Listen in to hear all the benefits for purchasing a real locally grown holiday tree. John Krueger, a Minnesota Christmas tree grower, and Rachel Wandrei of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Minnesota Grown program give tips and tricks to shopping local and caring for your holiday tree.

Smarty Plants is a podcast of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Visit www.mda.state.mn.us/plants-insects/smarty-plants for more episodes. Look for a new episode of Smarty Plants every month.