After enduring a year filled with drought and inflation, Evening Star Pines is eager to get into the Christmas spirit.
The Christmas tree farm at 9820 Evening Star Road opens Friday for its 37th season. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every weekend until they are sold out.
Whether customers are looking for a Fraser fir, white pine or spruce, Evening Star Pines has rows of trees to pick from.
The farm has had to adjust after last year’s shortage. Sherry and Cris Crawford get some of their trees shipped in from Michigan, which has caused some quantity issues due to drought.
Cris said with the increase in people wanting real Christmas trees the past several years, the business usually sells out.
As a result, sleigh rides will not begin on opening day because Cris expects the line of people will be clear down to K-10. However, groups will be able to take rides around the farm in the near future.
The National Christmas Tree Association expects the supply of farm-grown trees will remain tight again this holiday season. Last year, 21 million real trees were purchased for the holiday.
Cris was inspired to start a farm to get outside, enjoy the Christmas season and put a smile on children’s faces. He learned the ropes from a fellow farmer in De Soto, but ultimately it was a game of trial and error, he said.
What started as 23 trees sales decades ago has become a booming farm that sells 700 trees each season.
They plant trees twice a year, but this year was an especially hard time to grow successfully. The farm lost about 200 trees during the spring drought.
“This year was a battle because everything we planted in the spring died,” Cris said
This is the greatest loss of trees they have seen in their 37 years.
“We are talking about even some big ones, mostly white pines because they are more susceptible to the drought,” Sherry said.
Although there has been an increase in fertilizer prices due to overall inflation, Cris said they have not seen much of a problem because of the limited amount of fertilizer they use. Using too much fertilizer promotes too much top growth and not enough bottom growth, he said.
Despite the challenges, the Crawfords will have 400 trees tagged in the field and 250 shipped in from Michigan.
They also sell jellies, handmade wreaths, tree stands, dog cookies and sleigh rides.
Their nine employees help cut down trees, shake off dead needles, put the net on it and mount it on the car. Many have worked at the farm so long that customers know and recognize them, Cris said.
The same people have worked at the farm for about 15 years, and two are Sherry’s former student teachers.
Cris taught and coached in De Soto, and many of his former students still come to their farm. Now some of his students’ own kids are continuing the tradition.
The Crawfords encourage people to buy real trees to boost the Christmas spirit and continue traditions.
“A lot of people come out and say, ‘Well, we grew up with a live tree,’ and so they have just stayed with the tradition,” Cris said.
More importantly, the kids enjoy it, Sherry said.
“It is fun to see everyone come out,” Cris said. “We haven’t had too many grumpy people come out to get a Christmas tree. Everyone is always pretty happy.”
Reach reporter Sara Maloney at [email protected]
