Events

Arbor Day Tree Sale

Location: Beaverkill Nursery, 33 Cashmere Road, Livingston Manor, NY 12758

Time: April 24th and 25th 9-5pm

Come to our Arbor Day tree sale! The sale will take place April 24th and 25th from 9am-5pm at our main nursery site at 33 Cashmere Road in Livingston Manor. 

We will be selling a mix of bareroot tree seedlings and rooted hardwood cuttings in pots. We have chestnuts, hazelnuts, American elm and shagbark hickory as bareroot seedlings. We will have potted cuttings of elderberry, black currant, willow, honeyberry and more. 

Arbor day is a day dedicated to planting trees. It is always on the last Friday of April in the United States. In the Catskills, most trees are still dormant or just waking up from winter at this time, making it a perfect time to plant bareroot trees.

A bareroot tree is a young tree, typically less than 3 years old, that has been grown in the ground or in a dedicated raised bed instead of a pot. When trees are grown in a raised bed or in the ground, their roots are able to stretch down and out instead of being constricted like they would be in a pot. This leads to healthier root systems that will lead to better trees as they grow old. The only catch is that it is best to plant them when they are dormant, either in the fall or spring, right around Arbor day!

When you buy trees from our sale, they will be gently wrapped in plastic or burlap with a small amount of soil, and they can be immediately planted in ground or stored in the fridge for a couple of days to be planted later. 

We will be providing detailed instructions at the sale, but the basic steps for planting a bareroot tree are:

  1. Dig a hole that is slightly wider and deeper than the roots of your tree.
  2. Lay the tree in the hole, making sure that the roots are not tangled or bent against the side of the hole, and making sure that the root flare (where the roots meet the stem) is slightly above the ground.
  3. Pack the soil back in over the tree roots.
  4. Water the tree generously so that the hole fills with water. 
  5. Optionally, add a layer of compost and mulch around the tree, but DO NOT cover the base of the tree, we recommend giving 2 inches of space off of the tree and not mulching more than 2 inches thick. Too much mulch starves the tree of oxygen.
  6. Optionally add a tree tube or cage to protect against deer, rabbits, voles, and beavers. 

Planted properly, a bareroot tree will grow faster and need less watering and maintenance than a tree grown from a pot. It is a great way to kickstart the gardening season!