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Frequently Asked Questions

Will they grow here?

For hazels the answer is usually either "yes" or "most likely"; see Hazel Growing Habitat Traits. For chestnuts it is basically "yes", as long as the location is at least as warm and wet as Badgersett Farm. See "Where Will Chestnuts Grow?"

What's the point to a "tubeling"? Why not just sell plain old "bare-root dormant" nursery stock?

Tubelings are to "bare root dormant" nursery stock as an Automobile is to a Horse.  

Truly.  But growers really have to remember that you cannot feed your Automobile hay.  Tubelings have an entirely different set of rules and needs- many failures have happened from very experienced tree planters who planted on 'automatic'.  That will kill the tubelings, reliably.

What is a Neohybrid?

The short version: a Neohybrid is an entirely new class of crop; completely unrelated to previous definitions of "hybrid".  Neohybrids are a new crop genepool created by mixing at least 3 species together, then selecting meticulously for multiple generations, and for specific characteristics.  Out of 3 wild species; a population of plants with behavior that suits the needs of domestication; crop production; is created.

What is a "tubeling"?

"Tubelings" are young seedling trees (or bushes) that are 6–10 inches tall. These plants are grown rapidly in a greenhouse in plastic "plug" containers, and at the age of 3 months are as big and strong as a field-grown plant a year old. For best results, plant tubelings directly into their permanent location.

I've ordered plants from Badgersett. When will I receive them?

We will fill orders in the order payment is received. Orders made last week will probably NOT be shipped next week.

How fast will they grow?

The answer here depends on you. If they are given excellent care, which means effective weed control, water if needed in the first year (and second if in very dry climates), and fertilizer on time, both hazels and chestnuts can grow "fast". Their tops will make 1-3' for hazels and 2-4' for chestnuts in the first year, 3-5' for hazels and 5-7' for chestnuts in their 4th year. They will grow faster after the first few years of root establishment.

How do I know my plants are ready for pick-up at Badgersett?

We will email or call you about a week ahead of when they will be ready for you. The order form includes a spot for your telephone number. This is where we put that to good use.

How do I get replacement plants?

Please check our guarantees page to see what is and is not covered. We take our guarantees very seriously indeed and want to be fair. If you think replacement plants are owed to you, the fastest avenue will be for you to email us and include the details. Give us your invoice number, if possible, tell us exactly why you think we owe you plants, how many you are requesting, and when you want to receive them.

Can you ship to my location?

Plants: U.S. except quarantined states. Nuts: U.S. and Canada.

Can I really plant in July?

Yes you can —depending.  Standard tubelings can be planted from May until our recommended late plant date for your growing zone.  After these dates your first-year mortality will start to increase, and be much more sensitive to ideal care and planting conditions:

  • July 30 for Zone 5 and colder.
  • August 30 for Zone 6
  • Sept. 20 for Zone 7

Several of our most successful plantings, in the upper midwest, have been done in late July- even in drought conditions.  But only with good "follow-up"!

Can I order now for next year?

Most of the time the answer is yes.  We take orders up to 12 months in advance. Orders not paid within a month after billing will be cancelled. Cancelled orders can be re-activated, but you lose your place on the shipping queue.

Can I just plant nuts I've bought to eat?

We REALLY REALLY don't recommend it. Don't do it! You'll lose every penny you spend. The nuts we sell to eat are fine for eating, but at this point the development of these crops, we can't afford to eat nuts from the best plants—that all goes for seed. So, what is left for us to eat is specifically the nuts from inferior plants, or from plants that have not been tested. They're fine to eat, but the probability of getting genetically inferior plants this way is really very high. Like 95%.

Can I just drive to Badgersett and buy plants or nuts?

Usually not. We don't have a store here, just a farm and a greenhouse. Almost all of our sales are made through the website. If you drop in hoping to buy plants, it's entirely possible we'll have a greenhouse full of them but none available for sale; they may be already sold. The one exception is our Annual Field Day, which is always on the 3rd Saturday in August; we do try to have plants available for sale then. Yes, visitors are welcome at any time, but you may have to be satisfied with a self-guided tour.

Can I buy seed from Badgersett and grow my own plants?

UPDATED: yes, with some restrictions, and we still recommend against it for most people (see below). Hickory and Select seed will still be unavailable for some time, however, for the same reasons as before.

For about twenty years the answer was "No", for the following reasons.

We tried this at the beginning, and at that point it NEVER made anyone happy on either side of the transaction. Basically: