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Home ยป Life ยป Upstate Adventure

P+M Upstate Adventure: Planting Our Christmas Tree!

By: Pamela Reed
Posted:1/20/16
Updated:6/21/23

Click here to follow along with our entire Upstate Adventure!

This year when it was Christmas tree time we decided that we were going to start a new tradition.  We would find a live tree, keep it for Christmas and then plant it on our land.  Our hope is that we repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat (…) for a long time so that we eventually have a family of trees on the land that are both beautiful and hold special memories.

After I called multiple farms and struck out, I found a nursery in Long Island that sold live Colorado Blue Spruce trees with the ball still attached.  So we drove out there, picked a favorite and loaded him into the car!  Our little car by the way has carried alot in it’s short life so far.
Good guys. We got a pretty little Blue Spruce Christmas tree with the root ball still attached so we can plant it on our land afterwards. Imagine in the years to come how many of our own holiday trees we can have there! ?:christmas_tree
(You can see the container we bought off to the right too. This will be used every year to keep the tree in.)

There he stayed for a few weeks while we dressed him up and cats slept nearby.
Christmas 2015_16

A few days after Christmas we started to plan to take him (it’s a boy) to the land but the temperature difference between inside and outside Upstate NY would be a big shock so we had to harden him off.  We wrapped him up and took him to the stairwell of the roof to start getting used to the chill.  He stayed there for 5 days before moving him to his final destination.

One tree coming down the hallway…… watch out!
Planting Our Christmas Tree

And then Matthew had the task of getting this guy up the stairs which wasn’t easy.
Planting Our Christmas Tree_1

Then we loaded him into the car and moved him Upstate.   I’m sure he was confused about all the car rides.
Planting Our Christmas Tree_2

I wonder if he was confused why we tied him up and moved him to a desolate location too.  Now that I think about it he was probably nervous.
Planting Our Christmas Tree_3

Or was he more nervous when he saw us digging a hole for him? Gosh, this all sounds so awful.
Planting Our Christmas Tree_4

Anyways, back to the happy story.

We dug a hole for him.  The top of the grass was a bit frozen but thankfully underneath it was ok.  If you know you are going to do this in a location where the ground would be frozen, dig the hole in advance.

Planting Our Christmas Tree_5

Next the tree gets picked up and put into the hole.
Planting Our Christmas Tree_7

The dirt gets spread around him.
Planting Our Christmas Tree_10

And then we watered him.  Matthew hulked up and carried buckets from the stream all the way up the hill.
Planting Our Christmas Tree_16

And then he stood, Mr. Tree 2015 in his new home.
Planting Our Christmas Tree_9

Planting Our Christmas Tree_11

There’s some fear that he won’t make, but we’ll see in a few months and I’ll post a update.  It gets really cold there so hopefully the shock won’t be that terrible.    In the Spring we’ll be getting a bunch of pine trees and planting them throughout the border of the property to eventually take over for those not easy on the eyes deciduous trees that lose their leaves in the Winter.  The pine trees will be the Brothers of the our Christmas trees!

Planting Our Christmas Tree_12

So with a little hug….. good luck tree!
Planting Our Christmas Tree_14

Planting Our Christmas Tree_13

Full Directions on How to Plant Your Christmas Tree:
Find a farm or nursery that has a live tree that has the root ball attached to it.
Bring it home and place the tree in a container/bucket. Water it.  It should remain watered, but never soaked.  You don’t want to over water as that will cause the root to rot.
The best case is to keep your live tree inside for a week max.  In our case we went a few weeks but if at all possible try for a week.  Try to keep your house as cool as possible.  If you live in a cold place and you keep your tree in a heated 75 degree house and then suddenly expose it to 35 degrees outside it’s likely the tree will die.  That means don’t place it near your heater. If at all possible, keep the heat off.
Once the holiday is over move your tree to a cool location.  A stairwell or garage is perfect.  Keep it here for a few days.
Move it outside.
Dig your hole to plant the tree.  It should be about 2 feet deep.  If you know the ground is going to be frozen, dig it beforehand.
Place your tree in the ground. If the soil is dry, water it directly in the hole.
If the soil is moist, then put the dirt back in the hole with the tree, pat it up top. Then add a bucket of water on top.
Step back, smile at the tree and tell it you love it.
*Repeat last step for the rest of your life*

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  1. Sophie says

    April 6, 2016 at 3:55 am

    This is a great thing that you did! ๐Ÿ™‚
    What a lovely Christmas tree too!

    Reply
  2. Debbie from MountainMama says

    January 27, 2016 at 11:51 am

    What a great idea!! One comment – if you plant a bunch of evergreens you are going to lose your mountain view! I’m wondering if you are looking at the same mountains as me when I look out my windows…..this transplant from Queens who lives in upstate NY now!!

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      January 27, 2016 at 2:31 pm

      Hey Debbie! Sorry, I should have been more specific. There will be a large section that stays open for the beautiful view. The trees will be planted more along the areas that need privacy.

      Reply
  3. Norma Chang says

    January 23, 2016 at 6:54 pm

    You and Matthew are amazing, where did you get all that energy? I live in the Hudson Valley and hopefully will have the opportunity to visit your farm some day.

    Reply
  4. handmade by amalia says

    January 21, 2016 at 11:50 am

    This is a super cool idea, Pamela. I’m so excited to follow your new adventure.
    Amalia
    xo

    Reply
  5. Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says

    January 21, 2016 at 9:02 am

    That’s such a lovely tradition and it will make looking at your Christmas tree even more magical!

    Reply
  6. Suzanne says

    January 20, 2016 at 5:39 pm

    I did that one year, OMG those tree’s are heavy. I see Matthew bringing it up the stairs and am out of breath just thinking about it. How great though that you drove Mr, Tree to your plot upstate. He must be very happy now!!

    Reply
  7. cheri says

    January 20, 2016 at 10:24 am

    HI Pamela, love how you guys are living the dream, good for you. Wondering if you named him?

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      January 20, 2016 at 1:55 pm

      Mr. Tree… of course! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply

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Hi! I'm Pamela, an artist Mom who shares family recipes. My farm is a 1,000 sq ft apartment in NYC. Let's make dinner together.

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