On Thanksgiving Day, before sitting down to our family dinner, we were hard at work finishing the last tasks that needed to be done before opening day. The firewood was cut, the wreaths decorated and displayed, the saws sharp. We were ready for Black Friday.
We knew at the outset that it may be a short season since we only had roughly 300 trees in the fields that were ready to be cut. There was a bit of a scramble to get as many pre-cut trees as possible, and we ended up trekking all the way down to Salem, OR for the majority of them!
It was amazing to see the continuous line of cars rolling in to our parking lot. On opening day alone we sold almost 30% of our entire tree inventory. The farm was only open to the public for 13 days before we made the decision to close for the season in order to maintain some inventory in the fields for next year. We were sad to disappoint families who were hoping to come and cut down their own tree after we closed the fields for the season, but we are learning that one of the difficult aspects of Christmas tree farming is the need to balance meeting customer demand while still ensuring a bountiful crop for next year. We may have a few more lean years until the trees we’ve planted reach cut-able height.
Even more important to us than selling trees, was getting the opportunity to meet wonderful families from the community — some who have been coming to the farm for generations, and others who were opting for a fresh tree for the very first time! It was a delight to hear families laughing together as they hunted for their perfect tree, and to sit by the fire with a skewered marshmallow in hand getting to know so many Oak Harbor locals. We feel so privileged to become part of your annual traditions.
We could not have gotten through this first season without the support and help of our amazing families, friends, and stellar employees. Throughout the year, our community rallied around us and provided free firewood and childcare, helped us to clean and decorate, taught us how to drive a tractor and make wreaths by hand, sledgehammered out hundreds of old tree stumps, and put in hours of labor on the farm. We are so humbled and grateful for the amazing support and encouragement!
Now, moving into 2022, we are preparing for a busy planting season. Every year, we purchase year-old seedlings, which we plant into pots. We fertilize them in the spring and water them weekly as they develop a strong root network throughout the year. We also transfer last year’s seedlings into the field, using a large (and very heavy) auger to dig holes in a neat grid. This year we are planting 2,100 seedlings into pots and 1,200 trees into the fields! These trees will take 5-8 years to grow into fully mature Christmas trees depending on the species. Christmas tree farming really is year-round work!
Thank you to all who visited Good Boy Farms this year, and to all of you following us along the way. We officially have one Christmas season under our belt and we look forward to many more to come!
Happy New Year,
Your friends at Good Boy Farms
Dave, Janet, Chris, Nicole, Josh & Kristi