Wrapping up a great season at New Hampshire Christmas tree farms

Thanks to everyone who visited a New Hampshire Christmas tree farm this season… our growers are always happy to help customers deck the halls for the holidays!

Our small tree farms do a healthy business in only a few short weeks each year – about $4 million worth. But when folks visit our farms to find a fresh tree, a beautiful wreath, or a unique gift, they also stop along the way at local restaurants, shops, and inns. We’re glad to be a part of the Granite State’s thriving holiday industry.

To learn more about New Hampshire Christmas tree farms, check out this fun story from New Hampshire Public Radio. 

After the holidays, tree farmers get to relax a bit and enjoy some downtime. But soon we’ll be back out in the fields, planting, pruning, shearing, mowing, and fertilizing. Rest assured, when Christmas rolls around again, we’ll have plenty of beautiful trees at the ready – for years to come. We hope to see you again next Christmas season!

In the meantime, if your Christmas tree is still out on the front porch or in the yard, and you’re wondering what to do with it now that the holidays are over, visit this page of the National Christmas Tree Association’s website for recycling tips – and to see some of the cool ways recycled trees are put to good use. 

Merry Christmas from New Hampshire’s Christmas Tree Farms!

With only a week to go until Christmas, there’s still plenty of festive to go around at New Hampshire’s Christmas tree farms! Most of our farms are open through this weekend, with retail lots, cut-your-own tree, and holiday shopping available. Some farms cater to the last-minute holiday shoppers out there and will be open right through Christmas Eve.

To find out what’s happening at your favorite tree farm as the big day approaches, check out our interactive map and click on your farm of choice for details. 

Those of you who have already found your perfect Christmas tree and brought it home for trimming can find tips for keeping your tree farm fresh through the holidays at the tree care page on our website. 

And if you’re wondering what to do with your tree after the holidays, visit this page of the National Christmas Tree Association’s website for recycling tips – and to see some of the cool ways recycled trees are put to good use. 

From our farms to your home, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Welcoming the holidays at New Hampshire Christmas tree farms

It’s that time of year again… There’s a crispness to the breeze, a frost of white on the mountain peaks, and a magical twinkle in the air. Must be Christmastime!

At Christmas tree farms throughout New Hampshire, we look forward to this season all year long. Our farmers are busy through the hot summer months planting and pruning and shearing by hand many thousands of trees. So we love to see that work pay off with the coming of the Christmas season, when families arrive at our farms to find their perfect trees, browse gift shops, select hand-made wreaths, and enjoy the myriad other festivities of the holidays on the farm.

Each of our tree farms has distinct offerings, from choose-and-cut Christmas trees and horse-drawn wagon rides to Christmas carols and visits from Santa Claus. To find a farm to visit and learn more about what each one offers, explore our interactive map of New Hampshire Christmas tree farms. 

And before you head out to find your perfect tree for trimming, check out these Christmas tree selection tips from the pros: our farmers. You’ll also find suggestions for keeping your farm fresh Christmas tree, well, fresh, through the season at our website. For ideas on celebrating a green Christmas, check out this Blog post from a Christmas past.

We hope to see you this Christmas tree season at a New Hampshire Christmas tree farm!

Keeping your Christmas tree farm fresh

Once you’ve selected your farm fresh Christmas tree from your favorite New Hampshire Christmas tree farm, there are a few things you can do to keep it fresh and fragrant through the holidays. When a Christmas tree is cut, more than half its weight is water, so much of keeping your tree happy involves making sure it’s able to take in the water it needs. Here are some tips for keeping your Christmas tree farm fresh!

    * Before you set your tree up, cut the bottom ½-inch from the trunk. Then place your Christmas tree in water.

    * Make sure your tree stand is the right size for your tree – and that it can hold plenty of water in the reservoir. Christmas tree stands should provide a quart of water per inch of stem diameter.

    * Check the water level regularly to ensure the base of the tree is submerged.

    * Keep your tree away from heat sources like fireplaces and radiators to prevent excessive drying.

    * Use Christmas tree lights that produce only low heat to prevent drying. Lights should be inspected prior to use and replaced if they are worn. And they should always be turned off when you’re leaving the house or going to bed!

    * When you’re ready to bid adieu to your Christmas tree after the holidays, check with your local transfer station on recycling options. Christmas trees should never be burned in a wood stove or fireplace, as they create creosote and can lead to a chimney fire.

For more tips on keeping your tree farm fresh, visit the New Hampshire Christmas Tree’s tree care page. 

 

From our farms in New Hampshire, we wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Spreading Holiday Cheer - Trees for Troops

The holiday season is really all about giving. It was in that spirit of Christmas that Trees For Troops was started in 2005, to give a little bit of the holidays – in the form of farm fresh Christmas trees – to America’s military service men and women and their families.

Since 2005, thanks to the generous support of people like you and donations from more than 700 Christmas tree farms around the country, Trees for Troops has delivered more than 67,000 Christmas trees to military personnel and their families. Trees have been delivered to members of every branch of the military, on more than 50 military bases, in more than a dozen countries. 
The trees are one way to say thank you to these folks who have dedicated themselves to serving the country, and to the military families who are often missing a loved one serving away from home at Christmas.


New Hampshire Christmas tree farmers are happy to be a part of Trees for Troops. To learn more about Trees for Troops or make a donation, please visit www.christmasspiritfoundation.org

Visit a NH Christmas Tree Farm and Find the Perfect Tree

The crispness of fall may still be in the air, but Christmas is just around the corner! Now is the perfect time to plan your trip to a New Hampshire Christmas tree farm and find the perfect tree for your family. 

With nearly 200 Christmas Tree farms, New Hampshire offers something for all tree shoppers – whether you want to meander the fields to select and cut your own tree or choose one from the lot, spend an hour or a make shopping for your Christmas tree a weekend excursion.

Some New Hampshire Christmas tree farms offer craft fairs, weekend lodging deals with area inns, and gift shops where you’ll find beautiful holiday wreaths, pretty tree ornaments, and unique gifts.

Check our New Hampshire Christmas tree farm map to find a tree farm near your home. Or make it a destination shopping experience – pick a farm a bit down the road and stay awhile.

Growing a Christmas Tree - Fun Facts

The Christmas tree you'll trim this winter is probably older than you think. Perhaps you’ve noticed – among all those tall, full, beautiful firs – some smaller “baby” trees lined up in neat rows in the fields of your favorite New Hampshire Christmas tree farm. Those babies are actually 5 years old or older. And the tree you’ll trim this holiday season was likely planted as a seed a dozen years ago or more.

Here’s what it takes to grow a Christmas tree:

First, cones are harvested from mature trees – sometimes trees as old as half a century or more. These cones are dried and sifted to extract the seeds.

Next, the seeds are planted in soil that has been prepared with fertilizer and peat moss, much like a home gardener would ready a vegetable bed. Seeds are planted in the fall and germinate the next spring. After 3 years in a seed bed, the young seedlings are moved to a slightly larger transplant bed, which allows them room to spread their branches a bit.

When they’re 5 years old, these future Christmas trees are moved from the transplant bed and into the field, where they’ll remain in their tidy rows for the next 7 to 10 years. Every tree in the field is fertilized and hand-pruned each year to produce that perfect Christmas tree shape.

Finally, of course, your Christmas tree is cut fresh, ready for trimming and the joys of the holiday season.