Our Winter Work

You may wonder what we are up to when the when the snow is on the ground and we are unable to plant or dig our trees. Well, let me tell you.

When I started the company in 2004 our main business was growing willows, dogwood and other ornamental branches for the floral industry. We still grow a small amount and it is at this time of year that the pussy willow varieties are being processed.

You will Lucas out there in the cold cutting and bunching in the fields. Hand warmers are often used in the early morning when it is -10 outside and no sun.

We also service most of our equipment at this time of year. Tim enjoys getting his hands dirty diagnosing and fixing whatever may be broken. As we have no outbuilding (yet) our Garage has been converted into a shop/lunch room to accommodate this. Hand tools, small engine gas tools, tractors, trucks, skid steers, trailers are all made ready for springs arrival.

Many of the trees that we farm for wholesalers have been booked last fall. Knowing these numbers allows us to purchase and receive our empty wire baskets, burlaps and tie string. Jake will be tagging the plants out in the fields so we can be ready to tie and dig them for our customers, come Spring. We make decisions on which blocks of trees will be fully removed so we can replant those areas in the future.

Much of my time is spent on planning what the near and distant future will look like. The trees we will be planting this year can take up to 8 years to finish. We have to forecast what the market will want at that time. Native trees will always be a hit but the demands for smaller and exotic varieties should be met as well.

Mostly we wait for the snow to melt, the frost to come out of the ground and our tree spade to start pulling trees out of the ground.