It’s early and it smells like pine as Carl Holloway inches his John Deere tractor across the Nipomo property where his family has sold Christmas trees for decades now.
Calling over the sound of the chugging engine, Holloway gives some direction to his two farmhands, local kids he’s hired to help him prepare for the Christmas season. He’s moving a load of materials for a shade structure that will house the dozens of fir trees he’s having delivered near the end of November, just after Holloway’s Christmas Tree Farm opens for the year.
The farm opens to customers on Nov. 17 this year, when Holloway and his family and staff will start selling the trees they tend on the property year round, he explained. But many locals love the look and smell of fir trees, which Holloway imports every year.
“When we bring in the trees from the Northwest, Washington, and Wisconsin, they’ve got to be shaded. If they’re out in the direct sun, they’ll burn,” he said.
The shade structure isn’t the only place he keeps the trees standing in pools of water. A massive oak tree on the property is surrounded by trenches and white railings to hold the already felled trees in place, and it serves as a natural shade source, Holloway explained from under its eaves.
“We can store about 1,200 trees in water all the time,” he said. “It should be the law because trees are dangerous if they’re not properly stored. If you keep a tree properly and you keep it in a cool place in the house out of the sunlight, you can’t burn it, it won’t burn.”
The rest of Holloway’s stock comes from the rows of Monterey Pines they grow every year. Holloway’s father began the farm back in the 1950s, he explained, and expanded the South Oakglen Avenue property in the ’60s to include the field that’s visible off Highway 101. They also grow trees on a property right across the avenue.
The crop is arranged in a simple rotation, Holloway explained, with several rows from last year followed by another batch from the year before. This year, he sells from the crop from four and three years ago, but he has already selected several from the 3-year-olds that he won’t sell this year because they need more time to grow.
“This whole field will come out next year,” he said, standing among the towering 4-year-old trees. “All the stumps will come out, the ground will all be turned over, we’ll add any amendments we might have. … It rolls over.”
When his father ran the farm, the property included the trees and a small concessions booth, but Holloway worked to grow what is available for visitors at the property.
He built a more expanded sales area, concessions booth, and a fire pit and picnic area to help make up the face of Holloway’s Christmas Tree Farm after he took over in the ‘90s. It’s designed to provide plenty for visiting families to enjoy during their visit, like hot cocoa, marshmallow roasting, a swing, and even pedal carts and a path that runs through the rows of pine trees.
“It’s all about the family experience,” he said. “You have to see the families when they come in. People can be so happy and so joyful at Christmastime.”
That aspect is part of what has helped Holloway’s farm stay alive in an industry more and more dominated by corporate outlets like Home Depot, he said. Most Christmas-tree farms on the Central Coast are history, and there are fewer lot farms as well because of the corporate dominance of the market, Holloway explained. But farmers like him continue to succeed by fostering the family-friendly experience.
“We can compete because we have this thing for the family,” he said. “There’s a value here that’s not just the tree.”
The farm has become a popular place to hang out during the holidays, Holloway said, so he started the Farm Club. For those who want to visit the farm without buying a tree on their first visit, they must join the Farm Club, which includes discounts on cocoa and marshmallows, he explained. And then, when the Farm Club member returns, they get to take the price of the membership off of the price of the tree they buy and enjoy deals on the amenities again.
“We like to say that we charge you for the experience and then give you a free tree,” he said.
Holloway said that his father was known in the community when he started the farm because he was the local high school football coach at the time. His dad would hire student athletes and others to help with labor on the farm, a tradition that Holloway continued through the years to stay connected with and support the community.
“We’ve had over 1,500 young people come through the farm in the 60 years we’ve been doing this,” he said. “I’ve got eight of them this year from Nipomo High School, three of them from Arroyo Grande High School, I’ve got three of then from Hancock, and I’ve got two or three of them coming from Cuesta.”
Located in Nipomo, Holloway’s Farm is an accessible distance for South SLO County communities like the Five Cities as well as North Santa Barbara County with Santa Maria and Orcutt. Holloway said that he sees return customers from those areas year after year; it’s often a place where local extended families meet up and reunite to celebrate the holidays.
For Holloway, the farm is a family endeavor that he and his wife, Debbie, have kept going for decades now. The farm is a special place in local hearts as their holiday tradition, he said, and it’s rewarding to provide that for people.
“It’s something I grew up with, it’s something we know, and I think we do a good job at it,” he said. “It’s always good to do something you’re good at.”
Family farm
Holloway’s Christmas Tree Farm is located at 561 S. Oakglen Ave., Nipomo. More information is available at (805) 929-6203 or hollowaysfarm.com.
Managing Editor Joe Payne loves the smell of pine in the morning. Reach him at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Nov 15-22, 2018.
