Christmas trees were grown as a way to pay more Rent to my landlord - Cambridgeshire County Council who had just increased the rent by £10,000 in one year. I originally grew grass on some of my worst land as it doesn't grow crops very well and gets flooded most years. 

I would have be losing £40 per acre every year if I continued to grow grass. 

I ploughed 2.5 acres of land up and planted small Nordmann Fir Christmas saplings. About 4500 of them. 

At the time the supplier said they would grow 1 ft per year and that they would buy them back of me for £20 each in 6 years time. 

Wow, I thought £60,000 in six years time. All my problems would be solved. 

4 years past and 50% of my trees died due to a drought and the remaining ones had only grew a couple of foot at best. 

I relentlessly carried on and planted the gaps and added another 1500 thinking it will all come good if I carry on working hard.

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In 2019 we had a fire on the farm which took out 95% of everything I had worked for including 3 of my wife's horses. 

I had to stay strong for my family, but I couldn't handle it and over the next 3 years went into a downwards spiral of depression. 

I was insured but I couldn't deal with it on top of the day to day running of the farm.

Then Covid happened. 

My employees were furloughed but because of the fire in the previous year my business made a loss so the government assumed I would make a loss again in the following year and I couldn't claim any help from the government. They were right. I made losses of £270,000 over 3 years until I was on the brink of bankruptcy. 

I should of packed up and got a normal job, but I couldn't. Over the next 3 years I have steadily re-built the business back up to where it is now. 

My Christmas trees got overgrown and now around 10-12ft, I don't have many good ones left and there aren't many around 6ft. The ones that remain have parts missing or gaps in the top because I did't manage them properly. 

I started selling them for wreath making. I chop them up and dispatch them all over the UK. 

You can buy them as trees, in 9 kg cardboard boxes or Builders Bulk Bags. 

Just send me the date you want them on and pay me some money, I don't have to chop them down until they are bought. 

On 29th November, I sold the last of my trees and sold over thousand trees in 2 weeks. 

If your are a Christmas tree grower and you would like help doing the same, Send me your details and I will post them on my website, as my customers still need foliage and in this growing market of wreath making you could soon be selling your produce direct to the consumer.