The best time to plant bare-root fruit trees is in early spring, which is early March in the southern states, and the end of April or early May in some of the northern states. If you are in one of the warmer zones such as southern California, parts of Texas, Alabama, Georgia, then Fall delivery is also possible.
The following table summarises suggested shipping dates by state, but please note actual shipping dates may vary considerably.
| Alabama AL | Early March |
| Alaska AK | No delivery |
| Arizona AZ | Early March |
| Arkansas AR | Early March |
| California CA | Early March |
| Colorado CO | Late April |
| Connecticut CT | Late April |
| Delaware DE | Late March |
| Florida FL | Early March |
| Georgia GA | Early March |
| Hawaii HI | No delivery |
| Idaho ID | Late April |
| Illinois IL | Early April |
| Indiana IN | Early April |
| Iowa IA | Early April |
| Kansas KS | Late March |
| Kentucky KY | Late March |
| Louisiana LA | Early March |
| Maine ME | Late April |
| Maryland MD | Late March |
| Massachusetts MA | Late April |
| Michigan MI | Late April |
| Minnesota MN | Late April |
| Mississippi MS | Early March |
| Missouri MO | Late March |
| Montana MT | Late April |
| Nebraska NE | Early April |
| Nevada NV | Early March |
| New Hampshire NH | Late April |
| New Jersey NJ | Early April |
| New Mexico NM | Early March |
| New York NY | Late April |
| North Carolina NC | Late March |
| North Dakota ND | Late April |
| Ohio OH | Early April |
| Oklahoma OK | Late March |
| Oregon OR | Late March |
| Pennsylvania PA | Early April |
| Rhode Island RI | Late April |
| South Carolina SC | Early March |
| South Dakota SD | Late April |
| Tennessee TN | Late March |
| Texas TX | Early March |
| Utah UT | Early March |
| Vermont VT | Late April |
| Virginia VA | Late March |
| Washington WA | Late March |
| West Virginia WV | Late March |
| Wisconsin WI | Late April |
| Wyoming WY | Late April |
Read about the pros and cons of fall planting vs spring planting.
More details on ordering and delivery of fruit trees.