Another spring planting season is in the books!  Under sunny skies with chilly temps, we planted a beautiful crop of new trees into the nursery. Our SGN Crew did a fantastic job getting the job done with care & attention to detail. We are hoping for a nice spring rain this week to get our new baby trees off to a great start!

Planting time in the nursery is our absolute favorite part of the job. We love it for so many reasons – but mostly because the act of planting in the nursery really speaks to our core purpose at SGN Trees: We grow healthy trees, deep roots, and strong communities. When we plant a new crop into our farm we do all of those things at the same time. Here’s what our core purpose looks like through the lens of planting season:

We grow healthy trees… Jamie often says, “The most important day for this tree is when it gets planted here in my nursery.” We take extreme care to select only the best quality liner stock from the very best nursery partners. We also make sure our trees are planted properly so that they have the best chance at success later in the landscape long after they leave our field.  Our team here at the nursery understands the importance of getting it right from the start. Growing healthy trees starts long before the trees come to our field and continues throughout our entire growing process.

We grow deep roots…We all know that the roots below the ground are really what help make a tree flourish in the long run. Roots need to be sturdy, substantial, and flourishing for the tree to withstand the growing seasons ahead. Deep roots anchor the tree during tough times, and bring up essential nutrients to feed a growing canopy. We seek out liner growers who develop fibrous root systems on the liner trees we plant in our nursery. We are attentive to the proper care of the roots before, during, and after planting. Once our new trees are planted they need two critical things for the roots to thrive – rain and great soil. The soil conservation methods we inherited on this farm from the last generation have set us up for success. Our soil is rich with organic matter and extremely well-drained. The combination of quality rootstock, mindful stewardship of the soil, and nature’s gift of rain give our trees the perfect environment to establish deep roots that will thrive for many years to come.

We grow strong communities…On the surface, we grow trees – we are farmers, and trees are our crop. But to grow trees, we get to grow so much more. We get to grow relationships. Growing trees gives us the opportunity to build community throughout the growing process.  Our SGN Crew is our community at the core of everything we do. We work closely with our partner family businesses at iTrees.com and Harford Farms in tree planting efforts at the nursery. We couldn’t do it without the dedication and teamwork of our fantastic crew. We also grow a strong community with the partner nurseries who supply our liner stock. The long standing relationships with J. Frank Schmidt Nursery, Bailey Nurseries, Robinson Nursery, Kuenzi Turf & Nursery, and Evergreen Nursery are as important to us as the beautiful trees they grow for us. The strong community of customers we have cultivated is also at the heart of what we love about growing trees. Our customers know us and have grown with our business over the years. These strong communities growing around us are the most fulfilling and meaningful crops we can produce!

So our core purpose through the lens of tree planting is off to a great start this season. The trees we planted this spring will have a future that is still unknown. But as farmers, we plant anyway…. and we grow healthy trees, deep roots, and strong communities!

Check out our annual tree planting video for an inside look at how we do it: