All orders are in-person pickup only. Order pickup days will be announced closer to the pickup event in late April. We will send you a postcard in the mail as well as an email telling you when to come pickup your order.

Please bring your postcard or order confirmation email with you. You are welcome to have another person pickup your order if the time listed isn't convenient for you.

Your order will be available for pickup at:

967 County Highway 33
Cooperstown, NY 13326

You will receive an email and postcard letting you know when your pickup date and time is. We anticipate distribution in late April.

Yes! If you'd like to pay with cash or check please come to our office located at 967 County Highway 33, Cooperstown, NY 13326 to place your order using an in-person order form. We are happy to provide you a copy, or you are welcome to download it here.

No - because you are purchasing through a Soil and Water Conservation District for conservation purposes we are able to offer all of our products free of New York State sales tax. This requires that the purchase be used for conservation purposes and its items are not resold.

Native plants are those which existed here prior to European colonization and are specifically adapted to our region. Examples include painted trillium, pink lady's slipper, rhododendron, sugar maple, shagbark hickory, and many more beautiful and useful species.

All of the conifers, hardwoods, and shrubs that have been selected this year are native to Otsego County. Some of the fruit trees offered are not, but these species have been selected which pose little risk of becoming invasive or harmful to wildlife. Some species with more Southern ranges such as Eastern Redbud have been selected this year to help us adapt to climate change, as more Southern plants will increasingly grow well in Otsego County.

Feel free to see all the native plants for sale using the "Native" filter in our online store.

Performance - Native plants are adapted to our environment, soil, and weather and grow well with less need for fertilizer and pesticide. This means much easier maintenance and cheaper upkeep.

Biodiversity and Wildlife - Planting native helps preserve our dwindling wild biodiversity. This includes preserving our native plant species, as well as providing the preferred food for many of our beloved wildlife.

Non-Invasive - Native plants will not become invasive like plants adapted to other regions often do. Invasives such as goutweed and Japanese knotweed often disrupt the soil, water, plants, fungi, and animals around them, and can damage agriculture and infrastructure.

Year-round Beauty - Native plants provide year-round beauty to your garden, whether its a spring flowering spicebush, or a vibrant red-osier dogwood in the winter, your garden will always have something beautiful.

Wildlife Benefits - Birds, pollinators, fish, and animals all rely on the food, shelter, and ecosystem services that native plants provide. This means better fishing, healthier water, more abundant game, and healthier soil. A stream bank full of native plants will often have less erosion, cleaner water, and more habitat for fish and other aquatic life.

Soil and Water benefits - Native plants work in sync with the natural cycles of water, carbon, and nutrients to keep these systems healthy. Planting native helps foster a healthy soil microbiome, retain and build soil quality, prevent erosion, and filter water.

Native plants matter to us as people because they sustain us and the life all around us. This is especially true for the people Native to this area - the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), who have used and continue to use the native plants of our area for food, medicine, ceremony, and daily life. Indigenous people have always been at the forefront of preserving and learning from native species.

Please follow this handy guide from Arbor Day Foundation.

Make sure the roots stay moist prior to planting.

It is important that the roots of the planted tree have room to grow and spread out and will not wrap around each other.

We have included a "Habitat" filter in "All Products" page to help find water-loving species. Here plants are categorized by a Wetland Indicator Status for our given region. We have listed the definitions below:

OBL (Obligate Wetland) —Almost always occur in wetlands.

FACW (Facultative Wetland)—Usually occur in wetlands, but may occur in non-wetlands.

FAC (Facultative)—Occur in wetlands and non-wetlands.

FACU (Facultative Upland)—Usually occur in non-wetlands, but may occur in wetlands.

UPL (Upland)—Almost never occur in wetlands.

As a Soil and Water Conservation District, our goal is to conserve our natural resources and the people and wildlife that rely on them. This includes working with farmers, landowners, and nonprofits on conservation projects, running the yearly tree sale, implementing timber stand improvement projects on County forest land, and much more.

See our website for more information.