Welcome to the SRT blog No. 30

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20th November 2020 – Welcome to our blog post No. 30

Who’s looking to start putting up their Christmas decorations soon? Our 2 farm shops have, and making decorations is in full swing. Next week we will have small rooted trees for sale at HFG & Northchurch.

Christmas tree facts:

  • 16th-century – the ‘modern’ Christmas tree originated in Germany.
  • Trees were first decorated with apples, candy canes and pastries in the shapes of stars, hearts and flowers.
  • Queen Victoria’s consort, Prince Albert, introduced the Christmas tree custom from his native Germany in 1841.
  • The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in the USA, has been a national tradition each year since 1933.

 

 

 

  • Nearly 60 million Christmas Trees are grown each year in Europe.
  • 8 million natural Christmas trees are consumed by the UK each year.
  • In the UK, natural Christmas trees outsell artificial Christmas trees by a ratio of 3:1.
  • Christmas trees usually grow for about 15 years before they’re sold.
  • On average, three Christmas trees are planted to replace each one harvested.
  • According to the Guinness World Records, the tallest Christmas tree ever cut was a 221-foot Douglas fir that was displayed in 1950 at the Northgate Shopping Center in Seattle, Washington.
  • The most lights lit simultaneously on a Christmas tree is 194,672 and was achieved in Belgium, 2010.

  • The Trafalgar Square Christmas tree is usually a Norwegian spruce (Picea abies) over 20 metres high and 50-60 years old. It is selected from the forests surrounding Oslo with great care several months, even years, in advance. The Norwegian foresters who look after it describe it fondly as ‘the queen of the forest’.

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The parsnips have been harvested for the veg boxes from the Hemel allotment this week and a couple of turnips. Then the team moved onto  planting bulbs in pots, to sell.

 

 

 

 

 

Team blue removed all the sludgy woodchip in the van parking area and have re-lain fresh. Now that’s hard work & would have kept them all warm! But it looks fab.

The home-made Sunnyside decorations have escaped into the green house and popped up amongst the indoor plants. There are plenty more for sale in the shop as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pop in to take a look as the Sunnyside Up Farm shop has had it’s Christmas make-over and there is lots to see.

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The make-over continues at Northchurch. Now the signs are up, more plants in, the walkways lain and the pallet fencing completed at the front it’s time to fill & plant up the pallet troughs that have been made by the teams and volunteers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s looking so different. Very smart! Amazing work guys!

Tidying carries on in the poly tunnels & Sam’s enjoying the sun at the front of the shop – his new favourite spot

 

 

 

 

 

 

The hens are still laying well and the eggs have been spruced up and are ready to sell.

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Another week doing a lot of work at the Activity Centre, over the road in our coppice area.

 

 

Michael Tankard, Tim Abbotts, Kwasi D’Jan and Rose Groves-Raines.

 

 

 

 

Noreen Shazadee and Luka Grace helping to measure out 2m spaces indoors

And a group putting up our new marquee. This makes more safe space for the social distancing now that the weather is a tad cooler!

 

 

 

 

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