Find the perfect tree
Zoe Burd chases her sister Harley through the maze of Blue Spruces at Seven Springs Tree Farms last year.
By BETH VRABEL for Smart
Oh, Christmas tree! There is no more vibrant way to show holiday joy than 6-foot trees taking residence in living rooms for nearly a month. This year, maybe it’s time to begin or continue an old-fashioned holiday tradition of cutting down your own tree.
Rick Doyle of Family Tree Farms in Red Lion is busy prepping for when families trek through the 40 or so acres of farm dedicated to trees. “I work off in the farm most of the time and have a real busy job,” Doyle said. “Those five weekends are really Christmas to me.”
He even dons his Santa hat and gives everyone a ride on the wagon to and from the field. “I have customers now who have been coming since 1994 when we opened, and the kids were 2, 3, 4 years old and now they’re in high school,” Doyle said. “And I can’t wait until I get second generation.”
Megan and Dave Southwell of York head out to area farms with their two young daughters, Emily and Katherine, each holiday season to hunt down the perfect Douglas Fir. Megan loves the fresh aroma, and the girls love running through the field while they search for their own tree. Megan’s family always had fresh trees, she said, but Dave, who was raised in Portugal, rarely did. “I think it’s a cool family tradition to go and cut down your own Christmas tree,” Megan said.
Greg King, owner of Montandon Acres near New Salem, couldn’t agree more. “Some people don’t want to deal with a live tree, and to each his own, but for the old-fashioned Christmas, you’ve got to get the real tree and the fragrance in the house,” King said.
King’s farm is about 25 acres, with just under half of it devoted to Christmas trees. He first planted them about 19 years ago, and it takes about seven years for them to reach the right height.
The farm has precut trees in water for people to choose, and several living trees that can be replanted, King said. For those families like the Southwells, who head out into the farm to get their own trees, Montandon Acres will provide handsaws and carts to those who need them. They’ll help folks who need it bring in the tree and load it into the car after it’s been given a good shake to unload loosened needles. Doyle’s farm partners with Strathmeyer Forests to offer varieties of pre-cut and live trees, along with stands, clean up bags, wreaths, greens and roping. Like King, Doyle said the Family Farm workers will help get the tree loaded and ready to go.
If you want to be on your own, that’s fine with King, too. Just do yourself a favor and bring the right tools, especially a coarse pruning saw. He said he had one customer try to down a tree with a hacksaw.
Leave the high-heeled shoes at home, and make sure everyone has boots instead of sneakers. Those handling the trees are going to need gloves.
“If you’re going to cut it yourself, you’re going to get down on the ground and cut it. You don’t want to be in your Sunday best,” King said. “No. 1, it’s not safe. No. 2, we end up doing it for them.”
Local farms Some local Christmas tree farms include the following. Hours and services vary, so be sure to call first.• Haring Tree Farms, 330 River Drive, York Haven. 266-6590.
• Haring Tree Farms, 1705 Valley Drive, Etters. 938-6669.
• McCurdy Tree Farm and Landscape, 127 Chestnut Grove Road, Dillsburg, Mccurdystreefarm.com, 432-4017.
• DGs Trees, 1991 George St., Dover, 308-1261.
• Montandon Acres, 1948 Noss Road, York. 225-3797.
• National Tree Co., 325 Baltimore St., Hanover. 637-6480.
• Log Cabin Trees and Trims, 252 Hideaway Drive, Quarryville. 786-4003.
• Family Tree Farms, 4874 Dairy Road, Red Lion. 244-4775.
Tips for living trees Having a living Christmas tree is better for the environment and can improve your landscaping. Montandon Acres owner Greg King said that living trees need a bit more thinking through. While King said farm workers will help you get the tree in your car, you might find yourself in a pickle when it’s time to unload a 120-pound living tree. “We get it in, but you better have about 10 people at home to get it out,” King said.Here are some tips on caring for living trees, provided by the Pennsylvania Nurserymen’s Association Inc.
• Decide where the tree will be planted after Christmas and dig the hole (one-and-a-half times bigger and deeper than the soil ball)for it before the ground freezes.
• Before putting up the tree, make sure you have a watertight container for the tree. To condition it for the indoors, put it in a cool, frost-free area (like a garage or porch) for about a week. Keep the root ball moist. If the root ball is frozen, make sure it thaws before decorating.
• Make sure it’s decorated for no more than five to 10 days to increase its odds of surviving. Keep it away from heat vents, fireplaces and direct sun. Keep it moist, but don’t allow it to stand in water.
• Acclimate the tree by putting it back in a cool, frost-free area and keeping the root ball moist. Plant as soon as possible.
• When planting, make a mixture of two-thirds soil and one-third sphagnum peat moss. Put the tree in hole with the top of the root ball about 1 inch above ground level. Fill half the hole with planting mixture and tamp firmly. Cut the burlap around the root ball loose and fold down. Fill in the rest of the hole with planting mixture and tamp firmly. Thoroughly soak the hole, and add 2 to 3 inches of mulch.
Tips for cut trees
• Cut 1/4-inch off the base of the trunk and keep the tree outside in a container of water, protected from wind and sun, until ready to decorate.
• Make a fresh cut of at least 1/4-inch before putting the tree in the stand so that the stem reopens and can take water.
• Make sure the stand has fresh water, and don’t let the water level drop below the fresh cut or the tree will reseal.
• Trees can drink two pints to a gallon of water daily. Make sure the stand has a gallon capacity.
— Source: Mid-Atlantic Christmas Tree Growers’ Alliance selection guide of traditional Christmas trees
The forest for the treeWhile humming “White Christmas,” you envision a tasteful, elegant tree covered in miniature white lights, silver bells, and white and blue handmade ornaments.
Your husband, ready for “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree,” brought home strands of red, yellow, green and blue retro lights that will ensure Santa won’t miss your home. You think you heard him mention something about a popcorn garland.
Meanwhile, the children, who have been singing schoolyard versions of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” for more than a month now, are busy cutting and gluing their own ornaments out of last year’s holiday cards. And you know construction paper garlands are around the corner.
When conflicting visions of Christmas trees dance in your family’s head, more than one tree might be in order. Maybe head out to the field and snag a big beautiful Douglas Fir for the elegant living room. Then set up a smaller artificial (perhaps left over from your apartment days) for the kids to decorate to their hearts’ content in the playroom. Set up a third real or artificial in the family room or foyer, or even the kitchen if it provides the most space. The more, the merrier!
Unless, of course, you’re a Christmas tree farmer. Montandon Acres owner Greg King said during the holiday season, one is enough.“We have a garage full of them,” he said. “One’s enough in the house; it’s like having a hundred kids in the house.”
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