Most of the trees we sell go out the week they are quoted. Somebody has a plant list, the list is on our availability page, the quote goes back with freight on it, and the trees are on a truck. That works for the job starting next month.
It does not work for the job that will not break ground until next spring, or the developer contract with three phases over two years. By the time that job is ready to plant, the trees on today's list have been sold to somebody with a nearer deadline, and the 4 inch Live Oaks it needs take years to grow. You cannot order them into existence in March. Contract growing is the answer to that job, and this post is what it looks like from your side.
What it is
You tell us the job: varieties, sizes, quantities, and roughly when you need them on site. We agree a schedule and a price and write both down. Then we tag specific trees in our rows with your name on them, and they stop being for sale to anyone else. They keep growing here until your site is ready, and you pay for them by stages: a deposit at signing and progress payments on the schedule the contract sets out. When it is, you walk your block, check the trees against the specification, and take delivery.
The three things that matter to a contractor:
- Committed. Contracted trees are not offered to anyone else, whatever the live list says. When the phase breaks ground, the trees are still there.
- Priced. The price is agreed at signing, not at delivery, so you can carry a real number into a bid on work a season or two out.
- To spec. Variety, container size and caliper are agreed at the start, and caliper is measured and accepted at delivery. If a tree does not meet the contract specification you can refuse it.
The usual terms
Every contract is written for the job, so treat these as the normal shape rather than a rule book. Anything here can be talked about.
| Deposit | 25% of the contract value at signing, non-refundable. |
| Payments | Progress payments on the schedule the contract sets out. |
| Price | Fixed at signing for the term. If you extend the term, an adjustment clause applies. Freight is quoted at delivery unless you pick up. |
| Minimum | $50,000 of contract value. |
| If your project runs late | We hold the trees at no charge for 30 days past the contract date. After that a holding fee applies, and at 90 days the trees are released from the contract. |
| If you cancel | The deposit and any progress payments made are forfeited. |
| If a tree fails or misses spec | A tree from our stock is replaced or the contract amount is discounted. For trees you supplied for us to grow on, replacement is agreed case by case. |
| Term | Typically one year. Longer for the larger sizes and the slower varieties. |
Two of those deserve a sentence each.
The holding period exists because projects slip, and on long projects they usually do. Thirty days of grace covers a normal delay. Past that we are carrying water, labour and ground for trees that were due to leave, and past 90 days those trees need to go back into stock so the space can be used. If you can see a slip coming, tell us early; the contract can be extended, and that is a far better conversation than the one at day 89.
The minimum is there because a contract is paperwork on both sides. Below $50,000 our regular stock is nearly always the better answer: check the live list, tag what you want, approve the quote, and those exact trees are held for your ship date without a contract at all.
One contract, as it stands today
A Texas nursery group with several locations wanted oaks it could count on for the next few seasons rather than whatever the market had in the spring. The contract covers five varieties, Live Oak, Shumard Red Oak, Mexican White Oak, Chinkapin Oak and Cedar Elm, in #45 and #65, with a price written down for each delivery year through 2030, stepping up a little each year and known now.
About 300 of those trees are tagged for delivery in 2026 and about 1,175 for 2027. They are in our rows today with the customer's name on them, and they are not on the live list because they are not for sale to anyone else. Around 1,500 trees in containers for one customer is what "committed" means in practice.
When it is the wrong tool
Contract growing is worth the paperwork when the quantity is large or the specification is tight enough that finding the trees later would be a real risk. It is the wrong tool for a small job, a near-term job, or a job whose plant list is still moving. For those, the live availability list will show you whether today's stock covers it, and a quote holds the trees once you approve it.
How to start
Send us the plant list with quantities and a rough timeline. The pricing form has a "when do you need them" choice that includes "a multi-year job, interested in contract growing", and that is all it takes to start the right conversation. Or call the farm on (210) 736-0146 and ask for contract pricing.
If you would rather see the trees first, come out to Sealy. We are an hour west of Houston on I-10, and the rows you would be reserving from are the rows you walk.
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