Twin Creeks Farm has been in Michelle Ducworth’s family for more than 150 years. But when the former medical equipment sales rep returned home to Williamston to be a fourth-generation farmer, she changed the farm’s focus from cattle to lavender.
“When my father passed away – it will be six years this year – I got the calling to come back home and put the farm back to work,” Ducworth said. “I didn’t want to run cattle, so I started looking into herbs and fell in love with lavender.”
While the Upstate’s red clay soil is not ideal for growing lavender, Ducworth found a way. She flew in one of the country’s top lavender consultants from Washington State to survey the soil and help find a solution. The process included digging to the hardpan and breaking it up with heavy equipment to install proper drainage and to amend the soil to achieve the correct pH values.
“Lavender’s a diva and if she’s not happy, she’ll let you know real quick,” Ducworth said.
At almost 10 acres, Twin Creeks Lavender Farm features five acres and seven varieties of the fragrant herb including Grosso, Violet Intrigue, Gros Bleu and Super, along with Royal Velvet, Melissa and Provence for culinary use. The farm also has a commercial kitchen where more than 100 different products are made using all natural, organic ingredients. And just last week, a new barn was completed to house a lavender drying room and to serve as event space for weddings and other gatherings.
“I fell in love with lavender because it’s something I knew I could manage,” Ducworth said. “I love the herb. I love the way it smells. I love the fact that it’s very calming. A lot of people will just come out and sit and look at the beautiful fields. It’s aesthetically pleasing and emotionally soothing.”
For the next two weekends, visitors are invited to Twin Creeks Lavender Farm for the third annual lavender U Pick Festival.
Pre-registration is $5 per person and $6 at the gate. Children five years and under and adults 65 years and older get in free. You may pick as much lavender as you like, with cut bundles measured in $5, $10, or $15 increments and banded for you at checkout.
U Pick days include instructions for picking, rubber bands and scissors. Visitors also can visit the farm store offering products made from lavender such as soap, candles, room and linen sprays, bath salts, bath balms, bath teas, sugar scrubs, body butter and lotion.
As the owner of Twin Creeks Lavender Farm, Ducworth is quick to credit her family with helping keep the South Carolina Century Farm in operation. She calls her Mom the farm’s matriarch and biggest cheerleader. And her brother, a mechanical engineer at Boeing in Charleston, travels to the Upstate most weekends to help tackle heavy lifting at the farm.
“I’m so blessed to have everybody that rallies around me and this farm to make it what it is,” Ducworth said. “I certainly couldn’t do this by myself. I’ve got a fantastic team and I’m so grateful.”
Want to go?
What: Twin Creeks Lavender Farm 3rd Annual U Pick Festival
When: June 19-20 & June 25-27, 9 am until 2 pm each day.
Where: Twin Creeks Lavender Farm, 4638 Midway Road, Williamston SC 29687
