Hello from the farm,
We've finally finished planting most of the Christmas tree farm. Thousands of Monterey Pines and Douglas Firs are now in the ground, which is a considerable achievement
However as quickly as we can plant them, the deer have started pulling them back out. Not eating them, mind you. Just pulling the little trees out of the ground and leaving them lying there. I've been trying to work out what possible satisfaction a deer gets from uprooting a perfectly good Christmas tree. At least if they ate them, I could understand the motivation.
So for the moment, we're leaving the Spruce, Fraser, Noble and Balsam Firs in their pots until the exclusion fence is finished. These are the more expensive North American varieties, and I'm not prepared to have them scattered around the paddock for the amusement of the local deer population.
Mark's next job is finishing the fence, followed immediately by preparing the dahlia and zinnia beds. I haven't yet mentioned all the other jobs waiting for him. It's better that he thinks there is an end in sight!
It's quite exciting to see the Christmas Trees in the ground and we can see the vision taking place.
This year we are planning on a bit of an open day at the farm for tree pick up. So stand buy to hear our full plans, which may involve some Christmas markets, good food and festivities.
And if anyone knows why deer pull perfectly healthy little trees out of the ground and leave them there, I'd genuinely love to know.
