Cutting a live Christmas tree? Here's where to go in Greater Columbus
Grab your mittens and keep your saw handy: The Christmas tree farms of Greater Columbus soon will be open for business.
Numerous area farms will open the weekend after Thanksgiving, and a few plan to welcome customers this weekend.
Although supply-chain issues have made artificial trees harder to come by this year, live trees don’t have to be shipped in. A number of farms report that there’s an abundance of trees growing in the ground.
It's beginning to sound a lot like Christmas:When to tune in to Columbus-area radio stations
“We have lots of trees,” said Jim Gibson, co-owner of Timbuk Farms in Granville. “There’s no shortage on our end. It’s a good growing season. We’re pretty excited, and ready for the year.”
Even so, those in the market for the perfect tree shouldn’t delay.
“In the past 10 years, we have supplemented what we could grow with pre-cuts,” said Tom Messerall of Messerall Family Tree Farm in Alexandria, who again wasn’t able to get pre-cut trees this year.
“We’ve got trees, but not enough for the demand,” Messerall said.
Ron Walsh, who owns tree farms in Newark and St. Louisville, agrees that demand is unusually high.
Things to do this Christmas season:4 holiday light displays you can drive to from Columbus
“We just had numerous calls within Ohio and out of state also,” Walsh said. “(There were) other tree growers wanting to buy trees off of us.”
Last year, trees moved quickly as families changed their holiday routines due to the pandemic.
“People were looking for things to do, and we’re a day on the farm,” Gibson said. “I think COVID did help that.”
COVID-19:Do you want your child vaccinated by Christmas? Here's when to get the first shot
Some families elected to spend the holidays in their own homes rather than gather at a common location; more places to celebrate meant more trees.
“We sold out in nine days,” said Allen Whiteside of Whiteside Evergreens in Marysville, which sells fresh-cut and bailed and burlapped trees. “In 38 years, we had sold out one other time. That was in 2019 (when) we sold our last tree on December the 23rd.”
Whiteside adds that more trees will be available this year and he doesn’t anticipate running short.
Yet many area farms note that trees have been flying off lots even before the pandemic.
“I can kind of blame part of it on the pandemic for last year, but I don’t know about the year before,” Walsh said. “Our sales were up as much as they were last year.”
Tis the season:Planning on a Christmas tree yet, Ohio? Artificial trees may be hard to come by
Peggy Heimbush of Heimbush Farms in Marysville, attributes the increase in demand in part to the closure of nearby tree farms in recent years.
“The last three years, we’ve sold out of everything over 5-foot tall,” Heimbush said. “The first two weekends are our busiest.”
The listings that follow will help make sure that Santa Claus has a place to put all of those goodies on Christmas Eve.
tonguetteauthor2@aol.com
Where to find Christmas trees in Greater Columbus
These tree farms are open for business or will be soon. Please call ahead to verify hours of operation.
• Albert Family Tree Farm, 6996 Bunker Hill Road and 8790 Gerhart Road, both in Amanda; 740-969-4245, albertfamilytreefarm.com; opens Nov. 26 and weekends through Dec. 19
• Beck’s Christmas Tree Farm, 190 Rainbow Drive NW, Lancaster; 740-653-6454; open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays Nov. 26 through Dec. 18
• Cackler Family Farms, 4971 Cackler Road, Delaware; 740-524-5311, cacklerfarms.com; open Nov. 20-21, 24, 26-28, 30 and Dec. 1-5 (reservations required)
• Country Cabin Tree Farm, 3600 Wilson Road, Sunbury; 614-832-9345, countrycabintreefarm.com; open Nov. 26-28, Dec. 3-5
• Fly A Way Farm, 1950 Lackey Old State Road, Delaware; 740-816-0818, www.flyawaytree.com; open Dec. 4-5
• Heimbush Farms, 21590 Northwest Parkway, Marysville; 937-243-5314; open daily Nov. 26 through Dec. 24
• Hickory Ridge Tree Farm, 3600 Johnston-Alexandria Road, Alexandria; 740-924-5054, hickory-ridge.com; open daily Nov. 27 through Dec. 24
• Homestead Farm, 2573 Loudon St., Granville; 740-321-1007, www.homesteadfarminc.com; opens Nov. 26-28, and weekends from Dec. 4-18
• Joat-Mon Tree Farm, 1976 Klondike Road, Delaware; facebook.com/joatmontreefarm; opens Nov. 20 and Nov. 26, and daily thereafter
• Lands Christmas Trees, 22796 Ringgold Southern Road, Stoutsville; 740-474-5884; open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays Nov. 26 through Dec. 19
• M&M Tree Farm, 4127 Loudon St., Granville; 740-587-3492; open Nov. 26, and weekends through Dec. 12 and weekdays by appointment
• McGlone Tree Farm, 2323 Winchester Southern Road, Canal Winchester; 614-833-0039; open daily Nov. 26 through Dec. 22
• Messerall Family Tree Farm, 4634 Hardscrabble Road, Alexandria; 740-924-8495, messeralltreefarm.com; open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays Nov. 26 through Dec. 12
• Mr. Tree Farm, 1099 Reynoldsburg New Albany Road N, Blacklick; 614-577-0081, mrtreefarm.com; open daily through Dec. 24
• Saum Family Farms, 4675 Hamburg Road, Lancaster; 740-969-2058; opens Nov. 26, and daily thereafter
• Scheetz Tree Farm, 2297 Cambridge Road, Coshocton; 740-622-3656, facebook.com/ScheetzTreeFarm; open daily Nov. 26 through Dec. 18
• Sugargrove Tree Farm, 1619 Township Road 1455, Ashland; 419-282-5151, sugargrovefarm.com; open Wednesdays through Sundays Nov. 26 through Dec. 18
• Taylor Tree Farm, 3720 Wilson Road, Sunbury; 740-965-3293, facebook.com/taylortreefarmsunbury; open Dec. 4-5
• Timbuk Farms, 2030 Timbuk Road, Granville; 740-587-2178, timbukfarms.com; open daily Nov. 26 through Dec. 19
• Ron and Kelly Walsh Christmas Tree Farm, 6826 Fairmount Road SE, Newark; 740-323-4885, ronschristmastrees.com; opens Nov. 26, and Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 12
• Walsh Christmas Tree Farm, 9068 Eden Church Road, St. Louisville; 740-745-5040, walshchristmastreefarm.com; open daily Nov. 20 through Dec. 5
• Whiteside Evergreens, 18875 Boerger Road, Marysville; 937-243-3771, whitesideevergreens.com; open daily Nov. 26 through Dec. 23
• Woodridge Tree Farm, 801 Baker Road, Utica; 740-398-2121, woodridgetreefarm.com; open Nov. 26-28, Dec. 3-5, Dec. 10-12
