Lavender farm idea blossoms near Toowoomba

Another 2000 plants are still be planted in coming weeks at the 9.3 hectare block, where the family have also started an apiary.

The couple, along with their children Mia, 9 and Noah, 1, were last year living on an acre block and had talked about buying a portion of Ms Vohland's parents adjoinging small farm. The changes wrought on the world by COVID-19 gave them the extra incentive to chase their dream.

"Craig always said we're not going to buy the land unless we're going to do something with it," Ms Vohland said.

"So we started looking into what was going to give us bang for our buck.

"We thought about pecans and olives ... but lavender has always been one of these dreamy things for me, there's something about it that I just love.

"We're pretty lucky in Toowoomba because we do get those cold winters and milder summers that lavender needs... our only concern was the soil. Because it's heavy clay we had to prepare it to make sure that it drains properly."

Further research including discussions with Victorian lavender farm expert Clive Larkman confirmed that hard work could yield good profits, with stripped flowers commanding prices around $26 a kilogram two decades ago and demand for the flowers and its oils only growing since then.

Four varieties of lavender were hand planted by the Vohlands and their extended family over the weekend and they hope to harvest their first flowers in spring.

"It's the true definition of a family farm," Ms Vohland said.

"There's a lot of financial output before we get an income."

At present Mr Vohland is working on a FIFO basis as a project surveyor but the family is aiming to create a sustainable income from the farm.

At this stage the first harvest will likely be done with hedge trimmers given that most lavender specific equipment tends to be made internationally.

The Vohlands plan to sell fresh flowers directly to florists as well as drying flowers for sale and distilling their own oils.

A local baker has already expressed interest in making lavender scones and lavender macarons and the family is also looking into working with local wedding photographers.

The apiary was created as a natural fit for the lavender crop, with four hives of bees ready to help pollinate the blooms and another six still to come.

"One third of the food we eat is pollinated by bees and if we don't have bees, we're eventually going to run out of fresh food," Ms Vohland said.

The family are also considering local outlets through which to sell their honey, with the first harvest due to take place in coming weeks.