FAQs
Ordering
Where do you ship?
We ship to the contiguous United States via FedEx or UPS. Customers in Alaska can request a custom shipping quote via this form. Shipping to Hawaii is not available at this time.
International shipping (including to Canada and Mexico) is not possible due to the intrinsic delays in processing live plants through international customs.
When do you ship?
Plugs ship year-round from Gro 'n Sell in Chalfont, Pennsylvania with the exception of Weeks 51 and 52, due to Christmas holiday shipping delays. All plugs are custom grown to order and must be ordered 6-13+ weeks in advance of the desired ship date, depending on the product's lead time.
who can buy plugs?
Anyone!
However, any customer with a Vermont shipping address must submit a signed VT S-3A Form before making their first purchase. To do this, go to your account page and click on “edit account” below the Account Details section. (If you are already logged into your account, you can click here). Please note that files must be in PDF format.
Do you charge sales tax?
We do not charge sales tax to non-Vermont customers.
Customers with a Vermont shipping address are exempt from sales tax only after they have submitted a signed VT S-3A Form. To do this, go to your account page and click on “edit account” below the Account Details section. (If you are already logged into your account, you can click here). Please note that files must be in PDF format.
What are ship weeks?
All plugs are custom grown to order, specifically for you. Depending on the crop, 6-13 weeks of lead time is required to produce your plugs. Place your order at least 6-13 weeks before your chosen Ship Week date. The soonest possible Ship Week for any product is 6 to 13 weeks in the future from order date.
Choosing when to place your order requires a bit of planning. Count backwards from your chosen Ship Week to figure out how far in advance you should order. Earlier is always better! Gro 'n Sell is a large facility, but they will run out of space during the busy season, and items can go out of stock due to seed shortages or (rarely) crop failures.
For guidance on when to plant certain crops, please refer to our Growing Guides found in the main menu.
When will my card be charged?
Farmer Bailey accepts all major credit cards, as well as Apple Pay and PayPal Express. Your credit or debit card will be charged when you place your order. If any of your chosen items go out of stock, you will be promptly notified via email and offered a refund or substitute item.
Farmer Bailey and Gro 'n Sell do not have access to your credit card information. Your payments are securely processed at the time of order by Shopify Payments. While we cannot bill you for additional charges, we can easily refund your card. Changes to shipping charges will be invoiced to you separately via email.
PayPal Customers: Do note that some financial institutions will charge pre-authorization to your account. This is a security measure to ensure adequate funds are available for the transaction. As such, this is a chance that you will see multiple authorizations to your credit card at the time of purchase. Please rest assured that you were not charged twice, and any extra authorizations will “fall off” of your account within a day or two. We apologize for any worry that this may cause, and we appreciate your understanding. This is an arrangement between your financial institution and PayPal, and is unfortunately out of our hands. To avoid receiving multiple authorizations for a single transaction, we suggest making purchases using a PayPal balance rather than a PayPal-linked credit card.
Active Orders
How do I know if my order was received?
You will receive a confirmation email from info@farmerbailey.com shortly after placing your order. You will also receive an Acknowledgement email from Gro 'n Sell from email@gro-n-sell.com. If an item goes out of stock or any changes need to be made, Gro 'n Sell will notify you via an updated Order Acknowledgement email.
Can I track my order?
You will receive a shipping and tracking email from Gro 'n Sell once your order has been packed. If your tracking email has not arrived by Wednesday night of your Ship Week, check your Spam or Junk folders first, then contact us for prompt assistance.
How do I find my order's scheduled ship week?
In your acknowledgement email from Gro 'n Sell, in the top left hand corner of the .pdf under "Ship Date/Wk."
What is your cancellation/return policy?
Prior to shipping, we can generally accommodate most cancellations of trays or orders, and refund in full. Once an order has shipped, Gro 'n Sell does not accept any returns of plugs or material back into their facility. However, your satisfaction is our first priority, so please reach out immediately to claims@gro-n-sell.com if your plugs do not meet your expectations upon arrival.
If you receive an item that is damaged in transit, is in poor condition, does not match your order, or you believe is labeled incorrectly, please notify claims@gro-n-sell.com within 24 hours of receiving your order. Please include your name, order number, and photos (required) of any damaged plugs with your claim.
How old will my plugs be on arrival?
This varies by variety. Each item has its specific "lead time", which is the amount of time it takes Gro 'n Sell to turn the seed/cutting into a shippable plug. This lead time is indicated in the bottom of every product's description. In the description for Hummingbird Poppies for example, you see "Order 10 or more weeks in advance of desired ship weeks". One week is added to all lead times to account for administrative time, so the poppy plugs that you receive will be approximately 9 weeks old.
Shipping
Please see our Shipping page for shipping rates and more information
Why must I order in multiples of 3 trays per ship week?
All shipping rates are calculated per box, not per tray. Gro 'n Sell shipping boxes are designed to hold 3 full trays securely. Here's what happens if you don't play by this rule: If you order 4 trays, you will have 1 full box, plus a second box with only one tray in it. It will cost the same to ship the 4 trays as it costs to ship 6. Also, empty space in a shipping box increases the chance that plugs will be damaged in transit.
May I pick up my order?
If you live in Pennsylvania or New Jersey, choose Local Pick Up option at checkout. The Local Pick Up window is Thursday through Friday only, at Gro 'N Sell in Chalfont, PA. Local Pick Up trays are unboxed and may be ordered in any quantity. Gro 'N Sell will contact Local Pick Up customers by phone to schedule.
If you live in a state other than PA or NJ and want Local Pick Up, please contact us and we will get you set up.
Do you offer shipping discounts on large orders?
If you are ordering more than 33 trays for a given Ship Week, a custom freight quote will be generated, and you will be invoiced at the time of shipping. This tends to be more cost effective than boxing and shipping via FedEx or UPS. If you are close to another grower that is also ordering, consider consolidating your orders to save on custom freight.
Damaged / Missing Items
Please see our Claims page for more information
My plugs arrived damaged. Now what?
Damage in transit is an unfortunate reality when shipping live live baby plants, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and frustration. But fear not! We will work with you to make things right. To file a claim, send an e-mail to claims@gro-n-sell.com with your order number, a description of the damage and photos of the damaged plugs, and they will move forward with filing a claim right away. It is also helpful to include the colored sticker on your packing slip, as it corresponds with the team member who packed the box. Based on their assessment of your claim, Gro 'n Sell may issue a refund, send a replacement, or a combination thereof. *Claims must be filed with photos within 24 hours of receiving the box in order to be eligible for a refund/replacement.
Why is something missing from my order?
As good as the growers at Gro 'n Sell are, even they occasionally have failures. If a tray of plugs isn't up to quality standards, it simply won't ship. Generally these issues present themselves early, in which case you are informed right away. But other times they are noticed at the time of shipping and we might not be able to noify you of this shortage before your order is delivered.
If you receive a tray with missing cells or are missing an entire tray, our office has already been informed of this and you will be issued a refund within 3 days. In the very unlikely event that it has been a week since you're received your partial tray and have not yet been refunded, please contact us with your order number for quick resolution.
Why did I receive a notice from Gro 'n Sell that my item is no longer available?
There is a small chance that seed will become temporarily or permanently unavailable after you order an item. Rarely, a crop will fail to thrive in the greenhouse, and Gro 'n Sell will let you know that the ordered item is no longer available by sending you an updated Order Acknowledgment email indicating this change. If your chosen item is no longer available, never fear! Either our office or Gro 'n Sell will be reaching out to you directly to find a solution, be that a substitution, refund, or a combination thereof.
Growing Questions
What are lisianthus bloom groups?
Lisianthus bloom groups tell you in what order your Lisianthus will flower. Group 1 flowers first, followed by 2, 3, and 4.
Bloom initiation in Lisianthus is a complicated relationship between day length, light intensity and temperature. If you need to plant in a warmer time of year, choose group 2 or 3 Lisianthus as they won't be triggered to flower until they have developed a good root system.
You can plant all groups at one time without issue. Planting 6-8 weeks before your last frost gives them a long cool period in which to establish roots before the heat of summer. Lisianthus are a perennial in the wild, and this cool period will simulate winter for them. They can take some light frost after they are hardened off.
If your season is long enough, you can expect a second flush of bloom from your Lisianthus. Some even report 2 or 3 additional flushes after the first harvest. We generally just get one cut here in zone 3.
Read up on bloom groups and everything lisi in Bailey's Lisianthus 101 blog post.
When should I plant my plugs?
Learn the best practices for Farmer Bailey crops in our Growing Guides (found in the main menu) and on our blog.
Since your first and last frost dates, location, and unique growing conditions are all critical considerations for crop planning, we suggest learning all you can about a crop and how it performs in your region before placing an order.
If our Growing Guides don't yet have the information you are looking for, type "name of crop + culture sheet" into your preferred search engine to find information from authoritative sources like seed breeders and university horticultural and agricultural departments.
If no answers are forthcoming from your research or you'd like to see your question answered on our blog or social media, please make your requests here and we will be glad to assist you.
How should I care for my plugs when they arrive?
Your plugs arrive ready to be planted out immediately, and should not remain in their tray longer than a few days. If kept in their trays any longer, they risk becoming rootbound and stunted. Click hereto read our detailed guide to caring for your newly delivered plugs.
Who can I contact if I have plants that look sick, damaged by pests, or if I just need more educational resources?
Every state has a Cooperative Extension associated with its Land Grant University, and we enthusiastically recommend that you take advantage of their free help and expertise. You can find your state's Cooperative Extension here.