Hello from the farm,
A little snow this week has been a jolting reminder that the long weekend is fast approaching. So this week at the farm, it has been all about Christmas trees... in May.
There are some who may not know that we are in the process of establishing a Christmas Tree Farm here. The future Snowy Mountains Christmas Tree Farm currently looks nothing like a Hallmark movie and more like a Flintstone's set. There are LOTS of rocks to move, the paddock needs to be ripped, soil tested, irrigation needs to be run, and over three thousand trees need to be planted when they arrive this month. Over three thousand trees (or maybe more) will need to get planted every year, going forward.
The reality of growing Christmas trees in the Snowy Mountains is that there are going to be a few challenges. Because of our elevation, we're specialising in North American firs; Douglas firs and the true firs - Fraser, Noble and Balsam. Currently there's only one other farm in Australia growing them commercially because they are very difficult and have to be managed to withstand Australian UV light. Young fir trees also don't appreciate being blasted by winds, so before we can even think about planting the "real" Christmas trees, we have to sort out some wind protection.
One hundred and fifty Leylandii (Leyland Cypress) arrived from the nursery this week and we are hedging them, as wind breaks. Beautiful cypress hedges sound wonderfully picturesque until you remember that windbreaks only become effective after you plant them, water them, keep the rabbits & roos off them and stop the deer from deciding they look interesting. Which means we now need protection for our wind protection plus a back up plan until they grow, which means installing temporary wind fences.
