British Teen Pays for College by Selling 1,500 Christmas Trees He Started Growing at Age 9
A 16-year-old schoolboy from Somerset, England, has been growing Christmas trees since he was nine, and today he has about 1,500 of them, which he is selling for £20 each ($25.42).
The trees are between 2-foot and 12-foot tall, and "any size tree you see are 20 pounds and we will only cut when you choose," writes Ryan Brook on his Facebook page.
Brooks, a student at Whitstone School in Shepton Mallet in Somerset, recently turned 16, according to SomersetLive, which quoted him as saying, "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."
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"He started selling them for the first time last year. He has really grown a passion for it," the boy's mother, Gail, was quoted as saying. "He hasn't made loads of money because he's reinvested it every time to grow more. Every time he takes a tree out, he puts one back."
Brook is also saving money to go to university, but its more than just the money.
"That's the long term plan but he does still want to carry on growing them," Gail added.
Last year, Brook made about £2,000 selling 100 trees to friends and family, and this year he hopes to beat last year's sales, according to The Telegraph.
"We are open all weekends until Christmas. … Just look for the large 'Ryan Xmas trees' sign and follow the directions to park up," Brook's Facebook page says.
A Christmas tree buyer shared their enthusiasm for their purchase on the page, saying, "Very happy with our Christmas tree from Ryan, we will most certainly be back next year. Hats off to you young man."
Another buyer adds, "Our lovely tree, bought from Ryan and his family yesterday. Will definitely be returning for another next year."
Brook explained in an interview that he gets a lot of support from his family who help him work on the tree farm. "My dad helps me cut down the trees because I'm too young to use a chainsaw and my sister and mother help by handing out flyers.
"We are selling them every week but actually maintaining them is quite difficult," he added. "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."
