[Closed] Longshot of the day - christmas tree farming - Anyone here do it?

I can offer no advice, but would like to see a closed loop Christmas tree system. Take the trees back and mulch them down onto the land. Maybe a subscription service "Christmas Trees for Life" to guarantee costs of recycling.

(Can I have a job?)

We have chickens. AIUI the manure makes great fertiliser but you have to compost it fully first! It also contains potassium and phosphorus which evergreen trees need apparently.

We have chickens. AIUI the manure makes great fertiliser but you have to compost it fully first! It also contains potassium and phosphorus which evergreen trees need apparently.

Our first batch would be 3 years old by the time it hits the ground - long enough?

A cycling contact did it on a spare acre at the bottom of his (huge!) garden. No idea how long it took to get to a sellable height, but made a few quid each December for relatively little work. Think he stopped replanting after 5 years or so, they've all gone now.

I can offer no advice, but would like to see a closed loop Christmas tree system. Take the trees back and mulch them down onto the land. Maybe a subscription service “Christmas Trees for Life” to guarantee costs of recycling.

That would work if you could devise some sort of bag for the tree that doubles as a base surround. No one is going to want to put a 4+ week old tree in the back of their car to return it without something to stop the needle-maggedon that would ensue, given how many councils will do it for you now.

It however would actually be useful to have the mulch and chippings, although separating the bushy bits from the trunk would be a PITA. The chipper hates the green bits, and a mulcher that could handle the needles and twigs would never get through the trunk.

Milking them takes a bit of practice.

A cycling contact did it on a spare acre at the bottom of his (huge!) garden. No idea how long it took to get to a sellable height, but made a few quid each December for relatively little work. Think he stopped replanting after 5 years or so, they’ve all gone now.

My target would be around 6 acres, planting 1 acre a year, with something like 1500 trees cropped per per year from year 6. So it's worth doing given the average price is over £40. I could add more land but that would become a job for someone down the line.

Our first batch would be 3 years old by the time it hits the ground – long enough?

My neighbours sell them at Christmas. A couple of artic loads, do very well out of it, people like the fact they can browse and choose, even more so if you cut the down in front of them.

I own some woodland in the SE with my siblings. I always thought there was a potential market for delivering pre-decorated xmas trees, and collecting them a fews weeks later. Cant convince the others though and its 300 miles from where I live..

I always thought there was a potential market for delivering pre-decorated xmas trees, and collecting them a fews weeks later.

I don't think so - the sort of people that want a pre-decorated tree would just as happily buy an artificial one. If you want a real tree, you are the sort of person that takes the time to enjoy decorating it.

However there may be a small market for doing it for independent shops/bars etc?

You could try emailing Taylor Swift for advice. Apparently her parents have a Christmas tree farm so some useful insights may be forthcoming (or not).

That would work if you could devise some sort of bag for the tree that doubles as a base surround. No one is going to want to put a 4+ week old tree in the back of their car to return it without something to stop the needle-maggedon that would ensue

Maybe offer a valeting service on site?

Local farm near us was minimum £40 tree, up to ££whatever. We couldn't find any of the £40 sized ones (we were given long bit of water pipe with markings on to measure things up). Couple of varieties always good to assist spousal arguments.
I think your average spend would be nearer £60 per tree. They had a coffee shop/trailer thing working too which always seemed to have a queue. Even a cheapo cup of instant would be a great idea (£1 a cup, honesty box?).
They had at least 10 staff in. A couple of chainsaws. Ability to fix a base to any tree. I can see you'd make a decent amount in a few weekends!
Kudos for the recycling idea and chicken poo.

Edit The one we used took a photo with family plus eldest child over the carcass of the tree holding the chainsaw. On our phone, so no cost. Nice touch.

Before I even joined this site, or bought my first burr grinder I think I approached peak STW when we "fostered" a Christmas tree for a few years. Came in a pot with looky after instructions and went back to the farm after Crimbo 'till the following year. Initially I felt it to be a good thing, much virtue and smugness.

But it was wildly expensive, the tree was a little bit shabby and I was never totally convinced we got the same one back. Not that we were bothered but having the same one was all part of the blurb they gave. Factor in all the transport to and fro and I wasn't convinced any environmental argument stood up. We now buy a locally grown one. Good luck in your new venture.

BTW we keep chickens and our veg does very well indeed on well composted chicken poo. A year is enough with mixed compost.

You could try emailing Taylor Swift for advice.

They are never, ever getting back together.

Like ever.

You could try emailing Taylor Swift for advice. Apparently her parents have a Christmas tree farm so some useful insights may be forthcoming (or not).

She was my first port of call, but as it happens been no help with the Christmas trees but she has done a couple of albums worth of tunes in the meantime.

Im thinking about giving a few acres over to xmas trees

not sure if it’s a thing in the uk or an eu regulation but in Ireland once land is given over to forestry it then stays that way. Friends wanted to clear an acre or so for an extension and had to replant trees on another acre of their land.

not sure if it’s a thing in the uk or an ex regulation but in Ireland once land is given over to forestry it then stays that way. Friends wanted to clear an acre or so for an extension and had to replant trees on another acre of their land.

From my research christmas trees come with no strings attached whether converting to or from in the UK. Its one of the prime drivers for doing it as I don't need to ask anyone's permission (Except the wife).

These folks do exactly what you are thinking of (maybe slightly larger scale). She also runs Forest School for the local primary schools so I'm sure would offer some advice.

https://m.facebook.com/dovesykenursery/

I don’t think so – the sort of people that want a pre-decorated tree would just as happily buy an artificial one. If you want a real tree, you are the sort of person that takes the time to enjoy decorating it.

However there may be a small market for doing it for independent shops/bars etc?

i didnt say it was a well thought through plan...

Edit The one we used took a photo with family plus eldest child over the carcass of the tree holding the chainsaw. On our phone, so no cost. Nice touch.

yeah that is cool. I would do PYO too. We used to go to a PYO place on the edge of the New Forest as a kid. That was always a day to look forward to.

No chainsaws, but here's my junior worker doing the wood chipping for his new play area. Make them earn it I say....

This is my local Xmas tree farm

Massively busy, trees from £40 up to £100, about 10 staff in the run up to Xmas. They've got a jig for holding the tree so cut the base square, a jig to put the plastic netting over the tree and a building for taking payment and selling decorations.

It's a full time job for them

It’s a full time job for them

I bet! I do have a full time job (as some of you may know) but handily the time for planting, pruning and selling these trees is all when we're normally at our quietest, so I actually get weekends off (unlike the spring/summer when its crazy at the factory or on the road for events).

There's a 20 acre field 400m away that was turned into a 'plantation' about 15 years ago with PYO xmas trees being a big part of it.
He gave up on it about 5 years ago. I sneak in there with the dogs occasionally as they love bombing around amongst the large amounts of trees that were not picked. Not sure what went wrong as it seemed busy each December but don't underestimate the work involved.
Also remember that once the tree has been removed the stump and roots remain and they will have to be dealt with as some point as they don't go away on their own.

I also know someone who's son is friends with my daughters. He has a farm and his son has put some xmas trees in. His son and his pals sell them from a plot that used to be a petrol station (also owned by his dad) and they charge a flat rate of £30 and the trees are really nice.
They're well set up accepting contactless payments, etc.
But, his father has an exceptionally large amount of money from his other property and mobile phone businesses (enough to dig out a 5 acre lake to go wakeboarding - and the lads take the trees to the site with £200k worth of John Deere tractor!!) and they have attracted the displeasure of the other tree sellers in the vicinity who think it's their patch.

I thought about doing it with some of my land but decided not to. 1' per year growth so 5 years before they're at sellable size and once above 7' they're less attractive to the buyers.

Like most things, it's not quite as attractive as it first seems.

There is a Christmas Tree plantation between Junctions 7 & 8 of the M90, on the Western side. I believe it is the Kilted Christmas Tree Co.. They are regularly out working on the crop, and they have other plantations dotted about, so I think it is not an easy or hands-off task. They do grow nice trees though.

The Christmas tree farm near us does a decent trade every year and the trees, whilst good are not cheap. But I think it's the add-ons that bring families back every year. They run tractor rides for the kids and have a festive wooden cabin bar serving mulled wine etc. There might be some other stuff for kids too so adults can spend longer there having a few drinks and making a bit of an outing of it. It definitely works as the queues to get in usually massive in early December.

There's lots of land near us where they do this, probably 100 acres.

Not sure how they manage it, but I normally see Polish reg. cars in the various car parks/gates.

https://netherrawforestry.com/

A big farm would be too much part time, but I think this is manageable part time. 6 acres isn't that much. We have a few acres of woods with an almost unlimited source of wood chip so I can chip the ground to keep it clearish. Once the trees are a couple of years old I will start rotating chickens into the fenced off tree zones, they're amazing for weeding. They make a royal mess so you can't let them loose in your flowerbeds, but they'll be fine out in the field rummaging around in the mulch and will keep the areas around the trees relatively clear of weeds. And make eggs too. Double win.

A few weekends pruning and clearing a year and it should be good. Probably would need a new access road (I have space for parking but the drive is single track) but Ive got 5 years to work that one out.

Once the trees are a couple of years old I will start rotating chickens into the fenced off tree zones, they’re amazing for weeding.

Christmas is a year round job if your business is serving the Christmas market.

I had to buy larger Christmas tress last august  - half expected it would be a struggle to get people to even answer the phone they were actually working flat out..... in August most of the trees on the plantation ear marked for that year were already sold!

When I was buying the big ones I needed (15 footers IIRC) there was an awful lot of trees that had grown that big and just weren't contenders - no one was ever going to buy them even with the care and pruning they had for that last decade or two - . Buying from the growerI was only paying £150 for tress that tall, £25 for a 8 year old  6 footer. Seems to me you need to be working at pretty considerable volume to make that worth while

I'd forget about xmas trees - they're sold pretty cheaply for what they are and the attention they need to actually look Christmas tree shaped.

Selling live trees for landscaping is probably more interesting and less seasonal  and they only need to look like nice healthy trees - you're not trying to get them to conform to an ideal in the same way as xmas trees need to.

If you do go for the live tree thing, keep us posted on the process. I find those tree spade machines fascinating to watch

Before I even joined this site, or bought my first burr grinder I think I approached peak STW when we “fostered” a Christmas tree for a few years. Came in a pot with looky after instructions and went back to the farm after Crimbo ’till the following year. Initially I felt it to be a good thing, much virtue and smugness.

A colleague of mine has done that for the last few years - although they don't get the same tree back - that would be daft as it would outgrow your space. I've no idea the costs, but chrimbo trees are expensive for something you throw away and have the inconvenience of transporting for disposal. If it was even the same price, less likely to die and drop needles and delivered/collected I'd happily pay the same to rent a tree as own it.

Yes chicken shit makes good manure/compost. If you don't use it for this your local allotment will pay you for it!

What about growing them to rent (or buy)?

https://www.winstonesicecream.co.uk/christmas-trees/

The life span of our rental trees will be around 7-8 years.

Milking them takes a bit of practice.

You should see the bloke that worked out how to get butter out of a stork.

My parents planted a 15 acre field (over the course of several years) in the early eighties. Some random observations;

- At the time there were grants available for planting hardwood trees. So they planted a hardwood every few metres and filled the gaps with Christmas trees.
- 40 years later it's now a nice hardwood plantation - BUT it's kind of over run with all the Christmas trees they never managed to sell.
- Christmas trees grow fast. Like fast enough to be too big for anyone to want them very quickly. If you are lucky you can get rid of one of these monsters a year by giving one to the local church.
- The aim was to wholesale them, but finding someone who wants 1,000's of trees is not easy.
- There was one glorious point that a nice lady offered to buy them all - I remember my Dad telling me "that will pay for your university". Turned out that the nice ladies day job was more along the lines of dealing in lucky heather / driveways / dags. We never saw more than a couple of hundred quid for the thousands of trees that were taken. Funnily enough the police weren't that interested helping retrieve our stolen goods!
- There is no doubt money in it if you are prepared to harvest them and sell them direct but that would be a full time job.
- PYO is easy enough to do, but back when my Dad was doing it the going rate for tree was "a quid a foot", so not really a gold mine.

Before I even joined this site, or bought my first burr grinder I think I approached peak STW when we “fostered” a Christmas tree for a few years. Came in a pot with looky after instructions and went back to the farm after Crimbo ’till the following year. Initially I felt it to be a good thing, much virtue and smugness.

My parents planted a 15 acre field (over the course of several years) in the early eighties.

Scratch that - it was also a 6 acre field. I'm getting my parents entrepreneurial field buying projects mixed up.