INDIANOLA, Iowa — Some people may already be in the Christmas spirt, so much so that farmer and owner of Walnut Ridge Farm Gary Harman said he'd received over a dozen calls Sunday for Christmas trees.
They are still 12 days away from opening, and already have two customers lined up to get trees this year. According to Harman, the local Christmas tree farmers in Iowa like to wait before opening their doors.
"I don't know of any of the tree farms that are going to be opening prior to Thanksgiving," Harman said. "Most of us like to enjoy turkey and then we move on to Christmas."
Although the Walnut Ridge Farm does not open until Friday, Nov. 27, there is a lot of work done throughout the year to prepare. The entire calendar year is spent planting new trees, and growing older ones. When they open this year, there will be around 40,000 trees for customers to choose from.
Besides the love of turkey, Harman gave another reason for the late opening date. Christmas trees once cut need to be carefully cared for to even last six to eight weeks. Being mindful of the location of the tree and keeping it watered well are all key elements to making it stay fresh through the holiday season.
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, customers and employees will be required to wear masks, and they will be extending their hours of operation so customers can spread out the shopping plans. People can expect sanitization as well as other cleaning measures. They're only open for about 20 days each year, so Harman is hoping this is another successful holiday season.