British teen grows and sells Christmas trees to fund his college education

Kaye Garcia Friday, December 09, 2016

A man carries a freshly cut tree. | Reuters/Gary Cameron

A British teen, who started growing Christmas trees when he was nine, now has a plantation of about 1,500 trees and is selling them to help fund his university fees in the future.

The 16-year-old student at Whitstone School was inspired to grow his own trees by his mother's arduous search for the perfect tree each year. "I was always tired of my mum dragging me round supermarkets looking for the right tree and when my dad gave me a sapling I was inspired to grow my own," says Ryan, according to SomersetLive.

The one sapling that Ryan received from his father seven years ago has multiplied into an entire farm of 1,400 to 1,500 trees, and last year, the teenager started selling them for £20 each. Ryan plans to use the profits from selling trees to pay for his tuition fees when he goes to college.

According to Ryan's mother, Gail, Ryan keeps on reinvesting in his Christmas trees. "Every time he takes a tree out, he puts one back," she said.

Ryan's Christmas tree business opened last year, and he was able to make £2,000 from selling 100 trees. The young entrepreneur hopes to top that figure this year.

His family has been supportive of "Ryan Xmas trees." During the holiday season, his father is in charge of the chainsaw for cutting down trees, while his mother and sister hand out flyers to promote the business, The Telegraph reports.

While Ryan and his family are most busy from November to January, when they are cutting down and replanting trees. Maintaining the plantation is a lot of hard work year-round.

"You need to remove all the grass grown around the trees because it gets in the way of the trunk and stops the trees getting nutrients. There's quite a bit of maintenance involved," Ryan shares, according to The Telegraph.

The teenager's chosen hobby and business indeed takes a lot of patience and persistence, especially when it takes years before one can see progress. Ryan, however, says it's all worth it: "I love Christmas and this is so rewarding."