THE RUSSELL FARM
Our Christmas Trees...
Location:
Our Christmas trees are located in two separate locations. Our first is a beautiful cut your own tree lot known as our "South Lot." Located a mile south of our farm on VT route 116. See below for more information about our "South Lot." Our "Farm Lot" is located at the home farm, quietly tucked back into the corner of our property. Surrounded by the sugar-woods mountain on East side, and the cabin/pond to the West, this area takes you back to a simpler time. Especially with a horse drawn ride to take you there!
The Trees
We have two varieties of Christmas trees:
1) Balsam Fir: "The balsam fir is a native evergreen well-adapted to the cold climates of the northern United States and Canada. Its symmetrical spire-like crown, shining dark green color, and spicy fragrance have made it a favorite Christmas tree for hundreds of years." (Link)
2) Fraser Fir: "Known for their blue-green needles with silvery undersides. The branches are stiff and hold up well to ornaments. The trees have a pleasant scent and needle retention is excellent." (Link)
The Process of Growing a Beautiful Christmas Tree
In order to get the tree from the Nursery to your door, a lot of care and hard work is put in...
1) The Planting: Once picked up from a nursery (located in VT and NH), we get the trees when they are 6-12" tall and the planting process begins. Using a spade or shovel, we dig a hole and carefully plant each tree by hand. The trees are then given good "soak" to ensure it has a kickstart to life. This can be a lot of manual labor when you are planting 3000+ trees, but is necessary since we are generally replacing trees in areas where previous trees have already been cut.
2) The Maintenance: The trees take 7-10 years before they are grown to the "ideal"
6-8' height. As they grow each year, we add fertilizer to ensure we get the most out of their potential. Once they reach about 4' in height, we start the trimming and shaping the trees to get a beautiful Christmas tree shape. To trim the trees, we use long 3' trimming knives and small hand pruners. In addition, the trees are mowed weekly to reduce weed competition
3)Harvest Time: This is where YOU come in! Arguably the most wonderful time in a trees life is when it is harvested and set up in your home to be enjoyed for as long as it lasts.
We take pride in our Christmas trees and they are an essential part of our farm.
We appreciate the support of all our guests who come to purchase a beautiful tree and look forward to seeing new and old faces every year.
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