TREE-CYCLING!

As we head towards the end of the summer holidays, it is such a delight to be having some warm sunshine after all that rain!

Having said that, our Christmas trees responded a lot more positively to the wet weather than we did; they are looking healthy and in great shape, their rich, vibrant green colour looking better than ever!

Whilst our trees are here ready and waiting to be picked for your centrepiece for this coming festive season, as an environmentally conscious farm, we would like to provide you with a few ideas of what you can do with your tree once the Christmas celebrations are over.

Unlike artificial trees, real Christmas trees are completely biodegradable , which means they can be recycled and be put to good use in many different ways.

At the end of the festive season, local councils usually set up drop off locations where your tree will be collected, chipped and retained within the UK to create biomass electricity.

Alternatively, charities and hospices often run collection services in January in return for a donation.

There are also several ways your Christmas tree can be put to good use around your own garden:

1. Create mulch from the needles – Keep your tree outside until the needles fall off, then collect them to use as mulch for acid -loving plants such as blueberries.
2. Use it as a frame for climbers – Plant the bare tree in a garden border, then grow climbers such as sweet peas against it. The twiggy branches can also be used as plant supports.
3. Create a wildlife shelter – Chop the trunk into pieces and stack to create a mini shelter for wildlife and tie the small twigs into bundles to create homes for insects.
4. Insulation for tender plants – Place large branches over plants to use as a frost protector.
5. Here on the farm none of the trees go to waste. As well as mulching, we have been using some of the timber from the larger trees to build sheds and our most recent project is a stunning garden building, made solely from the Christmas trees grown on our farm! That’s tree-cycling at its best wouldn’t you say?!