Growing beautiful Christmas trees is a great way to generate off-season farm income and make better use of your land. From selecting a site and planting the right species to marketing and selling trees, this Storey BASICS® guide shows you how to build and maintain your own small tree nursery. Including handy tips for making handcrafted kissing balls and holiday wreaths,Growing Christmas Treescovers everything you need to know to successfully cultivate stunning evergreens that will provide income and bring holiday cheer.
Patrick White operates Meadow Ridge Tree Farm (www.meadowridgetree farm.com), a Christmas tree farm in Middlesex, Vermont, with about 8,000 trees in the ground. He is on the board of directors of the New Hampshire-Vermont Christmas Tree Association and editor of the group's newsletter. He also runs Meadow Ridge Media (www.meadowridgemedia.com), providing freelance writing and editing services to trade magazines in the agriculture, landscaping, and golf industries.
The late Lewis Hill, a beloved and best-selling Storey author, grew more than 20,000 trees on his farm in Greensboro, Vermont. He was also a member of the National Christmas Tree Association and the New Hampshire-Vermont Christmas Tree Association.
Introduction: A Time-Honored Tradition
Chapter One: Getting Started
Chapter Two: Enter the Trees
Chapter Three: Planting and Growing
Chapter Four: Shearing and Pruning
Chapter Five: When Things Go Wrong
Chapter Six: Sales Strategies
Chapter Seven: Time to Harvest
Chapter Eight: Wreaths and Greens
Conclusion
Caring for a Real Christmas Tree
A Christmas Tree Grower's Calendar
Glossary
Index
Exactly What You Need To Know
Grow beautiful Christmas trees sustainably on your small farm or in your backyard. As income supplement or outdl³n