HOLIDAY
Randy at Hardenburgh Farm
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While the first years were rocky, due to voracious deer, Bell’s has become an Ulster County tradition; families flock to their grounds from soon after Thanksgiving to hours before Christmas Eve.
“In the first planting year we lost about 80 percent of trees due to drought. And as trees grew, the deer ate the new growth.” The massacre was halted in 1995 with the addition of a deer-proof fence. Now Bell’s offers 24 acres of trees that include nearly 12 different varieties.
"Starting the farm was a leap of faith and youthful enthusiasm," Marz explained.
Hardenburgh Christmas Tree Farm, occupying a space that was a farm as far back as 1791, also had a rickety first season. In 1985, Randy and Margaret Marz decided to restart the farm with a twist: by growing and selling Christmas trees. They named the new venture for the road that led to the property.
That April, Randy recalled, “We planted our first seedlings with little fanfare and even less experience. We made plenty of mistakes but the trees persevered.”
“We realized it was a success when word traveled, customers came and had a good time, and then they referred their family and friends to us,” Gordie said. Hardenburgh Christmas Tree Farm now has 31 acres of growth. Varieties include various Spruce (White, Blue and Norway), as well as Douglas Fir. The Marz family also grows Pines and true Firs (Fraser, Concolor and Canaan). The couple learned the virtues of patience, since tree growth cycles take up to ten years. “Starting the farm was a leap of faith and youthful enthusiasm,” Marz explained.
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Paula and Gordie Bell of Bell's Christmas Trees are fourth-generation farmers who switched from dairy cows to growing and selling trees. The inaugural year of the new strategy, 1991, was less than stellar, Gordie recalled.
Bell's Trees Gift Shop entrance
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