FLORISSANT, Mo. – Another night of subfreezing temperatures could mean trouble for our pumpkins and chrysanthemums, or mums. This cold front is a reminder that the holidays are around the corner.
With temperatures in the metro hovering right around freezing, that was good news for Lynn Sullivan of Sullivan Farms Pumpkin Patch in Florissant.
“I don’t think we got much frost on the pumpkins or on the mums. We were kind of worried about it, we covered a lot of stuff up,” Sullivan said. “I checked this morning, and it looked like we didn’t get the hard freeze like we thought we would, at least in our area.”
Sullivan said he’s not letting his guard down with one more night of potentially even colder temperatures.
“We’re going to be covering everything up again tonight, preparing for that frost just in case,” he said. “Mother nature has its way of taking care of things, so we’re hoping for the best.”
This cold weather is a reminder of the holiday season, with Christmas just 68 days away.
Sullivan said we are once again facing tree shortages this year.
“It started hitting when there was a recession eight, 10 years ago that the trees they didn’t plant back enough trees, so now we’re feeling that effect from years ago,” he said. “This year, I think it is better than last year, at least for us.”
The cost will be higher due to high fuel prices, fewer drivers, and fewer trucks. Sullivan said every year he goes to Michigan to meet with new growers.
“We hope that when we get up there we meet everybody, they like us, and they’ll send us more trees,” he said. “And this year we’ll have a couple new growers, and we’re going to have trees that range from 3 foot tall to 20 foot tall.”
In recent years, he’s been able to restock trees as his inventory gets low.
“I think last year they said, ‘Well, how come everybody else is out of trees and you still have trees?’ And so my answer is because I’m old and I know a lot of growers,” Sullivan said. “So, when everybody runs low, I call my growers and say hey, I need more trees.”
If you’re looking for a taller tree, those are selling fast.
“So everybody’s who’s got tall trees they start calling us early wanting to reserve them a tree,” Sullivan said. “So, I suggest if you have a need for a tree that’s from 12 foot to 20 foot, that you call us and have us reserve you a tree.”
Sullivan Farms Pumpkin Patch is in full swing now, and Sullivan Farms Christmas Trees will open the Saturday before Thanksgiving. They will have five locations across the St. Louis region.
To find more information about Sullivan Pumpkin Patch and Christmas trees, click here.
