Local Highlight: Bob’s Trees

A local cut-your-own tree farm – Nestled in the beautiful rolling hills of Plainfield, down on a dead end dirt road, live Bob & Susan Mellstrom. They run a small tree farm dedicated to keeping the holiday magic alive, this service is mostly a pet project for Bob. He sells “cut-your-own” trees at a price that can’t be matched. He opens his farm up to interested folks from Thanksgiving Weekend though till Christmas, but he’s working year round to make sure his trees are happy and taken care of.

Bob’s farm is relatively small, by comparison to more commercial offerings, and each year holds different challenges. This year we faced a drought for most of the summer, which can stunt the growth of the new saplings. Each tree takes about 8-15 years to fill out for eventual holiday use, with sheering and shaping each summer. All told these bumps are par for the course, with the long gap between planting and harvesting everything has a chance to smooth out over the course of a decade.

While this hobby isn’t Bob’s day job it is important to him. Each season he looks forward to seeing local families, while the kids and dogs run around, there is time to say hello as the trees are being selected and harvested. Knowing households around the area are enhanced through his offerings is part of his return on investment. Bob’s Trees has a small but dedicated clientele, locals who like to know where their tree came from and that it fits their needs.

At just thirty dollars a tree it’s hard to beat his price, and if you’ve never had the experience of cutting your own tree that’s a memory you might want to make. Out of the kindness of his heart, Bob also offers up the cut boughs, perfect for wreaths or home decoration, for free to any who want some (while supplies last!).

This year Bob has selected a cause to donate his proceeds to, recently a family member was diagnosed with autism and in their honor he will be donating to help with outreach and awareness for that issue.