We have the professional tree trimmers here every year or two. Depending on the condition of the trees after the storms. This one is at this time free of a problem, but the one beside it that you can not see has a problem and we could loose it in another year or two. We are very protective of our old boys.

It has been almost a year since I checked in on this thread and it has been a very busy year. I want to begin by showing you some of the beauties here on the farm. Spring can be a wonderful time on a Christmas Farm. We are busy digging stumps from the trees that were cut this past season by our wonderful customers. There are new trees to be planted and cared for that will not be ready for another five years or less compared to their age when we get them. Plus the mowing between the rows in all the fields (my job this year again) , spraying for all sorts of diseases , etc. and watching for problems that may occur in the fields where the trees are maturing.

Let's begin with February of 2017. The weather was very warm here in NJ compared to what it usually is, so that gave everything a jump start on Spring. Some of the trees came alive sooner than others and by March they were pushing some new growth and in April and May they were really pushing new growth.

The rest of the farm was having it's own problems. The daffodil field for example began to come alive in late February instead of a month or so later, and the new growth took a real beating with snow and freezing weather weeks after they came up. The daffodil crop this year was I would say half of what it usually is, and almost all the yellow daffodils did not bloom, they were frozen early since they are the first to come up.
This is February.....

This is April


The Black pussy willows were really confused. This was taken on February 4th.

They came out and froze and by the time they were to bloom, they were almost over and the ones that were still alive were few and far between. The bushes are fine, but the catkins took the hit.


The star magnolia came and went before I could even get out of the house to take a picture. We had a late ice storm that kept me isolated inside due to total ice cover in the barnyard and it was impossible for me at my age to try and get to it.

The pink dogwood was next and this year it did not do well at all. Again much of it froze in bud.


The White dogwood did much better and was very pretty.


That brings us up to date on some of the damage the weather did to us here on the farm this past Winter. I will show you the tree fields and more shrubs and bushes next time I post.

@JB I just found this thread and enjoyed reading through it. I just recently started stratifying about 50 seeds each of Balsam, Fraser and Douglas firs, and plan to plant the seeds in my greenhouse in cone-tainers in late March. Eventually, I am going to plant them in our back field. I am not planning to sell them, but just another hobby and if successful provide Christmas trees for us and any friends/family who want them. I'm just starting to learn about growing Christmas trees; let's see where this goes for me. Thanks for some good information.

@MoonShadows, you are a patient soul.....seeds....wow....I am 89 y.o. and every year we plant 2 and 3 year old babies I can not help but wonder if I will live long enough to see them be sold for Christmas Trees.

I hope I can stick around to see your seeds sprout. I would love to know how you made out with the Balsam and the Fraisers. We can not grow them here. We bought some from a PA grower but he sold out and did not plant any this year. Now we are having to "hunt" for a new supplier.

We had a banner year this year and it is now time to dig stumps and soon transplant some of our very young trees to their permanent spots. Here is a picture of the field now that the snow has melted and we can again see how empty it looks. We sold hundreds of trees this year.

This is the back field before we began selling.




This is the field now.








Our babies are loving this wet warm weather. They are looking very happy. Here is a look at the front field babies and some of the "teens".



I hope you keep me posted with pictures when you have sprouts. We have ordered 100 2 y.o. concolors from a new supplier so I am hoping they look good and ship well. They will go in soon as they arrive if the ground is not frozen. It is not just now but who knows in this crazy world anymore.

The kids just went to a State Christmas Tree Growers meeting this past week. These meetings also give credits for chemical licenses, etc. Spraying these babies is so important especially during the bag worm time.

Keep in touch and if you want to follow the farm on facebook we would love to see you.
https://www.facebook.com/RobLy...

God Bless and have a wonderful day.

I'll update, @JB when I plant...and, when they, hopefully, sprout. I'll visit you facebook site. Thank you for your kind words.

Looking forward to your visit. Feel free to leave a post when you visit the farm page. We reply daily when possible.

Just had to share our front baby field...they are loving this miserable rainy weather.



And while I am at it there are a few signs of Spring here at the farm. We have little snow drops and star magnolia buds.

Your little trees look so great! They are pretty close together, so I'm guessing in the future, you move some of them to different spots? It's good some spring flowers are popping up. It's about time, lol!

Wow, what a winter. It is still not over but it is time to put our real young babies in the fields so they come alive and begin their journey to becoming a grown up Christmas Tree. The fields were full of snow until a few days ago so we are later this year, but still they will be fine. They go into a row and when they get older and healthier they will be transplanted into their final spot to grow into an adult tree.
Here they guys are beginning to measure out the new rows for babies. First 100 will be planted this weekend if we are lucky.

How far apart are the babies planted in their row? And how far apart finally?

porkpal said:How far apart are the babies planted in their row? And how far apart finally?

Depending on how old they are, like 2 or 3 years old, they get planted about 12 to 18 inches apart.

The long rows where they go are 7 feet between rows. This makes it easier to mow the grass between and to fertilize and spray.

The babies when transplanted are 6 feet apart. Some rows are shorter than others depending on which field they are in. So each row in some fields length varies.

I hope this answers your question. Thank you for your interest.

Yes, thanks. One more question: do you keep all the same-age trees together when finally planting them out, or do you use some to fill in the gaps from where trees were sold in previous years?

We fill in gaps with some and we keep the different types separated. Fill in the gaps with the ones that belong in that group. The baby concolors are all in the concolor field or section.












We are waiting now for the next shipment of babies to arrive. We need to replace over 300 plus plant some new ones for future sales. This year we sold out of blue spruce. They take so long to grow we never plant more than a dozen or so of them. So this year we ordered only a dozen. It will be 8 or 10 years before they are able to be sold. We have one customer who tagged the last one in January so she would be sure and get it in 2018. She is really upset we have no others for 2019. They take up space and it takes too long to get your money back. We never charge any more for them than the other trees in our fields. We cater to the Military and locals who are on strict budgets. Our trees sold this year for $55....we raised the price from $45 which we had for 10 years. Many people sell by the foot. If a tree is for a table and it is like a single Mom, we lower the price for her. We want to make people happy.

All of that makes sense. Thanks for the explanation.

Thanks for telling us a bit more about your Christmas tree farm, Jacquie. I'm glad you hold the prices down for those that need it. I remember one year we moved into our new home 2 days before Christmas. When we went to the only lot in town, they gave us the tree for nothing as a housewarming gift. We were really touched by that. It really made an impression on us, and we bought our trees from them for many years.

Just finished fertilizing all the big trees. We really should charge more considering the time and expense we have in growing them, but, my kids have no children and they have spent their lives volunteering, EMTs both instructors, Firemen and auxiliary, all that stuff and now they are getting older and want to do this to help families have a wonderful Christmas. Can't blame them for that. We also have a little gift shop open where we sell gifts made by family members and I buy cheap ornaments online of buy the wholesale, plus little ducks, animals, etc. and sell them for 50 cents or $1 to $5 dollars. They are stocking stuffers and gifts...cheaper than shopping at a store for these people. We also have a Toys for Tots Box for the USMC every year. One year we had pony rides free for all the kids. We have an old fashion family with old fashion fun.
Oh yes, this year was the first year we took credit cards. It is amazing how many military do not carry cash.

I'm glad there are families like yours, Jacquie. Sometimes the bottom line isn't as important as other things. I hardly ever carry cash anymore since nearly every place accepts credit cards.

plantmanager said:Thanks for telling us a bit more about your Christmas tree farm, Jacquie. I'm glad you hold the prices down for those that need it. I remember one year we moved into our new home 2 days before Christmas. When we went to the only lot in town, they gave us the tree for nothing as a housewarming gift. We were really touched by that. It really made an impression on us, and we bought our trees from them for many years.

We even put the stands on for some people and we deliver if older people come without trucks or any way to get the trees home. We love doing it and feel we are helping everyone to have a happy holiday without breaking the bank.

I wish we lived near you, Jacqui. You and your family are very special!

I do think it really depends on how you were raised as to how you run your life and business. It all begins at home. Too bad life has become so difficult and lacks the respect and love for each other we had. Kids today are so different than my kids. I was a very strict Mom but loved them at the same time. My kids were no angels either and I had step kids too which was a bit difficult because their Mother was not like we were.
It all worked out well and we all still love each other. I also think living in the country and small towns helps. Big City living is much more difficult for kids. Just my opinion.