HAWARDEN — It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the T&S Christmas Tree Farm. Wreaths are flocked, trees are unwrapped and photo props are coming out of storage. 

This is the 37th year T&S Christmas Tree Farm is open to the public to purchase previously cut trees or to venture out into the field and cut your own Christmas tree. Opening day was Saturday, Nov. 18, at noon.

In the field there are 22 acres with lots of varieties of trees available, including spruce, cedar, three types of firs and two pines.

Co-owner Robin Smith said, “Any of the firs are popular. They have the longest longevity on needle hold.”

Smith co-owns the farm with her brother Adam Muth.

Twenty percent of the trees sold are imported from Minnesota and Wisconsin. This year the types are Korean and Siberian firs. The reason for importing trees is to have enough to sell without wiping out the entire supply at T&S since 1,000 trees are sold annually.

“There is a shortage, because it takes a long time to grow trees,” said Smith. “This year we planted 4,000 trees to catch up.”

Smith said it takes approximately 15 years to grow a tree 8-10 feet tall.

Once a tree is cut, Smith recommends leaving it wrapped and in a cool place like a garage or shed, especially if people come to the opening weekend. Once it’s opened up and put on the stand, the lifespan of a cut tree is three to four weeks.

“It’s like a cut flower in the fridge,” said Smith. “Once you put it up in your house the time/longevity starts and it won’t last forever.”

Smith and her brother Adam Muth took over the farm from their parents Terry and Sue Muth in 2010. The Muths started the farm in 1986, because Terry was a fan of evergreen trees and he got an idea while driving a tractor on the Muth Heritage Farm.

“I tried to grow them from seeds and pine cones,” said Terry. “When you are driving a tractor you’ve got to think of something and this Christmas tree idea came to me there.”

The Muths also ran a greenhouse and pumpkin patch, but Smith and her brother did not want to carry those ventures on.

“It was busy,” said Smith. “My parents were always busy doing landscaping, pumpkins and Christmas trees.”

The Muths enjoyed running the farm, but are enjoying retirement down south. They come back to T&S each year for one week before the season starts. They help make wreaths out of fresh greenery, because that is something that can’t be done too far in advance. 

Both Terry and Sue have lots of memories from over the years including three wedding proposals at the farm. They both remember the 1996 season when it was so cold.

“It was so cold and not over 6 above for two weeks,” said Sue. “It was so cold that it was difficult to sell the trees, because the colder they are the more brittle.”

“We had shipped in trees and had to heat them up in the greenhouses so we could get the twines open,” said Terry.

During the off season there is always something to do at the farm except for January and February, which are the slowest months and allow for the family to catch up on paperwork. In March trees are ordered and planting begins in late March and April. Fertilizer goes down in May and mowing begins. June and July are when the pines are sheared and shaped. In August the spruce are sheared. September is winter prep month then October begins the busiest season. Wreaths are made and flocked, trees are marked and the fields are cleaned up. November and December are the obvious sales months.

T&S Christmas Tree Farm, located at 20593 C-12, rural Hawarden, (west of Craig) is open Sundays through Fridays from 1 to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Opening day was Nov. 18 and closing day is Dec. 21. 

Smith posts updates on Facebook, T&S Christmas Tree Farm, to notify customers when the trees in the field to cut are sold out for the season.