ADVERTISING. Getting GOOGLE to put us up on the first page was worth the price. We got many new customers. We now realize that we tapped into a new customer base. Wow! We had young people who carried no cash.. We learned. Next year we'll have PayPal, Cash App, Venmo. How many of these services do we have to use? We made the mistake of neglecting the good old Waterville Times, West Winfield Star, and the Pennysaver until mid-season. Lesson learned! There still are many folks who do not use the internet.
POLLARD CUTTING. People are beginning to understand the Pollard cutting process, and they are cooperating. Who wouldn't prefer to cut a tree standing up, at waist height, instead of kneeling in the snow or wet grass? This pollard cutting venture appears to be a success so far. Next year you'll see many little limbs transitioning into main tree trunks. We haven't worked out all the bugs yet, but we're learning a little every year. We'd rather have a 75% success rate with pollard cutting than plant 500 tiny seedlings, and have to mow the grass like a golf course every two weeks for three summers just to keep them alive. If you've ever planted a conifer seedling you'll have a good idea what it entails.
SALVAGED GIANTS. We had way too many 10-15 foot giants that people were reluctant to cut. If people don't cut them they get bigger! These giants require TWICE as much work and time for us to shape them! So, we purchased a shearing tool that allows us to shape tree up to 15 feet, and we cut away lower limbs to give customers an easy place to make their cut. And we decided not to charge more for bigger trees, as most tree farms do. This has allowed us to sell the giants as if they were regular 7-8 footers. And, we have the stumps with lots of green branches to make a new tree out of. Win-Win-Win!
SUPER GIANTS. This year Town of Exeter got a Balsam about 26 feet tall. Its naturally well-shaped. (see photo in GALLERY). We have more of these. Please put the word out that we have big well-shaped trees for municipal use. We don't charge much for these.
"NEW" EQUIPMENT. Mowing is absolutely necessary in a Christmas tree plantation. The public expects grass and weeds to be ankle-high or lower. And the weeds will kill the seedlings if they are not kept down my close mowing. Garden tractors with belly mower decks can do the job, but they need to be used weekly in the fast growing season. Walk-behind brush mowers work very well, but it requires miles of walking up and down the rows. So we got a tow-behind, self-powered brush hog, and it is the best thing we've ever done. Now we can let the weeds grow in mid and late summer to give the insects something other than our trees to live on, then come back in October when it's all chest-high, and mow it right down to 4 inches without breaking anybody's back, or spraining an ankle in a woodchuck hole. Don't ask how we know.
EXPANSION. We are going to plant more trees next spring: mostly Balsams, if we can get them. The brush hog has allowed us to open new territory, and it saves us a great amount of work time. So, we are going to revitalize a third lot that we've neglected for a few years due to time constraints. There will be more trees next year, and they will be better shaped. This means more pruning and shearing work, and more advertising.
PARKING. We do not have a big parking lot, nor even a place to get more than 6 cars off the road, but we plan to build a (somewhat) level spot at LOT 2. There is very little we can do to expand parking space at Lot 1. Customers have been very understanding. We appreciate it!
WREATHS, KISSING BALLS, etc. We have wreath making machines, but it is labor intensive. We may offer these products if we find the time. If we do, we'll promise they'll be fresher than the ones you find at stores.
