavender store and farm to the public in June 2024. Visitors can enjoy and purchase handcrafted products and organic produce directly from the farm. Activities will include U-Pick and U-Cut lavender, relaxing hangouts with farm games, wreath-making workshops, professional photography, special group bookings, and access to the farm store. we have added 120 rosemary plants alongside the lavender this year as well.
Why Lavander, Orchard and Hay Farming: Lavender farming embodies both sustainability and tranquility, yielding sought-after products like essential oils and artisanal crafts while fostering biodiverse environments that attract pollinators. Moreover, lavender farms offer recreational and educational opportunities, deepening our connection with nature. In addition to lavender, our agricultural venture encompasses orchards boasting a diverse range of fruit trees such as apple, pear, peach, plum, and cherry, alongside fragrant rosemary and other herbs. These orchards enrich the landscape, promote biodiversity, and provide a sustainable source of fresh, organic fruit. Furthermore, we integrate hay farming, prioritizing sustainability and ecological balance throughout our operations.
Lavenders at the Farm: A versatile and aromatic herb, lavender is known for its fragrant purple flowers and grey-green foliage. Prized for its essential oils, it is widely used in aromatherapy, perfumery, cosmetics, and has culinary applications in teas and desserts. Fresh or dried flowers are popular for décor and crafts. Blooming from late spring to late summer, lavender thrives in sunny, well-drained locations within hardiness zones 5-9. Popular varieties include English, French, Spanish, and Lavandin, each with unique characteristics and uses.
English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia): Known for its sweet fragrance and culinary use, this variety has narrow leaves and deep purple flowers. It's popular in gardens and for making essential oils and sachets.
Dwarf White: (Nana Alba) A compact lavender variety with white flowers, ideal for small gardens and borders.
Hidcote Blue: Known for its dark purple flowers, this variety is highly fragrant and perfect for hedges and borders.
Royal Velvet: Features deep violet-blue flowers with long stems, excellent for fresh or dried bouquets.
Melissa: Unique for its pink flowers, this lavender is fragrant and great for culinary and ornamental uses.
Folgate: Early blooming with vibrant blue-purple flowers, known for its strong fragrance and oil production.
Betty's Blue: Produces vivid, dark blue flowers, prized for its intense color and scent.
Sachet: Known for its compact size and sweet-scented, deep purple flowers, ideal for sachets and crafts.
Maillette: Valued for high-quality essential oil production, with light purple flowers and a strong fragrance.
Munstead: A hardy variety with blue-purple flowers, popular for its compact growth and strong scent.
Lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia): A hybrid of English and Portuguese lavender, known for its robust growth and large, spike-like flowers. It has a strong, medicinal scent and is widely used in essential oils, perfumery, and cleaning products.
Grosso: (French) A hybrid with large, dark violet flower spikes, known for high essential oil yield and strong aroma.
Hidcote Giant: Tall variety with long spikes of deep purple flowers, excellent for dramatic garden displays.
Gros Bleu: French Hybrid) Features large, dark blue flower spikes, known for its intense color and robust growth.
Provence: (French Hybrid) A hybrid with pale lavender flowers, known for its strong fragrance and use in sachets and potpourri.
Seal: Produces large, light purple flower spikes with a strong, sweet scent, ideal for essential oil extraction.
French Lavender (Lavandula dentata): Features serrated leaves and a lighter fragrance, with purple flowers and showy bracts. Often used decoratively and in potpourris.
Spanish Lavender (Lavandula stoechas): Recognizable by its pineapple-shaped flower heads with colorful bracts, it has a strong, camphor-like scent and is used in landscaping.
Otto Quast: Recognizable by its showy, dark purple flower heads with prominent bracts and butterfly shape at the top, used in ornamental gardening.
Challenges: Planting and manually weeding each organic lavender plant is labor-intensive. Additionally, some plants succumb to harsh winter onditions, frost, or heat waves, necessitating replacements.
Lavender products at the store: Our store features a wide range of handcrafted lavender items, including fresh and dried lavender bouquets, sachets, eye pillows, candles, soaps, bath salts, body oils, hand and body creams, lavender wreaths, accessories, and gift items.
Hay at the Farm: We have 19 acres of certified organic hay land featuring timothy, ryegrass, and fescue varieties. Starting in June each year, we offer large round wrapped haylage bales, each weighing approximately 1,400 pounds.
Orchard at the Farm: Variety of organic fruits—apple, pear, peach, plum, and cherry—were planted in early spring 2024. These trees are expected to bear fruit for harvesting in approximately 2-3 years.
Our Future Roadmap: Focus on sustainable and scalable organic farming, expand plantations based on growth, develop a public visitor center with recreational activities, create a learning space to promote organic farming, and leverage technology, AI, and IoT for future development. Aim to create a welcoming and relaxing place for the entire community amidst today's stressful life.
Join us on this journey and become a part of our thriving community. Together, let's cultivate a brighter future. Visit our website Home (mountriverfarm.com) for more information and to connect with us. We welcome your input, ideas, and suggestions to help us grow.
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