Community Corner
Ide Christmas Tree Farm Opens Friday
Ide Christmas Tree Farm in Downers Grove has more than 45,000 trees to choose from.
If you plan to cut your own Christmas tree this year, now's the time to get it.
Ide Christmas Tree Farm opens Friday and will remain open until Sunday, Dec. 18.
The tree farm is open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the week and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sundays.
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Ide Christmas Tree Farm spans 35 acres of land between Downers Grove, Darien and Woodridge. They have more than 45,000 trees growing with several varieties of spruce and pine to choose from.
The Ide Family has been selling Christmas Trees for more than 50 years. There was a certain portion of Charles K. Ide's farm that was not ideal to growing crops, so he planted trees. After several years, (it takes 10 to 13 years for a tree to mature) a friend suggested he sell them as Christmas trees. He set up a sign on the then gravel road and started his business.
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The company is now run by his son, Charles C. Ide.
"My father-in-law started this business purely by accident," said Janet Ide. "And after over 55 years, it's turned into quite a business!"
Located on 83rd Street between Woodward and Lemont Roads, Ide Christmas Tree Farm prides itself on the fact that every single tree is home grown from a tiny seedling.
These one-year-old seedlings are purchased each summer which they grow in their nursery for up to two years in a nutrient rich soil. This gives them a better root system and a better chance for survival.
Those trees are then planted where Christmas trees have been cut down from the previous year, so all different sizes are spread throughout the farm. Each summer, the trees are sheared by hand to ensure they are full and conically shaped.
Every tree at Ide's costs $60 no matter the size or type. Their operation is a simple, self-serve method. You bring the family, you hunt to find the perfect tree, you cut it down, you haul it to your car and you pay on your way out. It's that easy. No gimmicks. No distractions.
Notes and tips from Ide's before you come:
- Make sure your car is bigger than your tree.
- Dress warmly and wear boots.
- Bring a bow-saw, and rope to tie the tree to your car (or available for a small fee).
- Don't forget the camera for those memory book pictures.
- And the most popular question, yes, they do have Port-a-potty facilities.
