Safety First

Before you dig, determine if there are underground utility lines—gas, electric, water, cable, or phone—in the area. To do that, call 811, the national call-before-you-dig phone number, to request that the approximate location of buried utilities be marked so they are not accidentally hit while digging.

Planting

Once you’ve brought your new tree home, set it where you want to plant it. Once you know where you want it to grow, dig the planting hole before you remove the tree from the pot or its wrapping. Carefully prepping the planting area is essential for the long-term growth of the tree. Make the hole as wide and deep as necessary to accommodate the root ball. This is where a yardstick or measuring tape comes in handy. Loosen the soil a bit in the hole to encourage the roots to spread. There’s no need to add compost or fertilizer.

Before placing the tree in the hole, water the pot thoroughly so the soil is moist. When you remove the tree from the pot, locate the root flare—the point where the trunk and the roots meet. As you set the tree in the hole, the root flare should sit slightly higher than the surrounding soil surface. If you bury the root flare with the trunk too deep, the tree may be subject to rotting, insects, or disease—and that damage may not show up for several years. Keep your newly planted tree watered for a few weeks after planting and place an inch or 2 of mulch around it, taking care not to pile it on the trunk.

Evergreens

Don’t wait too long to plant evergreens—pines, spruces, junipers, yews, and arborvitae. “Late October gets riskier for evergreen trees in my opinion,” Johnson says. “I planted 6-foot upright yews one year in the middle of November. A cold spell came in and froze the root balls before planting. They all survived but had a good amount of winter burn in the spring.” Thankfully, they recovered the next growing season.

Winter Protection

Mice, voles, rabbits, and deer can cause significant damage during the fall and winter months. To prevent them from chewing on the trunks, place a tree wrap directly around the trunk, or surround the tree with a loose-fitting plastic or wire guard, like a short, open-weave fence supported with stakes. The protectors can be found at a garden center, big box store, or online. An 18-inch-tall guard will deter rabbits, but if deer are an issue, you’ll need a taller guard placed further away from the trunk. Male deer are attracted to young trees, where they rub their antlers up and down the trunk, scraping off the protective bark.