The best time to plant trees in Tennessee and the upper South is the dormant season, from fall leaf drop through late winter, before buds break in spring. Container and balled trees do well planted in fall. Bare-root trees and seedlings, the stock most large plantings use, go in from December through March, with late winter best for seedlings.
Tennessee Wholesale Nursery, the family-owned wholesale nursery in Altamont, Tennessee, near McMinnville, grows trees, shrubs, perennials, wetland and native plants, and this is our calendar for planting many trees at once: windbreaks, reforestation tracts, stream-bank buffers, and school or park plantings.
Fall or spring: the best time to plant trees depends on dormancy
The question is less about fall versus spring and more about whether the tree is dormant. A dormant tree has no leaves to feed, so it loses little water while its roots settle into new soil. UT Extension's guide to planting bare-root tree seedlings says that in the southern U.S., survival improves when seedlings go in between late winter and early spring, well before the growing season starts.
Fall still has its place. Trees sold with soil around their roots, in containers or balled and burlapped, settle in well when planted in autumn while the soil is warm. For bare-root stock, fall is the time to plan and order, and late winter is the time to plant.
Planting windows by stock type
How the tree is sold matters as much as the season. Use this table to set dates for each kind of stock on your order.
| Stock type | Best window in Tennessee and the upper South | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Bare-root seedlings | Late winter to early spring, before bud break | Plant when air temperatures run 35 to 60°F; stop at 75°F |
| Bare-root trees | December through March, while dormant | Plant on arrival, or hold out of wind and sun |
| Balled-and-burlapped trees | Any time the ground is not frozen | Water each tree in immediately |
| Container trees | Fall, while the soil is still warm | Water each tree in immediately |
| Live stakes | Dormant season | Plant within 24 hours; keep stakes wet until then |
Sources: the seedling dates and temperatures come from UT Extension's SP1038, the bare-root and balled-and-burlapped windows from UT Extension's SP572 on transplanting trees, and the live stake guidance from our own planting instructions.
Timing a large tree planting in the Southeast
A planting of hundreds or thousands of trees runs on a calendar that starts months before the first hole is dug. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency's landowner action calendar lists fall, September through December, as the time to order tree seedlings, and winter, December through March, as the time to plant trees and shrubs.
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Fall: choose species and order
Match species to the site and settle quantities. For restoration sites, browse our Restoration & Mitigation Plants collection; for upland tracts, our seedlings collection.
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Time delivery to your planting window
Our bare-root stock ships from September to April, while plants are dormant. Ask for delivery in the weeks your crew will plant, which for bare-root trees and seedlings means December through March.
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On arrival: plant right away
Plant as soon as the order arrives, so roots spend as little time out of the ground as possible. Trees that must wait should be watered well and held out of wind and direct sun.
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Finish before bud break
Our bare-root guidance is to plant before budding begins, which starts as temperatures reach 58 degrees. Cool days of 35 to 60°F are the best planting days, and UT Extension advises stopping seedling planting once air temperatures reach 75°F.
Deciduous and evergreen trees: when each goes in
Deciduous trees are easy to read: once the leaves drop, they are dormant and ready to move. For a mixed bare-root planting, our White Oak Seedlings, Chinese Chestnut Tree, Redbud Trees and Black Locust seedlings all follow the same December to March window.
Evergreens keep their needles, so they lose water all winter. Plant bare-root pines like our Virginia Pine Tree in the same dormant window, but pick mild, calm days over dry, windy spells and water them in well. Bald Cypress Seedlings and River Birch Tree stock are deciduous and follow the same calendar as the oaks.
Is it too late to plant a tree right now?
It depends on the season and the stock. In fall, it is not too late: order bare-root stock now for December to March planting, and plant container trees, since the Tennessee Department of Agriculture has noted that fall plantings succeed from October until the ground freezes, which in Tennessee can be December. In late winter, bare-root planting is at its best. Once trees leaf out and air temperatures climb toward 75°F, it is too late for bare-root stock; plan for the next dormant season.
First-year care for a large planting
- Water each tree immediately after planting, as our planting instructions direct. On a large site, plan water access before planting day.
- Dig each hole twice the size of the root ball, per the same instructions, and size crews to that pace.
- Add mulch or pine needles around each trunk so water soaks in slowly.
- Keep bundles waiting to be planted watered and out of wind and direct sun, as UT Extension SP572 advises.
- Keep live stakes wet in buckets or wet burlap sacks and plant them within 24 hours.
Tree planting timing questions
Is fall or spring better for planting trees?
In Tennessee and the upper South, it depends on the stock. Container and balled-and-burlapped trees do well planted in fall, while the soil is still warm. Bare-root trees and seedlings, the stock most large plantings use, do best from December through March, while they are dormant. Either way, finish planting before spring bud break.
When should evergreen trees be planted?
Plant bare-root evergreens such as pines in the same dormant window as hardwoods, from December through March. Because their needles keep losing water through the winter, choose mild, calm days rather than dry, windy spells, and water each tree in well the day it goes into the ground.
When is the best time to plant trees?
Plant while trees are dormant. For bare-root seedlings in the southern U.S., UT Extension recommends late winter to early spring, on days between 35 and 60°F, and stopping once temperatures reach 75°F. Container and balled trees can go in during fall, while the soil is still warm.
