For the team at Soubusta Farms in Chardon Township, the decision to start selling Christmas trees was a way to honor the farm’s original owner. “Ed Soubusta’s life dream at the end of his life was to plant Christmas trees, and that’s what planted the idea in our heads to help honor his wishes,” said Keith Vouk, a relative who helps run the farm. The farm started growing Christmas trees in 1998, added his brother, Kevin Vouk. Rows of trees now line 20 acres of land, including an area where customers can cut their own trees. The farm’s barn also offers a selection of pre-cut trees. “We take a lot of pride in offering the highest-quality tree that we can get,” Keith Vouk said. “We’re very selective as to what kind of tree comes in here when we do bring trees in, and our trees out in the field are all pruned and sheared and taken care of.” Soubusta Farms’ Robert Butler, left, and Keith Vouk stand with one of the farm’s many Christmas trees that visitors can cut down to take home this year. (Bryson Durst — The News-Herald) Many years of joy, changes Selling Christmas trees has brought joy to the Soubusta team over the years. “The enjoyable part is when we sell the trees to the people, when the families come out and the little kids help shake the tree and they try to pull the tree through the baler and they’re very interested,” Keith Vouk said. 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The Soubusta team has also made some changes over two decades. “We had Ohio State do a soil analysis as to what that field needed to grow fir trees and we addressed that per their recommendations,” Vouk said. Another change was Butler’s decision to place mounds under the trees. “It’s a wet farm, so we had to change,” he said. “We were planting on the wet ground and it just wasn’t working too well.” Today, a series of drainage ditches helps clear water from the tree field. Butler said that they also use a chemical spray to limit the growth of weeds, which allows tree needles to grow all the way to the bottom. The farm also put up an electric fence because deer were rubbing against the trees. Butler estimated that they lost 50 trees one year. He added that the fence has completely stopped the deer. Advice for tree buyers Vouk advised first-time tree buyers to make a fresh cut on their tree before they place it in water. Soubusta Farms will offer a fresh cut on site. “It’s a living thing, and as soon as you cut the bottom off it’s trying to heal itself, and it will not take as much water if you wait too long for that to happen,” he said. “Very important not to ever let it not be in water, because then it will start to heal up and seal over again,” Butler added. Butler said that customers should also consider where they place the tree in the house. They should avoid placing it over heat vents, as that will cause the tree to dry up faster. Holiday decorations line part of the garage at Soubusta Farms, prior to the start of the farm’s Christmas tree sales season. (Bryson Durst — The News-Herald) Visiting Soubusta Farms Upon pulling into the parking lot, visitors to Soubusta Farms will come across the pre-cut tree barn. For customers who prefer to cut their own, Vouk said that the farm’s team will show them which trees they can cut, and it will also provide them with a saw and a sled. “We take a lot of pride in keeping the customer happy. We offer services — we put fresh cuts on the tree, we shake the tree, we’ll bale the tree and we’ll get the tree up on their car, and we even tie the tree to the car for those that need that kind of assistance,” he said. After visitors buy a tree, they can pose for a photo near the farm’s garage. Vouk said that the farm also offers hot chocolate, hot cider and maple syrup. “We’ve won the Geauga County Maple Festival a total of nine times,” he said. The farm will start selling trees on Nov. 29. Trees will be available that day and on weekends before Dec. 24 from 9 a.m. to dark. Visitors can cut a Canaan fir, a Norway spruce or one of a limited quantity of blue spruce trees, according to a Soubusta Farms Facebook post. The available pre-cut trees include Fraser firs, noble firs and limited quantities of blue spruce and white pine trees. Soubusta Farms is located at 11380 Thwing Road in Chardon Township. More information is available at soubustafarms.com and on the Soubusta Farms Christmas Trees Facebook page.