By Casey Neill
Montrose Christmas Tree Farm sold its crop for the year just two days into December.
The Mazzella family business started more than 20 years ago.
Anthony said his dad started it up and built it up before taking a break.
“About six years ago I jumped in,” he said.
Now his sister Steph Cerquarelli has joined him.
Christmas trees cover about 70 per cent of the 20-acre property on Moore Avenue.
“Dad also grows blackberries,” Anthony said.
The Christmas trees start as tube-stock about 20 centimetres high and take three and a half years to reach sale-height.
The farm is split into four different patches, planted and harvested in rotation to ensure a steady stream of trees.
The Mazzellas prune the thousands of trees twice a year, plus weed the plots, fertilise, control pests and water.
Anthony juggles the work around a full-time job, spending plenty of time on the farm on weekends and taking a week off during the start of the sale period.
The farm supplies a few fruit shops but sell 99 per cent of their trees straight to the public.
“We’ve built a loyal customer base,” Steph said.
