Spring Lifting and Shipping

Seedlings are lifted in the spring as soon as conditions allow (see Archives for past year lifting schedules). Lifting requires the ground to be free of frost and ice, usually early to mid-April. The Lundeby lifter, shown at left, shakes the soil from the seedlings without damage. Seedlings are then carefully lifted by hand and placed in crates for grading. 

Grading and bagging of seedlings are accomplished with the help of 10-12 seasonal employees who inspect each seedling for size and quality. Seedlings that make the grade are bundled and finally bagged in poly-lined Kraft paper bags. Bagged seedlings are stored in the cooler at 35 degrees Fahrenheit to keep them cool and moist until delivered to customers.

Seedlings are shipped in moisture resistant Kraft paper bags of up to 500 seedlings in each bag. The bags are no larger than 22 inches in diameter, 36 inches in length, and up to about 35 pounds in weight. Average seedling height is measured from the root collar to the top of the seedling.

The Nursery receives help and support with seedling distribution from the University of New Hampshire, Cooperative Extension Forester (aka Forest Resource Educators) and County Agricultural Resource Educators. A county drop-off day is pre-arranged and customers have the option of picking up their seedlings in their own county, picking them up at the Nursery, or having UPS ship their seedlings at extra cost. With county drop-off and Nursery pick-up, customers have the added benefit of having a County or Nursery staff answer questions about planting and care of seedlings.

Seasonal Employment Opportunities at the Nursery

Each spring the Nursery employs 10 to 12 temporary employees for lifting, grading and packaging seedlings for shipment. Employment schedule depends upon weather conditions but usually begins in April into the month of May. Full-time (8 hour days) or part-time hours can be arranged.

 For information about spring employment, call the Nursery at (603) 796-2323 or email.