Dixon farm’s fir, pine and spruce trees deck Sauk Valley homes at Christmastime

DIXON — You won’t find cows or corn on the Strom family farm. No tractors tilling, planters planting or harvesters harvesting.

Just a bumper crop of holiday cheer that, like Christmas, comes but once a year.

That’s because their operation isn’t the kind that most people think about when they hear the word “farm.” They’re not in the business of putting food on our plates, but trees in our home.

Sam and Laura Strom run Strom Tree Farm on Dixon’s northwest side, which grows and sells Christmas trees for a holiday tradition immortalized in song and Christmas cards — firs festooned with baubles and bulbs, and pines packed with presents underneath.

But it’s also a tradition that takes some patience to be a part of — no plant-in-the-spring and harvest-in-the-fall kind of crop are these trees. The Stroms have to wait years for each one to reach its full potential, but oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, you’re worth the wait.

For Sam and Laura and their young children Evie and Grace, it’s a yearlong labor of love to get their trees ready for their holiday debut.

“Christmas tree farming is a year-round thing,” Sam said. “Even though most people are here for only a two-week period from the end of November to the first two weeks of December, we’re out here most weekends, whether it’s planting trees in the spring, summer mowing and taking care of weeds and pruning trees.”

And there are a lot of trees to tend to — nearly 5,000 firs, pines and spruces grow on the rolling hills of Strom Tree Farm, much of which the public gets to see for only a couple of weeks out of the year when it opens after Thanksgiving.

The farm’s typical sales window is open about three weekends a year, depending on the weather and inventory. This year it opened on Friday, Nov. 29. Concolor and king firs; Norway, white and black hill spruces and white and scotch (scots) pine varieties are available, each with its own type of needles. Customers can cut their own, have one of the Stroms cut it for them, or pick from an assortment of pre-cut trees from inside their barn.

Growing and selling trees is just one part of the business. The other? Making a trip to the farm a memorable experience for their customers. The Stroms love to see families wander the rows of trees or walk the barn, picking just the right tree.

“We’ll have families where their dad will start [cutting], and maybe their child wants to give it a try,” Sam said. “Sometimes they make it through cutting a tree or sometimes they’ll give up, but it gives them a goal to come back next year and try again.”

While there, customers will have visions of Plum Creek dance through their head as they search for a tree; the creek runs through the farm, helping nurture the trees that grow on both sides of it. Trees grow at different rates, based their type and where they’re planted, so they’re strategically placed at certain spots where they have the best chance to thrive.

Most trees take about 6 to 10 years to reach a sellable height. Some have been growing longer, though, since the farm’s first days 15 years ago, when Sam’s parents, John and Barb Strom, opened the farm in 2010. Reaching up to 15 feet tall, they’re well suited for homes with vaulted ceilings, or in public locations, like Veterans Memorial Park and the riverfront in Dixon, where trees the Stroms have donated through the years have found a home for the holiday.

The family sells about a thousand trees a year, and plants about that many, with the newest trees planted in March and April. Then comes the tree care: controlling the weeds, making sure the trees are nourished, pruning, trimming. The Stroms, who have day jobs on top of running the farm, recruit family and friends to help them with tasks and chores throughout the year, and when November rolls around, they’re eager to see a year’s worth of work on display for their customers.

Having a fresh-cut tree beats an artificial one hands down, not just for the way it looks and that oh-so familiar smell, but its role in our ecosystem, Sam said.

“While we are cutting a tree down, we are replacing it with several seedlings that are good for the environment,” Sam said. “Artificial trees are made primarily of oil and plastics, and with the lifespan of an artificial tree being five to 10 years, that tree will go into a landfill forever. With a real tree, some people will put it in their backyard and let the wildlife enjoy it.”

The manufacturing of artificial trees has risen in the past 30 years, Sam said, which may be good for the artificial tree industry, but doesn’t help tree-growers — and pulling out that same old tree every year just isn’t the same as making merry memories of picking out the perfect tree on the farm and hauling it home.

“Another reason why people come out for a real tree is because of the experience. Cutting down and picking a tree is different every year, versus just going into your attic and pulling the artificial tree out.”

The Stroms’ daughters enjoy scampering around the farm throughout the year — “Usually when I’m out here, I’m running after the kids,” Laura said. “They like to come out here and run and play” — but when the sales season comes along, they’re enlisted in the family business.

“The kids sell hot cocoa in the barn when the season opens, and they like to be involved,” Laura said. “It’s fun and it gives them something to do outside, versus being inside and watching TV. They’re not old enough to realize it’s a Christmas tree farm and not a tour.”

The hot cocoa stand was added to the farm last year, joining the wagon rides around the farm, which have been available in recent years. The Stroms try to come up with new ideas for the farm each year, and they’re considering opening during a weekday afternoon during the sales season to accommodate those who work during the weekend, Sam said.

Laura sees the farm as a Christmas version of the fun that kids get to experience at pumpkin patches and apple orchards in the fall, and is glad to be able to offer an experience like that right at home.

“I like the family tradition and having a local business here that brings families together,” Laura said. “We always drive an hour out to go to pumpkin patches, so it’s nice to have one tradition locally that we can offer, and for the community in a way to also be involved.”

Giving residents somewhere local where they can make cherished memories is a point of pride for the Stroms.

“What makes it all is the community coming out and enjoying their tree and being happy with their tree,” Sam said. “Without them, I just have a field full of trees that are just going to grow.”

Strom Christmas Tree Farm, 314 Hand Ave., is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday for around three weeks starting Nov. 29. Find more information on Facebook and Instagram (@stromchristmastreefarm), go to stromtreefarm.com or email stromtreefarm@gmail.com.