Shipping, Returns, Refunds, and Our Guarantee

We ship both non-perishable and perishable items! Because of this, our shipping program can be complex. Please read carefully.

ORDERS FOR NONPERISHABLE ITEMS:

Orders for non-perishable, immediately shippable items (seeds, garden tools, kitchen tools, books, amendments, etc) will ship within 3 business days! We will send you a shipping confirmation email with tracking information once your order has shipped.

ORDERS FOR PERISHABLE ITEMS:

Plants are perishable. (How tragic for a plant to die in a shipping box!) They can't be shipped when it is either too cold/freezing weather OR when it is too hot. (Maybe they can, but we don't like to take the risk!) Therefore we can ship in the mild weather of both the spring and the fall. All plants purchased outside of the shipping windows are considered "pre-orders" for when mild shipping weather returns.

If plants are ordered during spring or fall mild shipping weather, then they will be shipped out the TUESDAY OR WEDNESDAY after the order is placed.

If plants and bare roots are ordered in the cold of winter or heat of summer, they are considered "preorders". We are excited to get your preorder on its way to you as soon as we are able! As with all agriculture, sometimes the weather is out of our control and we appreciate your patience as we work hard in the spring especially to get everyone's orders out.

Spring Preorders will ship in March and April, to warmest regions first.

Fall Preorders will ship in September and October, to coldest regions first.

We will send you a shipping confirmation email with tracking information once your order has shipped.

IMPORTANT: If your order contains pre-order and non-pre-order (immediately shippable) items, then multiple shipments will show up at your checkout page, each with its own cost, as they will be separately shipped packages.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT OVERSIZED BARE ROOT TREES. In an effort to keep shipping costs down, we will cut trees down to size to fit into a 48" shipping box. Once boxes get over 48" (even by half an inch!!) shipping companies charge OUTRAGEOUS oversized box fees. IF YOU DONT WANT US TO CUT YOUR OVERSIZED TREES DOWN TO 48", you need to additionally purchase the "Shipping Add-on Charge for Trees Over 48"" item. This only needs to be purchased once per order, not for each tree in the order. At this time, the oversized tree add on cost is $35. It has been added as a "complimentary item" to all trees that would require an oversized box if they were to not be cut. If you have questions about whether or not your trees would be oversized, please reach out (generally anything 9/16" or 11/16" caliper would be oversized, as well as anything listed as 4-5' or greater.) If you purchase the oversized tree add on and we don't need it to ship your trees full size then we will refund that charge at shipping time.

Shipping Costs

Shipping costs are calculated based on the weight and dimensions of your order and how far it will travel. You can see the estimated shipping cost for your order at checkout.

If an order qualifies for free shipping, the lowest cost viable shipping option will be chosen. (For example, nonperishable products will get 5-7 day shipping, while perishable products will get 2nd or 3rd day shipping.)

International Shipping

We currently do not ship outside of the continental lower 48 U.S. States.

Live Potted Plant Shipping

Currently we cannot ship plants with soil to the following states: California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Hawaii, Alaska.

Changes to Orders

Please review your order carefully before submitting it. Changes are possible but may result in delays. Please be diligent in placing your order correctly in order to help us streamline our processes and deliver orders with accuracy. Changes may incur up to a 20% change fee.

Cancellations

Fall Preorders may be cancelled as late as Sept 1, with a 10% admin fee.

Spring Preorders may be cancelled as late as March 1, with a 10% admin fee.

To cancel your preorder, please contact us at office.thefarmconnection@gmail.com

To cancel an immediately shippable order, call 828-649-5055 and/or email office.thefarmconnection@gmail.com by 10 am of the next business day to cancel.  A 20% cancellation fee may be charged.

Damages

If your order arrives damaged, please contact us within 24 hours to report the damage. If the responsible party is the shipping carrier, the photos MUST show: overall parcel damage including images of all 6 sides of the box/entire package, close up specific damage of the package and individual damaged items inside the package, the packaging materials, and the shipping label.  If the carrier is at fault and all of the specified photos are not provided, we may be unable to make a claim with the carrier on your behalf and/or provide a refund. It is your responsibility to be diligent about taking photographs and written claim details if you wish to file a damage claim.

Lost Orders

If you have not received your order within 5 days of the estimated shipping date, please contact us at office.thefarmconnection@gmail.com to track and/or replace your order.

Questions

If you have any questions about our shipping policy, please contact us at office.thefarmconnection@gmail.com

We guarantee that all plants will arrive to you alive. If not we will replace or offer store credit for that plant!

We also guarantee that all plants sold are true to name. If not we will replace or offer store credit for that plant!

See below for instructions on how to use our guarantee. Please note that the process must be followed exactly, or we will not be able to replace or offer store credit to you.

RETURN/REFUND POLICY:

Live/Dormant Bare Roots:

We strive to send 100% alive and dormant bare root plants and check them thoroughly before shipping them out. If for some reason you believe your plant to be dead upon arrival, you must contact us by email (office.thefarmconnection@gmail.com) within 48 hours of receiving the plant.  Keep the plant roots moist, cool, and dark until we resolve the issue. After initial contact, you must additionally send an email with pictures of the bare roots in question and pictures of the area where you perform a "scratch test".  To perform a scratch test, you will gently scratch the outer bark away from the trunk of the tree ~4-6 inches above the root zone. The inner bark of a live tree will be green and a dead tree will have no green. If the tree is deemed dead, we will provide a replacement or store credit only for affected trees and associated shipping costs. (Scratch tests do not apply to strawberries, asparagus, horseradish, and other roots.)

We also strive to send 100% true to name bare roots. If for some reason you believe you have received a mislabeled bare root, the claim on that plant must be filed by the end of June in the calendar year that you receive the plant.  Email (office.thefarmconnection@gmail.com) as soon as possible to collaborate on getting a positive I.D. for the plant. You will need to send in high resolution pictures of the buds and/or leaves and/or flowers in order to identify the plant in question.  

All items are final sale.  No returns of live plant material will be accepted. Please gift them to a friend if for some reason you no longer want the items. 

Live Plants with Soil:

We strive to send 100% alive plants and check them thoroughly before shipping them out. If for some reason you believe your plant to be dead upon arrival, you must contact us by email (office.thefarmconnection@gmail.com) within 48 hours of receiving the plant and include pictures of the plant and packaging.  Keep the plant roots moist until we resolve the issue. 

We also strive to send 100% true to name plants. If for some reason you believe you have received a mislabeled plant, the claim on that plant must be filed with 14 days of receiving the plant.  Email (office.thefarmconnection@gmail.com) as soon as possible to collaborate on getting a positive I.D. for the plant. You will need to send in high resolution pictures of the buds and/or leaves and/or flowers in order to identify the plant in question.  

All items are final sale.  No returns of live plant material will be accepted. Please gift them to a friend if for some reason you no longer want the items. 

Non-Plant Items (Including Seeds):

Returns of non-plant items may be accepted within 14 calendar days and incurring a 35% restocking fee. Return shipping is the responsibility of the customer. If returned items are damaged, no refund will be offered. 

Claims

Claims must be submitted within 72 hours in writing to office.thefarmconnection@gmail.com.  All claims outside of this window will be considered but may be denied. Please provide sufficient information to make a claim. "The plant died" is not sufficient information. 

No claims for bare roots will be accepted after June 1 of the year they were shipped.

No claims for potted plants will be accepted after 30 days of receiving.

Warranty

We do not provide a "warranty" on our plants. (And if you look closely at the fine print from other plant suppliers, they do not either.) HERES WHY: There are too many conditions outside of our control once you receive the plant. If it is alive when you receive it, then we have done our job and now it is time for you to do yours. Additionally, conventionally grown plants use synthetic fertilizers and moisture retaining crystals and therefore a "warranty" can be offered because the synthetic chemicals that have been added may be able to help the plant survive even with extreme neglect and poor garden placement for a period of time that the plant is "under warranty".  OUR LIVE POTTED PLANTS ARE GROWN ORGANICALLY! (Bare roots are not grown organically.) We do not add these synthetics to our soil and if you neglect or forget to water, the plant will die. We are not responsible for this outcome.  If we have shipped and you have received live plants, the responsibility to care for the plants and put them in appropriate sun and soil conditions in the garden is on you. If you value organically grown plants, then you also must accept this condition of sale.