Organic farming includes Christmas trees to product line

By MANDY JOHN | Central Texas Edition

Dwayne Somerville, owner of the Texas Organic Nursery, stands next to a 10-foot Carolina Sapphire tree that is at the tree farm. -Staff photo by Mandy John

December 19, 2002 -- The Texas Organic Nursery and Christmas Tree Farm, located in Mexia, is a real working farm, producing Virginia Pine, Leyland Cypress, and Carolina Sapphire Christmas trees. Dwayne Somerville, owner of the farm, is very proud of what he and his family have accomplished.

"We started planting trees in 1988 the traditional way and sold our first tree in 1991," explained Somerville. "It was also the year that my first son was born. I really started to look at things differently."

Somerville realized that the chemicals being placed in the ground and on the trees might be affecting the health of his family. It was then that he started to look into growing both trees and animals organically.

"I began looking into growing organically, but was told by the Extension agents at the time that it was just a fad and I would be wasting my time in starting an organic nursery.

"In 1998, we became the first certified organic Christmas tree farm in the U.S., and we are still the only one today."

Somerville has been growing organic Christmas trees for five years and stated that, until this year, the reason for selling these kind of trees was not just because they were organic.

"This year, we have heard a lot of people tell us that the main reason they are buying our trees is because they are allergic to Christmas trees, but still want the real tree feeling.

"I don't think it's that they are allergic to the trees, but they are allergic to either the mountain cedar or to the chemicals floating down on them."

He recommends washing a tree and letting it dry before bringing a tree into the home to get the chemicals off the tree.

"The nice thing about our trees is that you don't have to do that because there are no chemicals to worry about. The only thing that might be a problem is the mountain cedar, but that is unavoidable.

"One of the trees that we grow here is called the Leyland Cypress, which is a hybrid tree. It doesn't pollinate, so it's good for those people who have bad allergies. It makes it possible for them to have a real tree for Christmas."

Somerville is very happy with the response he has gotten with his organic Christmas trees. He is also very pleased with one of his more recent customers who bought a Christmas tree to put in her home in Beverly Hills, CA.

"I can't tell you her name, but she is very well know. She bought this tree because she wanted her kids to have a real Christmas tree without all the chemicals that come with it. She has also purchased a tree from me for next year."

Besides raising trees, the Texas Organic Nursery also has pigs, chickens, guineas, and a turkey.

"We raise the chickens for eggs and the pigs for meat. We also grow rosemary topiaries and vegetable transplants. Everything we do here is certified as being organically grown."

But Somerville focuses mainly on growing Christmas trees.

"There have been other people interested in growing Christmas trees. I want people to know that it's an intensive management crop and you must be pro-active in insect control.

"The crops for 2002 were only fair due to droughts and some pretty bad situations. In two years, though, we expect to be up again. There is no recipe for farming, especially with Christmas trees.

"I have four plots and three of those plots are planted on at any given time. The plot that was used for 2002 will be replanted in Oct. 2003. These trees will be ready in 2006."