That’s a great list!! Good luck.
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I started my shiitake logs. One is a giant log that will take forever (but hopefully fruit for a long time), the other is a smaller one.
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@BlueBerry Mwa ha ha, guess who found two perfectly good hellebores, at deep discount because the flowers were done? 
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Prairie Moon nursery is a good resource, thanks. I hadn’t seen them before.
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Glad you found some at a good price.
I noticed today that I have 8 or 10 that are in bloom that this is their first year. One is a burgundy color, one solid white. Love the surprises from seedlings.
(Too bad they’re not edible, or I’d be pretty set for famine!)
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I’ve purchased hellebores from this eBay seller before and can attest to the quality. They are small seedlings but transplanted really well. <$2 per plant shipped.
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Unless you have a sun room or greenhouse or hoop house, don’t get seedlings until freezing of the soil is past.
I had some given to me in October, put the tiny plants into a flat.
I had some given to me in December, put the tiny plants into a flat.
Out of 40-something plants, there may be 5 or 6 alive.
They survive much better in place…and transplant pretty fair at 18 months to 3 years.
But, do better if you keep dirt on the roots.
Taking a large adult plant and diving the roots using a knife…I usually have about 90% success getting each piece to survive.
This isn’t exactly ‘food community’ stuff though is it?
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Thanks!
This thread did go a bit sideways to feeding pollinators too.
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What do you think about our
MA temperatures? We are looking at 19 degrees.l tonight.
@HollyGates , @SMC_zone6 , @Colleen7 , @galinas , @Vlad , @Johnthecook , @JinMA
[/quote]
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I covered my apricot with reflective insulation and tarp around the frame it is under. Placed heater on thermostat inside. Somewhat feel safe about it, unless heater will go out of business in the middle of the night. Also covered one currant bush that already has green leaves and honey berries that about to bloom. All with reflective insulation, and contact with ground that I hope will work some “heater”. Placed some dry leaves on tulips, hyacinths and daffodils. They all too advanced for such weather. The rest is on its own. Most likely will loose sweet cherry that already in “buds separated” stage. May loose peach and may loose Asian persimmon tree that already waking up. Oh, well.
Red circled - apricot, blue circled - currant , question mark on top of the sweet cherry.
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I do not plan to do anything. In the past, I tried to cover with tarp, hung lights, etc, but I underestimated wind gust. It was a big mess and caused more damage of broken branches by entangled cords than had I done nothing.
@galina did a nice and neat job. I could never get to that level of neatness. Mother Nature often wins so I let Her.
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I am just lucky with apricot - it already has frame, and this year I didn’t pack my persimmon away for winter, so my packing materials were available. Sizes of the frames are close, so I was able to reuse.
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I did not cover anything: apple, pear, peach, currants and gooseberries. Currants and gooseberries both have small, young leaves which I hope will survive the cold.
You are very organized. I too let Mother Nature win a lot of times. Too many.
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I just have apples and blueberries so I’m not worried.
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I’ll be curious to see if this cold blast damages any trees/shrubs at this stage. I know it will kill the young leaves on my kiwiberry vines, but they’ll recover no problem. I feel like, with the other stuff, I’d rather know if it can handle weather like this or not. That way I can keep adding more of what works, and getting rid of what doesn’t.
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I just tried kiwiberry - oh wow they’re good!!! I need to look at planting them… some time.
They root really easily from cutting (they’re also really easy to grow from seeds). So, just let me know if you want any scions next winter.
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Yes please! Thank you!
The multi-graft cherry is already putting out leaves (it arrived having already broken dormancy due to weather).
The multi-graft apple is biding its time.
I just put in the Rich’s quince tree.
I planted Jostaberries and blueberries (Chandler & Bluecrop) as a hedge / path border.
Waiting on Pawpaws and Honeyberries.
Put in the communal-food raised beds (feed troughs painted copper, with holes drilled in the bottom) - they’re hugelkultur, filled with punky half-rotted wood, then wood chips, then compost, then good soil. I invited neighbors over for a small get-together outside, and everyone asked about the raised beds, so I got to tell them about the idea and welcome them to nosh… if any food escapes the deer, birds, etc. A few asked about the certified wildlife sign.
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