Taneytown · Maryland
Sewell’s Farm
A Carroll County farm growing Christmas trees since the early 1980s, with six varieties tagged by color, a pre-cut lot, live and tabletop trees, a gift store and coffee and Kona Ice trucks on weekends.
At a glance
Your tree visit.
- Tree choices
- Cut your own · Pre-cut trees · Living trees
- Tagged in the field
- Priced tree by tree
Each tree is priced individually by its tag, judged on quality; baling and shaking are free.
Prices & conditions ↓ - Visit times
Opens Friday, November 20. Open Friday–Sunday in November and Thursday–Sunday in December, through Sunday, December 20, 9am–4:30pm; fields close at 4pm. Closed Thanksgiving Day.
Full schedule ↓
Find your tree
Choose your Christmas tree.
Sewell’s Farm began growing Christmas trees in the early 1980s, and the farm calls them its main business and its passion. Its fields hold numerous acres of six varieties, and each variety has a tag color and a maximum height so you can see at a glance what size to expect: Fraser fir with a yellow tag up to 10 feet, blue spruce with a blue tag up to 9 feet, Canaan fir with a red tag up to 11 feet, white pine with a white tag up to 12 feet, concolor fir with an orange tag up to 9 feet and Douglas fir with a purple tag up to 9 feet.
The farm points out how long a tree takes to grow: on average it takes a full year to add one foot. All trees for sale are individually tagged in the field and in the pre-cut lot, and prices vary as the farm judges each tree on its quality.
Customers cut with saws the farm provides. Gas-powered chainsaws are prohibited for insurance reasons, but battery-operated saws are permitted.
Published varieties
- Fraser fir
- Blue spruce
- Canaan fir
- White pine
- Concolor fir
- Douglas fir
Which variety suits your decorations?
General tree guidance; the farm’s selection, sizes and services are described above.
- Fraser fir
- Upward branches and good needle retention; firmer branches can suit heavier ornaments.
- Concolor fir
- Longer, silver-blue needles with a citrus scent when crushed.
- Canaan fir
- Dark green needles with white undersides and firmer branches for decorations.
- Douglas fir
- Soft needles and more flexible branches, suited to lighter ornaments.
- White pine
- Long, soft needles and flexible branches; choose lighter decorations.
- Blue spruce
- Blue to silver-blue foliage with sharp needle tips.
Learn more: University of Wisconsin Extension ↗ · National Christmas Tree Association ↗
Compare the options
Trees & prices.
No price list, per-foot rate or range is published. The farm says tree prices vary as it judges each tree on quality, so confirm the price on the tag before you cut. The farm accepts credit and debit cards (swipe, chip and tap), cash, and Apple, Google and Samsung Pay, and does not accept personal checks.
| Selection & size | Price |
|---|---|
| Fraser fir, yellow tag, up to 10 feet | Priced by tag Each tree is individually tagged in the field and the pre-cut lot. |
| Blue spruce, blue tag, up to 9 feet | Priced by tag Each tree is individually tagged in the field and the pre-cut lot. |
| Canaan fir, red tag, up to 11 feet | Priced by tag Each tree is individually tagged in the field and the pre-cut lot. |
| White pine, white tag, up to 12 feet | Priced by tag Each tree is individually tagged in the field and the pre-cut lot. |
| Concolor fir, orange tag, up to 9 feet | Priced by tag Each tree is individually tagged in the field and the pre-cut lot. |
| Douglas fir, purple tag, up to 9 feet | Priced by tag Each tree is individually tagged in the field and the pre-cut lot. |
| Baling, shaking and string for tying on | Free The farm bales or wraps the tree, helps you to your car and supplies free string or rope; it cannot tie the tree down for you. |
Six varieties, in the farm’s words
The farm’s variety guide describes needle shape, branch strength and character for each tree in its fields, and says some are also in the pre-cut lot.
| Variety | What the farm says |
|---|---|
| Fraser fir | Short rounded needles and medium branches, with blue-bottomed needles. |
| Canaan fir | Short rounded needles and medium branches; needles go around the whole branch. |
| Douglas fir | Medium rounded needles and medium branches; needles go around the branch. |
| Concolor fir | Medium rounded needles and strong branches; the sap smells like citrus. |
| Blue spruce | Short pointed needles and strong branches; a good cat deterrent. |
| White pine | Long wispy needles and medium-low branches; the farm’s tallest cut-your-own trees. |
The pre-cut lot, tabletop trees and live trees
The pre-cut lot is always stocked with recently cut trees of all sizes: Fraser, concolor, Douglas and Canaan fir and white pine, some as tall as 12 feet, each tagged with its price. Smaller tabletop trees are sold with a stand, perfect as a centerpiece. The farm also has limited quantities of live balled-and-burlapped blue spruce, Canaan fir and concolor fir, 4 to 5 feet tall, which are replantable and best carried in a pickup truck or trailer. Prices for these are not posted.
Baling, loading and what the farm cannot do
Baling and wrapping are free, shaking is complimentary, and staff help you to your car with the tree. The farm cannot tie the tree down for you, but it offers free string or rope for doing so. The farm says it does not have the capability to drill trunks for those specific tree stands. Carts, wagons and sleds are not mentioned.
Wreaths, roping and the Christmas gift store
Wreaths are plain or decorated, in a variety of sizes from small to extra large, and the decorated ones are hand-made on the farm. Roping comes in plain white pine or a more decorative mixed green, and the farm also makes window swags and table arrangements and sells other greens for decorating.
The indoor Christmas gift store has ornaments, decorations, candles and gifts, including two small-business soy candle lines, and convenient tree items. Prices are not posted.
Coffee and Kona Ice trucks on weekends
On weekends only, the farm brings in coffee trucks, and Kona Ice of Adams County comes every weekend from November 21 to December 13. The farm’s Facebook schedule lists these trucks, with none listed for December 17–20; prices and menus are not posted. The farm’s pages list no food or drink of its own.
| Date | Coffee truck |
|---|---|
| November 21 | Cramped Coffee Co |
| November 22 | Listed as Filled Coffee Co in the farm’s post |
| November 27–29 | Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee of Lancaster |
| December 5 | Husky Hut Coffee Company |
| December 6 | Cramped Coffee Co |
| December 12–13 | Cramped Coffee Co |
Pets, photographers and weather
Pets are not allowed in the fields because the farm’s insurance prohibits them, but there is a dog-walking area if your dog comes along and stays in the car. The farm does not permit standalone photography sessions. A photographer may accompany a family who already intended to come for a tree, to take pictures while they choose and cut it, bringing just a camera and no lighting, heavy equipment or rigging. Ask the farm by Facebook message or email if you need clarification.
The farm reserves the right to close the fields in bad weather and asks visitors to check its Facebook page for updates, which is where its response time is quickest.
Caring for your tree at home
Keep a tree you are not ready to bring in standing, preferably on mulch or grass, on the shady side of the house in a container of water, never lying on its side. If it waits days, make a fresh cut. Keep it out of sun and heat, check the water daily and turn lights off when you are away. Most trees last three to six weeks, or longer with proper care. The farm makes no guarantee for how long a tree will drink water or last once it leaves the farm.
Finding the farm on Harney Road
From Baltimore, take Interstate 695 to Interstate 795 west to Maryland Route 140 west through Westminster. At the Taneytown circle, turn right at the first exit through Taneytown, then turn right on Harney Road; the farm is half a mile on the left. From Washington or Frederick, take Interstate 270 north to U.S. 15 north through Frederick, then Maryland Route 140 east in Emmitsburg and turn left on Harney Road. From Gettysburg or Harrisburg, take U.S. 15 south toward Gettysburg and exit for Maryland Route 134 Taneytown Road, about 13 miles to the farm on the right.
A closer look.
Pick your day
Dates & hours.
Tree season: Friday, November 20, through Sunday, December 20; closed Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays
The farm lists every open date. It posts its 9am–4:30pm hours with the opening weekend and lists the later dates under the same schedule.
| Open dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Opening weekend, Friday–Sunday, November 20–22 | 9am–4:30pm; fields close at 4pm |
| Thanksgiving Day, November 26 | Closed |
| Black Friday through Sunday, November 27–29 | Reopens; 9am–4:30pm |
| Thursday–Sunday, December 3–6, December 10–13 and December 17–20 | Open; 9am–4:30pm |
| Sunday, December 20 | Closing for the season at 4:30pm |
| Every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday | Closed |
To avoid crowds the farm suggests visiting on a Thursday or Friday. It reserves the right to close the fields in bad weather and posts updates on its Facebook page.
Before you go.
- Closed every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and on Thanksgiving Day; fields close at 4pm.
- Tree prices are on the tag, not on a list; no personal checks.
- No drilling; free baling, shaking and string; gas chainsaws are prohibited.
- No pets in the fields; a dog-walking area is available.
- Parking, restrooms and group visits are not posted. The farm’s email is sewellsfarm@hotmail.com.
3400 Harney Road, Taneytown, MD 21787
Keep exploring
Other farms to compare.
Oakland, Maryland
Woodlake Tree FarmA Garrett County farm near Deep Creek Lake with limited choose-and-cut trees from 6 to 14 feet, fresh pre-cuts and a barn Christmas shop.
Hagerstown, Maryland
Good Spirits Christmas Tree FarmA Washington County tree forest with five species up to 20 feet, cash prices by species, free shaking, baling and drilling, and a Warm-Up Shed.
Mount Airy, Maryland
Gaver FarmA Frederick County farm on more than 60 acres: cut-your-own trees from $65, free carts, saws, baling and hayrides, a Wreath Shop and Christmas Café. No tickets needed.