A bare-root tree comes with no soil on its roots. A 7-10’ bare root tree is therefore lighter, easier to transport, easier to plant and less expensive than a comparably sized tree that is balled in burlap or potted. It is also more likely to thrive, because it generally has a longer set of roots, giving it a headstart over a balled in burlap tree whose roots are chopped shorter. The longer and straighter roots make a bare-root tree more resilient than a potted tree, whose roots grow around the inside of the pot.

Trees from TreesMedford can be planted in your yard. They can be planted next to the street only on private ways. If you want a tree to plant in the sidewalk strip next  to a city street, contact the Tree Warden (atuden@medford-ma.gov) and put your request into SeeClickFix  If there is any doubt about underground utilities in the area you want to put your tree, contact Dig Safe. If you live in an apartment building, make sure you have the permission of your landlord to plant it on the property.

People who live in the hottest neighborhoods in Medford – south of the Mystic River and Salem Street, i.e., Wellington, Glenwood, South Medford and Hillside are eligible for a free tree. You must also be able to water the tree regularly and take care of it. If you are interested, click here.

We offer trees at cost for people in other neighborhoods. The tree, gel, watering bag, and soil amendment cost $150. Link to square. 

When the nursery tells us the shipping date, we will email you, usually 7-10 days before delivery. It will always be a weekday.

What happens if I don’t get the message about the pick up date?

As you can imagine, it is critical for us to know whether you got that message, so we request that you hit reply when you get the email. We will make additional attempts to contact you using the contact information you provide, but if those attempts do not yield a response, we will be forced to find another home for your tree.

Spring tree delivery normally occurs at the very end of March or beginning of April. 

The trees are delivered by truck from New York state. The roots of each tree are enclosed in a plastic bag that has a gel that keeps the roots moist during the trip. We supply a watering bag and soil amendment. You will add the soil amendment and gel to the soil when you plant the tree.iption

You will need a vehicle unless you are walking a short distance. You can either tie the tree on top of your vehicle or load it inside. Though it is probably easiest if you have access to a truck, most people don’t and load the tree into their car. They pull the top of the tree through the lift gate of their hatchback or SUV and out the front passenger side window. It is helpful to have a tarp or dropcloth because the gel in the bag does not always stay there. People with a sedan can tie it on top with a rope. Volunteers at the pick up site will help you load your tree.  It’s a good idea to have a helper when you move the tree out of your car and plant the tree.

You should plant your tree very soon after you get it. We recommend digging the hole the night before, and making sure the soil is wet when you plant it. Detailed planting instructions are provided in this PDF

Once the tree is properly planted, you will need to install the watering bag and fill it every week unless it has rained so much that the soil is saturated. If you see the water quickly leaking out of the bottom of the bag when you fill it, you are putting water in the wrong hole. You may mulch your tree, taking care to keep the mulch about 6 inches away from the trunk of the tree or any exposed roots. About 3-5” deep mulch should extend out to the perimeter of the hole that you dug. The mulch should be the shape of a donut, not a volcano.

If your tree dies, please contact us. We may be able to help you figure out what went wrong. TreesMedford is not able to guarantee the survival of the trees we provide.

The first two tree giveaways were supported by Mystic River Watershed Association. Since then, the program has been supported by generous Medford residents who care about heat, climate equity and the quality of life in the city. You can show your support by volunteering or contributing to TreesMedford.

TreesMedford is 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization. The City provides no financial or support or in-kind resources to TreesMedford for our free tree or watering programs, but they are generally enthusiastic about the work we do. They supplied matching support for DCR grants written for trees planted on city property. We have helped them develop tree ordinances, organized the watering of the young trees planted by the city, wrote grants that supported nearly all the inventory of the City’s trees, provided a sounding board for the soon-to-be finalized Urban Tree Management Plan, and drafted tree ordinances for the city council.