First and foremost, hello and thanks to all of our fantastic customers and supporters out there. It is a pleasure for Steph and me to grow and make Christmas trees and wreaths for your homes and businesses, as well as grow evergreen seedlings for your weddings, events, and other planting of trees.
Like every year now, it seems, the weather is one of our main stories. Winter was fairly normal with the usual amount of snow and cold. Then early spring came and it was dry. April came and went with virtually no rain. There was fire danger and I was scared to plant anything for fear that it wouldn’t get adequate rain. Then the rain came and it hasn’t stopped. Most of Vermont set all-time records for rainfall in both May and June. July has been the same so far. Lake Champlain, although not near us, is at an all-time high for July, nearly at flood stage. We have many places that I will not drive a tractor because I don’t want to make huge ruts and mud and cause further erosion later.
So how does all this rain affect a Christmas tree farm and evergreen nursery? Since moving seedlings started last July outside to the shade structure they have received continuous watering by Mother Nature. That “always wet” state causes things to grow that would not normally be there if they were drying out as they should every day. Constant watering also causes nutrients in the growing media to be flushed out. Hopefully Mother Nature will see fit to turn off the spigot and allow me to fertilize the seedlings. We will overcome. The seedlings still look very good and healthy at this point, so I may be worrying about nothing….
Also, it is time to begin shearing Christmas trees. In order to do that, first I most mow the grass (now thick hay) in the rows between the trees so that I can shear without tripping, etc. In order to mow grass we prefer that it be dry! It’s also nice to be able to get my tractor and wagon relatively near where I’m working to haul the equipment I’ll be using, drinking water, etc. That said, the trees seem to have adapted to what I now often call our Northern Rain Forest and look quite good overall. They do have some slight problems from being wet all the time, but unless one knows what to look for, one doesn’t see it. In other words, I know it’s there, but you won’t see it unless you are a tree grower yourself. We do not use any pesticides or fungicides in our Christmas trees because they are just too nasty and dangerous, so we have learned to live with a few problems and they aren’t really noticeable to our consumers.
Since we began growing seedlings in 2007, the seedling part of our business has grown each year and takes more of our time each year. Since we are both approaching middle age (we’re both 61) and need to slow down a little, seedlings are a better option for easier work than Christmas trees. We are still going to grow Christmas trees in hopes that in 10 years or so some young, strong family will want to take over the whole operation, but we will focus more efforts in the seedling side of the business. In other words, we will still be sending out Christmas trees, wreaths, garland, etc. by FedEx Home Delivery and Ground, but will not be upset if that part of the business doesn’t grow and won’t advertise it quite as much.
Since I’m on the subject of Christmas trees and shipping, you should know that shipping rates go up about 5% every year. It has also been a few years since we’ve raised our prices to offset the cost of doing business, so you’ll note about an overall 10% increase in price of goods and shipping over last year. We will still ship you only our very best trees and wreaths so remember, when it comes to trees, the early orders get the very best trees. As of right now we know that this year our best six foot balsam fir will go to New Mexico! Who will get the best 5, 7, and 9 footers?
One of our new offerings for this year will be Christmas Gift Seedlings. Order seedlings for a friend or family member for spring 2014, and we’ll send a gift Christmas card to the recipient informing them they will receive a seedling gift from you. Look for those in our secure on line shopping cart in September.
In the fall every year we enjoy spending four days at the Tunbridge World’s Fair. Stephanie is the Superintendent of Vegetables. She manages the display of all vegetables, the judging of those, and fields vegetable judging and growing questions from the multitudes that pass through the Gilman Building. I manage the Christmas tree display for the NH-VT Christmas Tree Association and run a booth inside the Gilman building where we answer Christmas tree questions and sell seedlings to support the association. If you are ever in Vermont in the fall try to attend a day of the Tunbridge World’s Fair…you’ll enjoy it! This year it’s September 12 to 15.
Unfortunately, since Steph is the super, she can’t enter any of the great vegetables she grows in her greenhouse and garden. But that just means we get to eat and enjoy more of them!
Back to the weather again. Last winter the deer did a lot of damage to mostly Fraser firs in the field because there was little real food in the woods for them. The late frost of the spring of 2012 killed all the apple buds and many other buds, making apples and other deer food really scarce. The deer herd also seems to be growing. Come and hunt here!
This spring we had two late freezes that killed some of the buds on budded out balsam firs. One of the freezes was during a snow on Memorial Day weekend. Three days later it was 90.
Speaking of critters, we have also had a kit of foxes under our Christmas tree shed, groundhogs in the rock wall above our pond, and skunks eating cat food on our porch, as well as big blue herons eating the fish in the pond. Birds and their nests are thick in our tree fields, but robins and crows tend to break off the very top leaders on the growing Christmas trees. Wildlife abounds and we live with it and sometimes battle it.
If it sounds like I’m whining about the rain, I am.
Thanks again for reading this and for being a customer or friend of Redrock Farm. We look forward to receiving your email or phone call (and especially your order) for Christmas or in the spring for seedlings.
Stephanie’s comment after reading this is that “you sure sound winey this year. Maybe you should tell them that you are writing this on a depressing day.” I think I admitted to be whiny earlier!
It is now July 15 and the rain has finally stopped. True to July its 90 degrees and humid. As I mowed the hay in the tree fields and looked over the Christmas trees as I went, I thought about how much I prefer the cooler weather of the fall and cold in winter!
If we don’t speak directly to you before the Christmas season, we hope you have a Blessed and wonderful holiday season.
PS ONE MORE THING…the code to save 5% if you order Christmas items before November 1st is VERMONT
