This year I want to get a real tree for my small apartment, but I'm pretty much broke so $85 at one of those corner lots isn't gonna fly. It doesn't need to be very big. I don't have much experience in the tree purchasing business, so I don't really know how much it will cost or where to get the best deal or freshest tree. Can I get a medium size live tree somewhere that's in a pot? I guess I could put a smaller tree on a table. I'm also up for a cheap but reasonable cut tree. tdub, please guide me.

(yes, I know I can just take the ole chainsaw outside and do the deed quick, but that seems totally uncool and I'd rather pay a farmer who loaded up his truck and drove down from the mountains for a day. I just don't want to pay him very much. Also, I don't want a fake tree.)

11/19/2010 10:32:26 PM

lowes. don't buy it yet. it'll die before xmas.

11/19/2010 10:34:03 PM

Hmmmm, they have potted ones at Lowes? Thank you for the idea.

Aren't the cut one's already dead? How long can a cut one be okay inside before it starts to turn brown (I remember this from one year when I was a kid, but I have no idea how long it was.)

11/19/2010 10:39:49 PM

if you know anyone up in boone you can get a small one up here for 15 and a big one for 25

11/19/2010 11:59:16 PM

No idea. I've resigned to the artificial tree these days now that I live here.

As a kid sometimes we'd buy them off the temporary lots they sold them out of at random parking lots around town that were large enough to accommodate it, but sometimes, being that we were never far from mountains, we'd actually drive up the hills, and curvy roads, and mountainsides, and through some light wintery weather, and get a real one fresh from the mountain side. It was still just from someone who grew them for mass production mind you, so it wasn't as rustic as just wondering around the woods for your own perfect tree. But man those trees lasted forever.

I've recently started a new tradition of getting a real wreath each year though. It gives you the same real christmasy smell, without the hassle of dealing with a real tree, in terms of buying one every year, cleaning up the needles, watering it, and disposing of it afterward.

Good luck on your quest!

11/20/2010 2:01:13 AM

Where do you live? Friends of mine have gotten pretty good sized quality trees from Lowes and even Food Lion for $30 in years past. Just make sure you do a fresh cut to the bottom of the tree after buying, to ensure that it will absorb water properly. If you keep it watered, most trees should last a month or so.

In my experience potted trees are extremely hard to come by. For smaller trees I got one at a gas station near the intersection of Jones Franklin and Tryon years ago for like $12. It was small but looked nice in the apartment.

11/20/2010 2:52:50 AM

Thank you for the ideas. I live in Raleigh, and a little $12 tree would be sweet. I like the idea of heading up to Boone, though. It would be a fun day trip and I need to head that way next month anyway for an errand, so the gas price is already built into the errand. Does anyone know of places there where you can pick a tree before they cut it? That would be perfect.

11/20/2010 12:01:43 PM

there were small ones at the church at the intersection of avent ferry rd and crest rd for like $20 last year

11/20/2010 3:53:57 PM

^^You can just drive around in Watauga county and find a Christmas tree farm. Most of them will let you pick and/or cut your own

11/20/2010 4:04:58 PM

Food lion does carry halfway decent trees. Buy them as soon as you see them start carrying them and cut the bottom off with a chainsaw (or handsaw if you don't know anybody w/ a chainsaw). With a fresh cut and if you quickly drop it into water it should last through new years with only moderate needle loss. They aren't as nice as those $80 trees but fuck all if I care. It was great for my first apartment.

[Edited on November 20, 2010 at 4:27 PM. Reason : The food lion near the intersection of tryon and holly springs road usually has a decent selection]

11/20/2010 4:26:53 PM