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MEET THE SWEETS

Our Family Tree

The Sweet Family has been calling Great Barrington home since 1880s.  

Born in 1941, Peter Alden Sweet Sr. married Carol (Joan) Wright in April of 1966. They had their first son, Peter Alden Jr. in 1968 and their second son Christopher Wright in 1972, the same year that Peter Sr. obtained his MS and started his position as the Industrial Arts Teacher at Searle’s Middle School in Great Barrington.

They purchased the farmland (Lot 3) on Seekonk Cross Road in 1975. The land was originally part of the 13,000-acre estate created in 1903 by Dr. Frederick Stark Pearson, a world famous industrial engineer. The Durlack Family farmed it in later years. The Seekonk Road parcel (Lot 2) was purchased in 1976.

Pete Sr. utilized his excellent woodworking skills and starting building the main house in the spring of 1976. The family moved into their home in the fall of 1977.

42
Years in operation
70,000+
Trees Sold
21
Acres of farm

it’s a family tree-dition

Peter Sr. started the tree farm in 1978 on a part time basis. The family was extensively involved in trees in many ways throughout the farm’s history. The boys helped increasingly more each year and Carol managed the office work, assisted with cultural practices, and managed the decorations and extra products. 

With an instilled love for the land, Peter Jr. attended SUNY Cobleskill and received an AS in 1988 in Landscape Development. He then went on to obtain a BS in Landscape Architecture from Mississippi State in 1990. He owned and operated a landscape company in Great Barrington and later the nursery at the tree farm. Pete Jr.’s daughter, Danielle, was born in 1999 and helps with the farm during flower and Christmas season. She is currently studying Architecture at UMASS Amherst.

Peter and Carol’s son Chris received a BS in Business in 1994 from Western New England College. He currently owns and operates "Sweet Tree Service LLC” a full tree service company. He married Jill Zukowski from Easthampton in 2005 and they have three children, Kayla, Colby and Bethany. Jill is a school nurse. Chris’s family built a house and moved back to the farm in 2016. During the holiday season, they operate Lot 2, offering full service Choose and Cut on the weekends.

Peter Jr. married Kelly Fox in 2018. In addition to working together to grow the farm business, they are restoring the historic Mount Washington House in nearby Hillsdale, NY. In 2020, Peter built a beautiful farm stand and workshop on Lot 1 where he has planted berry patches for pick your own berries, started a bee colony for local honey and plans to grow his famous Giant Pumpkins again in 2021.