Corner Crest Natural Farm: Farm Projects

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Farm Projects

Craig always has about 20 different farm projects going on at any given time. There's the daily stuff like taking care of the animals and keeping the blackberries at bay, the seasonal stuff like planting Christmas tree seedlings and young fruit trees or chopping wood for heat in the winter, and the bigger projects like the barn loft or fencing in more pasture. Slowly but surely, things take shape and old projects get done and new ones get added to the list. It's hard but satisfying work.

Fire!

Framing the loft. Craig did this all as a one man job.

Morning chores.

Rail road ties to be fence posts.

Tractor tools.

Loft taking shape:

Adding cross beams:

Floor getting added.

Chicken housing.

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Rustic U-Cut Basics

Our trees are unsprayed and unshaped so there is a lot of variety from which to choose, but you will not find a full, symmetrical, cone shaped tree like at most tree farms. Saws and twine are provided, along with cocoa, candy canes, and a helping hand if desired.

Don't forget your boots. Your feet and ankles will thank you as much of the hillside is still raw with mud, tall grasses, gopher holes, and blackberry brambles here and there. Gloves are also recommended to protect your hands while you saw and carry the tree. And bring your camera.

Friendly dogs are welcome, but please keep them on leash. Our chickens really appreciate this.

About Our Farm

Corner Crest Natural Farm is a small, family run business that offers naturally grown, unsprayed noble firs for sale during the Christmas season. Our U-Cut experience has a rustic feel... bring your boots and walk along the rolling hillside, enjoy the beautiful view, and choose then cut the tree that you like.

This farm has been in operation for about 30 years, but it became ours relatively recently in fall of 2008. We are learning all the time as we care for the land, reclaim it from the blackberries, and plant lots of seedlings.

Most people prefer the full, groomed, cone shape most other farms offer, but our customers like the sparse, layered look of the natural noble with its character and charm. We are not certified organic, but we allow our trees to grow as nature intended, untrimmed and without sprays. As such, there is a little Charlie Brown in a lot of our trees. You will also notice that the natural growth leaves the branches with a bit more space between them to highlight your ornament collection.

Our nobles are healthy and beautiful. We think they are perfect for a traditional Christmas. We hope you think so too and we look forward to your visit!

More details...

It has been increasingly difficult to grow nobles in the last few years as the summers have been so much hotter and dryer. The trees grow more slowly, have more brown needles, and a much higher rate of seedling loss. We are trying to find other species that might fare better with the changing climate.

Meanwhile, our small nobles are also very important to us because they become future years' big trees. We are working to increase our crop size by planting seedlings, but it takes at least 10 years in the ground for a baby tree to reach about 6 feet. We try to keep our young trees growing, but if a tabletop noble catches your eye, please come ask about pricing.