you could also call tree trimmers for free wood chips

16 yards would cover root balls real nice

ron

I would go ahead a plant them. Why would a farmer dig them and then mistreat them? He'd be taking care of those plants as well as he can. That's his livelihood.

Mike

Like Mike, I'd recommend planting if you can. But if you can't or are worried that such late planting in cold weather may be an issue (it shouldn't), clustering the trees together and covering the rootballs with a decent layer of wood chips or sawdust or compost is the above ground equivalent of heeling them in and will protect them adequately until a better planting time. This is how retail nurseries protect their B&B stock in the off season. BTW, 16 yards of chips is overkill - one or two yards would do the job admirably.

If your ground isnt frozen, i would surely plant now any that ive purchased or am gonna purchase. If you plant, follow up with mulch and you might want to stake them considering winter winds are coming and the height that they are. Id rather pull out stakes down the road than be straightening up tilted trees. The other option i see is to buy fresh stock in the spring and plant. Why go through the trouble to heel and store??? You can always find some arbs...

Al

the difference in the opinions given .. are zone related ...

this would now be impossible in my frozen MI ... the warmer peeps say go for it ...

but i am not sure your zone in NJ ... it might help us narrow it down ...

but back to your original comment .. it will be getting cold soon ... that is not real important to zone appropriate plants ...

all i would be concerned about.. would be the ability to water them in .... with proper drainage.. in case it god real cold.. real fast ... especially if your soil freezes ... which brings us back full circle to your zone .. and your soil ...

one last thought ... with the bargain price.. you can replace a few ... if they are lost for whatever reason ... and still be ahead of the game ...

but i would still ask the seller about such ...

ken

i spoke to the farmer today. He told me he's been doing this for years and it has not been a problem. He called these trees, in fact all his evergreens " bullitproof". Also said he has 10s of thousands of $ of evergreens sitting outside in winter n if he thought they would die he would build another greenhouse.

He did have quite a few evergreen trees n shrubs out just sitting on ground. It wasn't like these were his last bunch of arborvitae he had.

He had at least 50 arbs and various other trees.

I live in central NJ. I think it's zone 6.

I spoke to a local nursery today n he told me I should be fine n he would be asking for $80 per in spring.

I think I'm gonna gamble and buy them. I plan on buying at least a yard of wood mulch ( and reuse in spring) and put them in my back yard against fence in the corner, pack them tight n cover with the mulch.

I can't imagine them all dying. It's a gamble I guess

i dont think anyone was concerned about losing them all ...

go for it ...

i gave you a planting link ... review it.. and ask any questions ... either now or in spring ...

ken

In Central NJ, AKA Princeton, I'd plant them. If the ground is too hard this week, wait until next week. This is pretty much the heart of freeze-thaw country, and the ground spends the entire winter freezing and thawing.

Thank you everyone for your responses/ help. I really appreciate it. As far as planting goes......I really don't have the time right now. I may be able to get a few in on the weekends, weather permitting but That's why I like the idea of "heeling" in.

I am 5 min. south of Princeton so you nailed my location. The weather changes in the blink of an eye.

Well I bought a new toy to use Saturday. I decided to plant them now. Lol

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004IU4J2S?keywords=Hoe&psc=1&qid=1452665634&ref_=sr_1_16&sr=8-16-spons

Well they are in the ground. Today it's 50 degrees and rain tonight n tomorrow morning so I get some free water too. Glad it's done. Hopefully in spring they take root.