Castle Farm FAQ

Please see our Find Us page. You can also find the farm location through the below links;
Google Maps

A225 entrance: ///dusty.tigers.event

Redmans Lane Entrance: ///entry.pies.tools

Our Coffee Cart is open Tuesday-Sunday serving takeaway hot and cold drinks, snacks and ice creams.

The nearest toilet facilities are located at the nearby Lullingstone Country Park Visitor Centre on Redmans Lane. There is also a large car park there if you wish to go for a walk. Follow this link for more information on Local Attractions in the area.

During Lavender Season, we do provide toilet facilities.

Yes, the farm is wheelchair friendly. We have an Accessible toilet on site – please ask one of the team and they can show you – there is a ramp we put out to overcome a small step into the toilet room.

Our Lavender Picnic events and Lavender Walks event are attended by many people with wheelchairs – although, be aware that the entrances and field margins are on mown grass – not solid concrete.

The Picnics field is particularly well suited as there is a gentle sloping field with a wide grass path running right out into the middle of the Lavender rows. In the Lavender Walks field, it is not possible to get a wheelchair between the Lavender rows, but there are wide grass margins by the side of the Lavender. 

Our Guided Lavender Tours cover approximately 500m of distance – some of this is on concrete, some on grass areas with a small slope entrance to one of the fields.

Our team will be happy to advise on individual requirements by calling us on 01959 523219.

Unfortunately, as we are a busy working farm with a lot of farm machinery, it is not possible to have a picnic anywhere on the farm.

Our BYO Lavender Picnic events in Summer are pre-ticketed and only available throughout July in allocated field spaces.

A number of florists and farm shops around the country supply the hops to order or stock the lavender bunches on a regular basis.

Our Lavender food essences are used by an increasing range of manufacturers of biscuits, preserves and ice-creams and the oils may be contained in a wide range of high street toiletry products.

The best place to view our entire range is at the farm, or through our online shop!

While we're not classified as an organic farm, Castle Farm operates sustainable, responsible farming practices and maintains a strong farm wide conservation program. We use as few chemicals as possible, and only when absolutely needed.

Castle Farm has a long-term policy of a farming approach that is sensitive to the environment, including conserving and enhancing the habitats in which we operate. The farm devotes 10% of its area to be managed with wildlife and the environment having priority over food production.

Items are charged at different rates according to weight and size.  Please see our delivery page for more details here.

Please follow this link for information on delivery and returns.

It is best to telephone or email us to enquire whether the specific products you want can be sent to your destination country.


There are surcharges for international dispatch which are calculated based on the weight of your order.

Absolutely.  Please feel free to include a gift message for us to include with the order.

You can also add the 'send as a hamper' product for our beautiful gift wrapped boxes.

Mid-June is when the lavender starts to turn purple, and will continue to deepen in colour until we harvest for the precious Lavender Oil.

Each of our varieties are harvested at different times, and harvesting all the Lavender fields on the farm is usually a 3-4 week process.

All the Lavender is usually harvested by the end of July / first week of August. You can see (and smell!) Lavender between those times.

Access to the Lavender fields is strictly only if you are on a Lavender Tour or if you have a pre-booked ticket for an event.

Please see our Seasonal Events page for dates and times.

Yes, we offer pre-booked sessions for professional and portrait photographers to book the fields for exclusive access and client shoots.

Each year, the details and dates are released in late May / early June, and bookings (throughout July) are usually sold out every year.

For more information, please email hello@castlefarmkent.co.uk.

Children are very welcome at Castle Farm. We trust all responsible adults accompanying children to keep a close eye as there is a constant flow of vehicle traffic throughout the year.

We love dogs here at Castle Farm and they are very welcome on site and at our Lavender Walks Event. 

We only ask that as we are a working farm for safety you keep them on a lead at all times.

They are currently not permitted inside our main farm shop, at our Lavender Picnics event or our Guided Lavender Tours unless a registered Guide Dog or registered Assistance Dog.

Yes, we sell Lavender Plants during the Spring and Summer months – varieties vary each year but we aim to offer an excellent selection of Castle Farm approved, English-grown plants. Please visit our shop or our online store for more details.

Our parking is limited and as such reserved for customers and farm visitors only.

If you would like to leave your car to go for a walk we ask that you please move your car to the Lullingstone Visitor Centre very close by and with direct access to the footpath. This will allow all customers to access the car park.

During Lavender season a small charge may apply on weekends.

The first Hop Bines start to mature in mid-August and we finish cropping them early-mid September, before they start to become worn by autumn wind and rain.

Throughout the rest of the year, only the dried hop bines are available. You will be able to order fresh hops online – for delivery once the season has started, or for collection from the farm.

Absolutely. If you wish to collect a hop from the shop please call us for prices and to reserve in advance.

A hop bine is composed of two or three stems that have grown and twisted up a long central string.

Fresh hop bines are supple and can be easily draped and twined into position and left to dry out naturally. Hanging the cut bines is easy – simply hook the stems or string over a nail. The bines are very light when dry so weight is not a problem. All Hop Bine orders are sent out with full hanging instructions.

Dried Hop Bines will need conditioning before arranging in position, conditioning instructions will be sent with any online orders or available in the shop if collecting.

Hop plants are available as bare rooted stock for mail order despatch, or as potted plants from the Farm Shop. Plants are available from December through until early Spring. It is best to plant your hops when they are dormant throughout the Winter, and then you will see the shoots starting to appear as the ground warms up in Springtime.

Yes. Hops will survive a range of temperatures and ground conditions including prolonged winters. Hop plants are, however, sensitive to day length, meaning they will only grow and flower with commercial success within certain latitudes around the globe – but this includes northern and central Europe.

Usually, the first or second weekend of September. Ripening is dependent on the weather, and we will only open the orchards when the fruit are perfectly ready for picking. Our Newsletter will be updated and sent out as soon as the date is confirmed. 

Yes, we have a dedicated car park at the Apple Orchards, but there are no toilet facilities.