Customer Reviews

We’re a small, family-run nursery, and we know exactly what we’re asking of you: pay for plants you can’t hold in your hands, trust them to survive a few days in a box, and put them in the ground on faith. That’s a lot of trust to ask a stranger for. So rather than tell you how good our plants are, we’ll let the people who’ve already opened the box do the talking. Below are real, unedited reviews from our customers across Google, Trustpilot, Facebook, the Better Business Bureau, and Dave’s Garden — the good, and the honest.

Where to Find Our Reviews

You’ll also find us on Trustpilot, Facebook, the Better Business Bureau, and Dave’s Garden.

“Will it survive the trip?”

It’s the first worry, and a fair one. We pack roots in moist sawdust, wrap them to hold the moisture, and ship at the right window for your zone — coast to coast, and all the way to Alaska. Sometimes the carrier still throws us a curveball — here’s what happens then.

This is a story of navigating with integrity when things go sideways. My first shipment of 18 trees and shrubs was deemed officially lost after 2.5 weeks missing in transit… the nursery had already put together a complimentary replacement shipment. The evening before the replacement arrived, the original showed up — 23 days since shipment. The plants were packed with such care they were all still alive. INCREDIBLE… I would sum it up with this: RESILIENCE.

Liz S. — Trustpilot & BBB

The trees arrived by mail looking great. The first package actually got lost by the postal service and they refunded, then shipped me new trees. Highly recommend!

Izzy H. — Google

The plants were extremely well packed and arrived looking vigorous and healthy. Also came with thorough care instructions. Had an issue with one plant and customer service was excellent.

bookwyrm — Trustpilot

My order arrived in Alaska in great condition and in a timely manner. An issue I thought existed did not, though it was quickly addressed even though it was of my creation.

George B. — Facebook

We ship when it’s time to plant — not before

Bare-root plants want to go in the ground dormant, at the right moment for your climate. We don’t ship on a generic calendar — we hold your order and send it at the right window for your zone, even if that means waiting months.

I received them at the appropriate time for planting in my zone. They arrived in great condition and are in the ground and growing very well! The ordering experience was seamless and the response time for any questions I had was fast.

Regina M. — Google & BBB

Even though I put in my order in summer of 2025, he waited until spring of 2026 to ship them because that was the optimum time to plant them. I appreciate Derek’s commitment to good quality plants and the best way to see that they thrive.

Elizabeth G. — Google

“It looks like a dead stick…”

A dormant bare-root plant doesn’t look like much when it lands — no leaves, sometimes just a stick and a fistful of roots. That’s normal, and it’s how a healthy plant ships. Do the scratch test, follow the instructions, and give it a few weeks. Our customers know this feeling well.

Last spring I received 5 aronia and a mulberry dormant stick. I must admit, they really didn’t look like much and I was skeptical. I followed the included instructions. They are currently in 5 gallon grow bags and are doing phenomenally well — they have grown well over my head… I have already ordered more plants.

James A. — BBB

I can’t believe how big and healthy everything was! Head’s above all of the other sites I have bought from. I am 100% using Food Forest Nursery for all of my plants going forward. I was literally blown away… you guys are AMAZING!

Stacey D. — Google & Trustpilot

Champions! This nursery exceeded my expectations. Plants were healthy, roots were so large I had to re-dig a bigger hole. I have bought 40 bare root fruit and nut trees from different sellers over the years… My only regret is that I didn’t find them sooner.

Greg H. — Google & BBB

This was my first time ordering bare root plants online so I was nervous… The owner was very quick to respond when I thought some items were missing. Turns out they were just packed very well and tucked away safely under some sawdust. They even included an extra raspberry bush, which is so exciting! All plants arrived healthy with good roots that rehydrated well. Will definitely order from them again.

Briana J. — Facebook

“Is the stock actually any good?”

We grow strong, well-rooted stock and we don’t ship wimpy plants. Plenty of our customers have ordered from the big catalog names and come back to tell us how the two compare.

Plants that I received are better looking and healthier than any of the other plants I have received by any company so far. ANY COMPANY!!! 20 years of permaculture has brought 100s of plants to me, none compared to Food Forest Nursery, not even close.

David N. — BBB

Blueberry bushes I ordered arrived in great shape and looked healthy. Better than ones I have gotten from Stark Bros and Burpee. Highly recommend.

Dave & Ruth B. — Trustpilot & BBB

I ordered fruit plants from other companies and the quality wasn’t nearly as good. Food Forest Nursery will be my go-to for future orders. Thank you for helping me with my homesteading dreams.

Paul P. — Trustpilot & BBB

The plants that arrived were much larger and healthier than similar plants I have purchased elsewhere that cost more! The plants also arrived pest and disease free… Food Forest Nursery offers a very nice selection of very healthy and reasonably priced plants as well as excellent customer service, and I highly recommend them.

Lake Wales, FL — Dave’s Garden

I’ve ordered from Derek at Food Forest Nursery three years in a row. The roots of the plants have always been really well developed… once I put them in the ground they’re strong growers! The raspberries and blackberries fruited the first year!

Tim F. — Trustpilot & BBB

The plants nobody else has

A lot of growers find us because we carry the thing they couldn’t get anywhere else — natives, hard-to-find cultivars, and varieties the big catalogs skip. And it shows up healthy.

I ordered an Ayers pear on callery rootstock when I couldn’t find one anywhere else this spring. It shipped quickly and arrived in sturdy packaging. The tree exceeded my expectations — good caliper, good graft, and good roots. It started leafing out after two weeks in the ground. I will order from them again.

Hoschton, GA — Dave’s Garden

Wonderful selection of both native plants and edibles at affordable prices. I ordered a roughleaf dogwood, which was difficult to find at local and specialized nurseries. The tree arrived carefully packaged and with a fully developed root system, which really impressed me. My tree is now leafing out nicely.

Houston, TX — Dave’s Garden

“What if something goes wrong?”

We’re a real person on the other end of the email, not a call center. If a plant doesn’t make it or you’ve got a question about your zone, you’ll hear back — usually the same day.

Great customer service and amazing communication. I had questions about an upcoming purchase, so I reached out via email and Derek the owner responded back multiple times helping me better understand specifically about figs for the zone that I am in. Great product. Easy to work with. Fair pricing.

Tony E. — Trustpilot & BBB

I was very happy to receive very detailed planting instructions with my order… they had some tips that I hadn’t seen elsewhere and I was quite impressed with the details… I will not hesitate to buy trees from Food Forest Nursery again!

Harry K. — Google

The owner of this business has gone out of his way to help me and the products I ordered were very nice. I would definitely recommend them.

Sheri B. — BBB

I’m not a big grower, and two of my trees died, so I contacted them and they immediately replaced them for free. But wait, there’s more — instead of sending me two replacements, they sent me like 10! I had to find places to put plum trees. I even offered to send back the dead ones just so they knew I wasn’t trying to screw them. These people take customer service very seriously!

Paul D. — Facebook & Trustpilot

The little extras

Most orders ship with a surprise bonus plant, chosen to fit what you already bought. It’s our way of saying thanks — and sometimes it solves a problem you didn’t know you had.

I was surprised to find an extra tree in my order labelled as a free gift. It worked out perfectly because I had only bought one of this type and it requires two for pollination. My plan was to buy another the next year, but now I was able to plant both together.

Greg H. — Google & BBB

This is our first time growing fruit and nut trees of our own on our property. I wanted to also thank you so much for the free gift of a plum tree… Thank you for all that you do and provide!

Jaclyn B. — Trustpilot & BBB

Ordered seven Amelanchier arborea Serviceberry and received nine. They are very nice looking bare root plants. Twice as large as some I have purchased at other places and well rooted.

Charlie L. — Google

Read every review — including the tough ones

We don’t hide behind a wall of five-star quotes. When something goes wrong, we own it and we make it right — and you can read those exchanges for yourself on our public profiles. Here’s where to find the unfiltered record:

• Google — our largest, most active review profile
• Trustpilot
• Better Business Bureau
• Facebook — recommendations from our community
• Dave’s Garden Watchdog — the gardener-run nursery review directory

Ready to start your own food forest?

Browse our bare-root fruit trees, berries, and nut trees — or dig into our growing guides if you’re still planning. We ship at the right time for your zone, pack everything to arrive alive, and we’re here if you need us.

All reviews on this page are genuine and published with attribution as they appear on our public Google, Trustpilot, Facebook, BBB, and Dave’s Garden profiles. We never offer discounts or incentives in exchange for reviews.