Ashley Ratkovich is over the moon excited about Christmas this year because this is the first year her family’s Ratkovich Farm in Fayetteville, Indiana, will be selling their own fresh-cut Christmas trees on their 50-acre spread just west of Bedford.
Tucked away in the small unincorporated town of Fayetteville in south-central Indiana, it is the only Christmas tree farm in Lawrence County. Ratkovich and her husband, Scott, planted this year’s crop of trees when they bought the property in 2017.
For the past seven Christmas seasons, they’ve sold trees that had been planted by the previous owner, who ran the business as a hobby farm, planting only 100 to 300 trees a year.
Ratkovich and her husband knew they wanted to go all in when buying the property, covering the property in Christmas trees.
“As soon as we signed the papers in March, we started planting 1,200 trees a year – about an acre – and we’re trying to plant at least 1 acre a year as we go,” she says.
The Most Magical Time
If You Go ...
Ratkovich Farm
Location: 413 Fayetteville Owen Road, Bedford
Phone: 812-272-9229
Email: ratkovichfarm@gmail.com
Website: facebook.com/ratkovichfarm
Hours: Visit the Ratkovich Farm’s Facebook page for the latest updates on seasonal hours for U-cut Christmas trees in the winter and U-pick flowers in the spring, summer and fall.
Ratkovich says the weeks leading up to Christmas are the most magical time of the year at the farm. Hundreds of families visit to find the perfect Christmas tree. An assortment of pre-cut trees is also available, along with fresh wreaths created by Ratkovich.
Christmas tree sales start the Friday after Thanksgiving, with many holiday revelers visiting the farm that weekend. Even Santa Claus visits the farm the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
Throughout the season, Ratkovich savors the sight of families taking their time walking through the rows of trees to find just the right one from the selection of spruces, firs and white pines.
“I tell people their tree will be the centerpiece of the holidays in their home,” she says with enthusiasm.
She and her husband have grown spruce, Fraser firs and pine trees at the farm in the past but have found that white pines really flourish. So they are focusing on those for now, Ratkovich says, although they’ll continue to ship in some fir trees from Michigan to meet consumer demand.
Visitors are often surprised to learn how much work goes into growing the perfect Christmas tree.
“People think that we plant a tree and it’s ready that year,” Ratkovich says. “But the reality is it takes seven to 10 years to grow a Christmas tree to full height.”
The process includes careful watering and monitoring for pests, mowing around the trees and faithfully pruning each one every spring or summer.
It’s a lot of work, but it’s a labor of love. She and her husband plan to continue planting an acre’s worth of trees each year, continuing in a cyclical pattern of growing new trees to replace those purchased each winter.
See more: Indiana Farm Directories Help Consumers Find Local Producers Selling Popular Products
A Year-Round Dream
Owning a U-pick family farm has always been a dream for Ratkovich, who also loves arranging fresh-cut flowers and selling honey from the farm’s three beehives.
Guests are encouraged to return in the spring and summer months to visit the farm’s self-serve U-pick flower station, where they can pick their own flowers and create eye-catching arrangements or have one made for them.
A number of pop-up markets featuring local artisans and vendors peddling handcrafted items and antiques are held throughout the year at the farm.
“I absolutely love planning events like that,” Ratkovich says. “It’s chaos, but I love it. The crazy days where it’s crowded and seeing people out here walking around and laughing – it’s the best.”
Scott works at the Polycor stone company just outside Bedford, which is known as the “Limestone Capital of the World.” In the evenings, the couple shares the workload 50/50.
“Neither one of us can sit still for very long, so we’re always out there doing something,” says Ratkovich, a former hairstylist.
It’s an idyllic life for her and her husband, who were high school sweethearts, marrying in 2006. The couple’s son and three daughters help about as much as can be expected for busy young kids. Ratkovich says her middle daughter aspires to be a flower farmer someday.
“She’s getting really good at it, and she’s only 11 years old,” Ratkovich says.
Ratkovich encourages customers to interact on social media and post pictures of the items purchased from the family’s farm, including the Christmas trees all decorated with ornaments and twinkling lights.
See more: Indiana Christmas Tree Farms
