If you don't find an answer here, please use the Contact Us page to ask Grandpa!
As people ask more questions, we will post more answers here. You should also check out the Growing Tips page for more detailed information. There is a mountain of information on Grandpa's Orchard!
Shipping season is a hectic time! We try to start shipping trees at Grandpa’s as early as possible, but there is method to our madness!
Even though spring comes earlier to the South and Southwest, it still comes later for Grandpa’s Orchard here in Michigan. Because the best quality nursery stock is grown in northern climes, like Michigan, Washington, and Pennsylvania, there are weather constraints and limits when our suppliers will ship to us. We try to get all of our trees in as early as possible, but then we have to sort, stage, and tag all the trees so that we can start pulling and packing orders.
We try to get going before April 1st but some years it may start later. If you indicated on your order you needed an earlier or later ship date than we would normally ship your area, we will certainly try to meet your expectation. Email or call us with any concerns.
Normally, we try to prioritize shipping--- the warmest areas where spring is already happening are first priority. Then we work toward the north and colder areas. It can often take us about three weeks to “catch up” on the orders we have been receiving from last fall through March. Here is a rough listing of how we schedule states in order to accomplish this major task! In a typical year….
Early April: NV, AZ, NM, TX, FL, LA, MS, AL, GA, SC, AR, WA, OR, CO, UT
Early-Mid April: TN, KY, MO, OK, KS, VA, WV, NC, DE, NJ, MD
Mid-April: IL, MI, IN, OH, PA, NY, CT, RI, MA
Mid-April to late April: ID, MT, WY, NE, IA
Later April: ND, SD, MN, WI, ME, VT, NH
We will have weekly postings on the Home Page at Grandpa’s Orchard website to try to give you a better idea of exactly where we are in shipping, so please check there too.