The Work
The work on the farm to produced a high quality Christmas Tree is done throughout the year. Each tree on average will get 40 visits for pruning and shape control during its life. Along with this there is Planting, Weed Control, Nutrient Management, Pest Management and of course with all farming you have deal with the elements with frosts, droughts and varying growth patterns. However, it can be a hugely satisfying job to see the trees coming into shape and working outdoors surrounded by nature is a fantastic perk.
The Environment and Nature
Christmas tree plantations are of enormous benefit to the environment. They absorb carbon dioxide (carbon sequestration) from the atmosphere and replace it with oxygen. Our Christmas tree farm is also a great habitat for wildlife with wild overgrowing hedgerows and mature trees surrounding it and with the river Lee flowing right alongside there is a have biodiversity in plants and animals to be seen.
Sustainable Farming
We are actively trying to manage the farm in the most sustainable and environmentally friendly way. Weeds can cause many problems with Christmas trees and we aim from 2021 to move away from use of herbicide sprays to mulching permanent cover crops between the rows as much as possible. We use no chemical insecticides on the farm for the control of pests such as aphids and instead we introduced a predatory spite mite that helps control them along with the natural predators such as ladybirds that flourish on the farm. We believe it is our responsibility to look after the land and environment so it can flourish for generations to come.