Christmas trees.

[Pasty]

Flat, 4 acre field. Considering local market, obviously long lead time to profit. Anyone tried it? Is there a lot of work / investment up front.? I guess at least 5 years to first sale.

 

[Danieljack_1991]

I have been thinking the same, what with all these diversification ideas in mind.
I have also seen a field of Christmas trees ripped up and no drastic change in soil condition from what you may expect.
Anyone with any results will also be appreciate [emoji106][emoji319]

 

[ARW]

Worth looking into but with the amount planted over the last few years wholesale price is getting cheaper by the year

 

[S J H]

@spikeislander

 

[spikeislander]

As above a lot are going in. I would say a minimum of five years realistically longer. It isn't as easy as people think as the maintenance is high and a reasonable amount of risk. Obviously selling straight to the public is the best margin tbh to sell wholesale I wouldn't bother there are done very good commercial scale grower's. Traditional Norway spruce are easier to grow and shape and nordmann fir's much harder slower growing but more popular. I would go slowly at it buying a few in from wholesaler and start building up a gate trade for a few year's before you set a large area as if it's not going that well or not the customer's you thought 4 acre's sold wholesale won't be a massive earner. Hope some help .I will add some more later if interested

 

[Pasty]

Thanks. Good idea about getting a trade going before / while our own is growing. I suppose it might be better just to be really small scale and do say 100 a year or so and get max price or maybe specialise in larger trees in time. I gather there is a lot of weed control but I was thinking about introducing chickens every now and again to clear that. Not sure if they would pick at the trees though and I guess they may struggle to get in under them.

Edit: having looked into that it appears that chickens love needles. Not a plan.

 

[Lincs Lass]

I was thinking about introducing chickens every now and again to clear that. Not sure if they would pick at the trees though and I guess they may struggle to get in under them.

I planted one tree in my orchard ,,chickens have pulled all the needles of up as far as they could reach

 

[RobFZS]

Seems to be a big thing now for people nicking the tree's, place does them next to some land we have in town and he has camera's, security fencing the lot as buggers go in nicking them

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

grow fruit and vegetables also keep chickens, open a farm shop, buy your trees in, as there is more work to them than you think, land needs to be deer fenced, weeds need to be cut short around each tree, they are to spray for the likes of afides, and all tree to cut and shape each year, and if you don't do all of the above and more, then you will end up with a field of brash no one will want to buy, so just buy them in

 

[Lincs Lass]

Dont they need trimming to shape every year or they leggy

 

[spikeislander]

Dont they need trimming to shape every year or they leggy

Yes

 

[MrNoo]

Have a chap in the yard selling currently, started last year, doing ok this year so far, early days but he expects to sell over 500 this year. I was going to bang some in for him, prob do an acre a year, I have a very old auto tree planter kicking about. He currently gets them from a wholesaler at ave £25/tree (depending on size) and puts a circa £20 mark up. Nordman's Fir seems to take 80% of sales but a few still insist on the "needle dropping strain"
I think if you were to grow then sell straight to public the money is good but a fair time until payback, most of which is cash (always a bonus!)

 

[Grassman]

If you do,trees then it's a plant a few every year job or you will have a few years with nothing to sell. Then a couple of years with smallish trees. Then a couple just right. Then lots that are big or ugly for the next few years till you pack in cause it's not worth the hassle.

 

[ProDrive]

If you want a hand harvesting them, give this fella a call, I think he's done it before.

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

If you do,trees then it's a plant a few every year job or you will have a few years with nothing to sell. Then a couple of years with smallish trees. Then a couple just right. Then lots that are big or ugly for the next few years till you pack in cause it's not worth the hassle.

very true this, don't buy from wholesalers, buy from growers
I did a few years among them for a big estate, more work than you think, and very little in it,

 

[suffolksmallholder]

You'll make more money in 50 years time when you can host Bushcraft events in your plantation. 4 acres is a nice size for this. In the meantime you'll get 3' trees then 5, 6, 7 & 8 footers for the Christmas trade. The odd biggie when they get to 30'+. Alternatives in the meantime are; 12' rustic poles then Tipi poles, then the odd boat spar (if they're well pruned, remember this) then nice saw logs with events from year 30 onwards. Crossbills, goldcrests and a plethora of other birds like the habitat too. Win, win. Just go ahead and do it. You'll never make a pile of £'s but you'll have fun all the while and what's better than that?
Don't forget to sneak in the odd douglas and sequoia for fun too
SS