We’ve finally found a way to mow the mountain with this Razorback mower. Still hanging on tight to the side rail and leaning in on those steep bits
EARLY BIRD SPECIAL - SEEDLING PRE-ORDERS
Pre-order seedlings now for Winter 2021
Spring seed sowing is about to begin!
Follow the link here below to put in a pre-order. On top of the 10% pre-order discount we'll take another 10% off for orders placed before October 15th 2020 - as this helps us plan what to sow in the nursery ahead of time.
New Nursery and 2020 Planting Season
Another successful planting season completed just in the nick of time - with a blizzard incoming!
Thanks to Kirsten and Florian for the help setting up and automating our new nursery at Black Springs as well as potting and planting out another generation of Christmas trees! All this in the wind and snow too.
Autumn developments
After the endless onslaught of Summer we have had a great Autumn so far - with plenty of catch up work completed and things almost back on track. New infrastructure is in place to expand the nursery and meet strong demand. We also have numerous contracts with people trying to re-forest burnt land and plantations. Many of our plants have sold out well in advance of the Winter dispatch season and we’re already starting to think about seedling production for 2021 . Get in early and receive a 10% pre-order discount for 2021 seedlings. Photos below in order:
Recycled shipping container site office completed
New greenhouse at Spruce Park (Black Springs)
Douglas Fir plantation recovering well from the drought
Site Update
Hello all,
We have been busy updating the website and streamlining the online shop during our lock-down time. Sorry for any inconvenience while the site has been out of action!
Fires and Drought
We have only just been hanging in there on the farm through this crazy summer. Apologies to all trying to reach us for delayed replies. We've been flat out running drip irrigation to the plantation to try and save the trees from drought and working on the fast approaching firelines most nights for over a month! Things are looking up as the weather cools down a little, and with the possibility of rain on the horizon.
Nearly Christmas & Sold Out! Nurseries, Markets and where to find us
Christmas is around the corner and we’re under the pump here on the farm - loading trees daily to fill our pre-orders and preparing for the markets. The drought has hit hard this year so amongst it all we’ve been flat out keeping water up to the trees (and now rationing it too) and helping out at local bushfires which have been starting left right and centre in the area!
Thanks to everyone for the interest and support. Unfortunately we have sold out on mature potted and fresh cut trees for the year. If you happen to live near any of the following places stocking our trees or can make it to the Sutherland Shire Farmer’s Markets www.shirefarmersmarket.com.au- there will still be trees available.
Other locations stocking our trees:
Glenbrook Village Nursery (Glenbrook, NSW)
Leisure Coast Garden Centre (Fairy Meadow, NSW)
Display of our trees at the Leisure Coast Garden Centre in Fairy Meadow
2019 Planting season complete
It has been a big Spring with a lot of action in the nursery and trial plantations. Unlike much of the state, we have been lucky to have just enough rain at just the right times to get the trees off to a great start. Many crises narrowly avoided, including bushfires that burned around the region, a bit too close for comfort at times.
Many thanks go out to all the hard work of our staff, Family and friends - now for a short break before seed sowing begins!
Big snowdrifts to start the season
There are some happy little Christmas tree seedlings in there… somewhere
Just follow the scent - Christmas Tree Stall in Sydney
Christmas Tree Stall - Shire Farmers' Market 8th December
We featured our trees this year at the Shire Farmers’ Market in Sutherland, NSW. The stall got a great reception, thanks for all the support! We sold out of fresh-cut trees and there was a lot of interest in the new varieties - especially the potted Douglas firs and Blue spruces. We’ll definitely be back next year for a couple weekends in the lead up to Christmas.
Get your fresh-cut trees and choose from a variety of new release potted trees starting from $25
Spring Into Action
Lots has been happening at the new nursery and plantation in Yetholme. We’ve had perfect conditions to start the growing season with regular rain and warm (for the mountains) weather. A new worker, Matt, has joined the team and Julie our neighbour and nursery all-rounder is a common sight in amongst the trees, pruning away. The irrigation bore is now fully functional and a 3kWh solar system is going up on the shipping container office to power it. All completed just in the nick of time for a potentially hot and dry Summer. Phew. Next up is seed sowing and setting up a greenhouse - Matt is looking into designs for this whenever potting up several thousands of new trees gets too repetitive. Looking forward to a (hopefully) more laid back Summer!
Feature video on the ABC →
2018 Seed Harvest
Seeds from the 2018 harvest in the Snowy mountains and Blue mountains are now being prepared for sowing. Lots of exploration of old plantations and discussions with locals led to the discovery of a few stands of Douglas fir, Blue spruce and Norway spruce, amongst other species. Some of these stands were so old that the only way to harvest cones off the 40+m high trees was by shooting. My aim still needs some work but the effort (and packs of bullets) were well worth it.
- Lawrence
Winter sets in - Excavator driver from the coast not amused...
Winter is here at our new nursery site and we've had to take some extreme measures - including glad-wrapping the open cabin of excavator driver Kris for wind protection in a blizzard! The trees seem to be thriving all the while and are almost ready to ship out to buyers and plant out in the field. Trucks and heavy machinery have been to-ing and fro-ing from the site in a hurry to get it ready for the planting season. Very exciting and much yet to come... This year we plan to plant over 20,000 trees in our plantation, another 10,000 into pots and sow seeds for 30,000 more trees and 9 different species.
New Nursery in the Blue Mountains
Since March 2018 we have been flat out working on a new nursery near Lithgow, high up on the western slopes of the Blue Mountains. The site was chosen for its altitude (of nearly 1200m), high rainfall and good soil, and has already had snow twice this year. A bit nippy for the outdoor work as we're finding... but at least the trees seem to love it!
Christmas tree research
Experimental trials on fir and pine trees were held from the 15th - 18th December at Spruced's Robertson nursery. The work was done in collaboration with Bjarke Veierskov, a visiting Professor of plant physiology from Denmark. The experiments looked at growth regulation and stimulation of various Christmas tree species with plant hormone treatments as well as comparing the greening effects of another hormone against more traditional fertilisation methods. Data collection is ongoing and will hopefully lead to some useful insights on the trees and contribute new scientific knowledge to the international Christmas tree industry.
A fine specimen
Bud-burst
Spring has well and truly sprung, and the trees are putting on incredible growth for the season. Cool, misty (typical) conditions finally gave way to a few weeks of sun and this year's seedlings have already double in size from little sticks to nuggety bushes. All those in pots are looking like they'll outgrow them fast, good news, except that it will mean yet more transplanting next year.
Successful Spring Planting
Thanks to all for a successful and eventful planting week. Over 10,000 trees planted smoothly.
Planting Week August 7 - 11
Planting is going ahead from Monday August 7th and we have a crew of 6 ready to go. Thanks for the interest and support! Planters just need to bring hats, all other gear and food/drinks will be supplied.
