Just wait a year and plant bare root. If you buy bare root trees with good quality root systems you will be ahead of the game in the long run. The longer you hold trees in pots the more likely you are to have poor root structure unless you are into using air pruning pots and repotting as necessary.

I agree with the above.

In fact, I would never deliberately choose a potted tree over a bare-rooted tree.

If only everything could be planted that way.

Done many both ways. Any reason why you should not do some both ways? If your eagerness gets the best of your patience, you might want to contact local landscape companies with a mountain of used plastic pots that are available for $cheap$. So as not to limit rootball diameter in that year, think "wider" on the pot selection. Since they are destined for unpotting before the fast-growing new roots get thick/strong and comprehensively wrapping up the dirtball, you may want to lay a couple "straps" inside of the pots before planting/filling. I scissor 2 long strips of landscape weed blocking fabric about 4" wide by "long" so that after being inserted inside the big pots there is a 1 ft long tab/handle flopping over the 2 sides. I lay them in an 'X' pattern. Lots of TLC will get the potted plants further on their career path. Lighter/fluffier planting mix makes this easier for the short term goal. But in the spirit of going bareroot, you could always gently yank the plants out of the lighter/fluffier mix. Like a successful pro told me, there is a measureable improvement in BR survival if the BR plants take a long bath soaking in root-deep contained water that is doctored up with (his choice) super thrive nutrients. I use a lot more than the skimpy amount shown on the bottle.......What a great project. Good luck.

I've planted bare root trees both ways, and I usually plant them in 15 gallon pots now.

The first obvious advantage is that you get a one year time jump if your ground isn't yet ready to plant. This also gives you an additional year to improve your soil, and soil quality is the single most important factor for success IMHO.

The second advantage is that you have a clearer picture of what the mature tree will be shaped like after a year and plant accordingly. This allows me to plant the strongest branch to the north which is a problematic direction for growth. Sometimes I'll buy multiple identical trees, and after a year plant the strongest growers in the most critical locations. Or not use the weakest trees at all.

The third advantage is that sometimes I receive small or weak trees or vines that might die or flounder out in the orchard. A year in really good soil in a pot in a wind and sun sheltered location can make all the difference. I use a mix of 50% top garden soil and 50% peat moss to pot with. Also, I can move a tender or weak tree into the greenhouse during a cold spell. Sometimes I'll find the exact tree I want on sale in April or May that would die if planted in full sun.

The fourth advantage is that I can try aggressive pruning techniques on potted trees. Say I want a really low apple or cherry tree. I might buy three trees ( I specify "whips"), pot them, and cut them off at 12-16". One of the three might die. If I had bought only one tree and put it in the ground, I could lose a year.

Copingwithclay: duh, why didn't I do the strap thing before? Thanks for a great idea.

A big downside to potting them now is cost and labor. Cost, in terms of pots (breathable pots are nice, but more expensive) and mix (not to be underestimated, if you are filling a lot of 15 gal pots). To use homemade 5-1-1 mix (pine bark, peat, and perlite), it would cost about $8 to fill each pot.

The labor is probably the bigger issue, especially if you are distracted by building a new house. Keeping them watered and fertilized can be a full time job. That's why I'm moving away from doing much in pots. This winter, I've been planting and giving away most of my potted trees. I don't get good production or growth out of them in pots. I think I could, if I was attentive enough (daily water in the summer instead of weekly, etc).

The other labor would be moving them from where you are now, to the new house. If you use nice big pots (you mentioned 15 gal), they will be very heavy to move. They will also have a decent-sized top, if you've taken good care of them. It could be a problem if the new house isn't close to the old one or if you don't have a pickup.

One good thing about potting them up is that they seem to be ready to bear as soon as you put them into the ground. But, I'm not sure if that is a general truth, or just due to the deprivations they face when I have them in the pot.

Yeah, I disagree with a lot of people here. if you're growing in pots, keep them in pots, if for in ground, buy bare root when you plan to plant them. You don't want to prep ground soil at all, you want all native, huge mistake to do otherwise, roots swirl in pots, and some even if planted in the ground will eventually girdle themselves. Recent studies show the swirling usually continues, even if root trimmed, and such. Also small trees are best, you want little trees for in ground, not grown out monsters. So I strongly disagree with a lot of the advice given here by other people. None of which I recognize as regular contributors to this forum except Bob.

This post was edited by Drew51 on Sat, Dec 27, 14 at 13:24

I don't think there is a clear answer on this one- it is more a matter of trade-offs and what you care about.

You can avoid the circling root issue by using fabric pots. Another benefit is that you can actually plant the pot, so that you don't even disturb the roots. They will eventually decay, and even before that the roots go right through. I've seen some root through the bottom, in as little time as a month or two.

I've planted a few fabric pots in past years, and the initial results are pretty good. So far, I think it keeps them smaller than they would be, though I'm not sure if that is due to the early fruiting taking away the vegetative energy, or due to the plant not having as many roots go through the fabric yet. I think that the earlier fruiting is the likelier cause, as there are some which didn't fruit right away which have grown quite a bit. I should have a lot more experience with it in 2-3 years, as this winter I've planted about 15, with another dozen to go.

A lot of good points made here and I don't disagree with any of them. IMO Bob makes the best case. The extra labor and cost simply isn't worth it. I did this very thing before I moved here where I am now. Building your own house is a pain and is so often associated with delays and then further delays. Then maybe your potted trees end up spending too much time in their pots. Root circling happens very quickly and is difficult to correct without delaying the trees even more than what was gained by being grown there in the first place.
As Bob mentioned transport is a big issue and a huge hassle and just another cost. In 15 gal pots you'll have a lot of tree up above the cab and mine got beat to hell in the trip and my trip was a fairly short one.
Why would you want to be bothered with watering and caring for potted trees? Your plate will be full enough with building the house and tending other matters, plus I assume you have a daily job too.
Do yourself a big favor and just wait till you're all settled. As others have said, you won't gain much anyway.

BTW...the straps are indeed a good idea. I wasn't clever enough to think of that at the time and it would have made things a bit easier. Good idea on the nursery for getting pots too. That's what I did and they happily told me to take all I wanted...they were nice too. Said the looked into recycling them and nobody would take them...they usually aren't PETE or HDPE. I offered to pay and they said "no way...just take 'em".
But seriously...just wait and plant them in place.