FERRIDAY — Some farmers harvest late spring, some mid-summer, others in the autumn. Marie Potts harvests at Christmas.

Potts works year round to make sure the Christmas tree farm she started in 1995 to fight erosion on her Doty Road property has a quality product.

“I prepare the land a year ahead of time and let it sit,” Potts said. “Later, I mark where I am going to plant the trees and then I plant them.”

After planting, there’s a year’s worth of spraying and trimming to do.

Tree farming has been a learning process for Potts. When she started, she would plant her trees bare root, but over time she’s found it’s better to grow them in buckets for a year and then plant them. And this year’s drought taught her something, too.

“I trimmed the trees in April, and when the drought hit they got a fungus,” she said. “I had to destroy about three trailer loads of trees.”

Because of that, Potts has changed her trimming schedule.

“I have to completely rearrange my schedule. I will start trimming the trees in October, January and February.”

While Potts grows pine on her property, she imports Leland Cypress and Frazier Fir. The fir cannot be grown in this area.

“When we get those in, we cut the base on the tree, drill them and put them in water right then and stand them up in the field,” she said.

Like other farmers in recent years, Potts said she has had to compensate for the increased production costs, but she said live Christmas trees are one area where people don’t seem to be cutting back these days — she sold 51 trees in two days.

“During the year, it’s a pretty good bit of work, but I enjoy it,” she said. “I get out of the house, and it keeps me moving, and this time of year I enjoy it because people come and we get to visit a lot.”