An update on my Behlen's food-grade stocktanks for gardening. They worked out great this past summer. I bought another 4' long one and am considering buying yet another one. The straw bales did great until late in the season and the ones on the one side really began to sag. So we replaced them with cement blocks topped with a thick cedar board. I'm thinking of constructing some easy way of covering them with clear plastic....sort of like a little green house so I can warm them up earlier in the season. I actually found that Global Industries sells their 4' one (50 gallon) at a much lower price then Amazon. However Amazon sells the 6' long one (70 gallon) at a lower price. When Global Industries sent the 4' one........it had no packaging at all......but seemed all okay. I'm planning on growing 6 Roma tomatoes in one of the 4' long stocktanks. It will be so nice picking them from a standing position! I plan on refreshing some of the soil every year. I was even thinking of putting one of the longer stocktanks in my bigger garden where there is more sun. Everything but the romano beans and peppers are on trellises.......so pretty soon I won't have to lean over much at all, except to plant and weed. But my husband is a great weeder, so I think I have that covered too! I'm dreaming of spring already............it's supposed to be zero out tonight.

Thank you everyone! Alex, that Buddah Belly I have had for about 5 years now. Would you believe I got it at, of all places, IKEA! It was very small back then and has flourished. It has to be one of the easiest plants on the planet to take care of. The Plumies are pretty "unstable" and top heavy. I have to weight down the pots with very heavy rocks! LOL! Would love to see your singapore! Mine is about 12" or so tall and has put on quite a bit of new foliage since I got it several months ago. I just wish I knew which color it was. Singapores from what I have read up on them do fantastic in a very sunny south facing window, and do not lose their leaves during winter. It seems to put out lots of new leaves, but is fairly slow on the actual amount of height it adds, which is just fine by me! We are looking to go to the Tampa / St. Petersburg area. In specifically, St. Petersburg or somewhere in Pinellas co. It is going to be at least a year, maybe two before we do go though. Were still considering places. Wherever we do go though, it is going to be at least a zone 8B or higher. Preferably a zone 10. Jim, thank you! That P. Roebelenii is my pride and joy. I LOVE that thing! One day my litter lone will get that large too. I just love the look of them, and I love how they really are "miniature trees". Brooklynberg, I think you can do anything in pots if you treat it right! P. Roebelenii's can get large even in somewhat smaller containers, as can Sago Palms. If I actually owned this property, you bet I would have cold hardy palms put in!!! I already have a S. Minor in ground, and that Windmill in a pot outdoors all winter. I have been successful in getting Windmills to do just fine in pots here, with protection and some heating of the pot. We are a warm 7b/ cold 8a here. We are in the middle of the urban heat island of Washington D.C., and we are very close to the tidal Potomac River, which also moderates our temps even on the coldest nights most of the time. Thank you protempsfish! I love the Blue Hawaii! The petioles and leaf margins and veins are a striking dark purple. I plan on getting more Colocasia next spring for sure! Thanks everyone!!!

Thank you everyone! If the poster that gave me three of the smaller Plumies would like to ID themselves here, they can, and I give them a big huge THANK YOU! =o) Juicy, I love that buddah belley! I got that over 5 years ago as a very small plant at Ikea of all places. It has to be one of the easiest plants on the planet to take care of, possibly even easier than Chamaedorea Elegans (parlor palm). Thank you Laura! If you are ever up this way during the warm months you are welcome to stop by and have a "cold one" on me under neath the palms and tropicals. =o) We STILL have not gotten down there yet, but we are still planning on coming at some point, hopefully before winter sets in. I'll keep you posted. MerryMike, I lift them all myself. They come inside and most go into the sunroom. It does get crowded in there, but it is worth it to me. Our sunroom used to be a porch that was built out so its all windows, faces south, and has the original hard wood porch floor. It is raised off the ground so under neath the porch is "open air" which makes the sun room cool down at night in cold weather to the upper 50s or so if we close the french doors to it, and it really heats up during the day. It gets full sun, ALL DAY, and is extremely bright. Dpolson37, were you the one that stopped by my place (old place) back in like 2007 and dropped off two Plumie cuttings to me? If so, back then I did not have the space I did now. One of them I rooted and gave away, the other one got damaged by a storm, wind, falling tree branches, then HAIL of all things. It ended up not surviving all that trauma. =o( Roper2008, the BIG palm is a Phoenix Roebelenii. That will come inside and go in the sunroom as it is not hardy here. It is about 6-7 feet tall at its leaf tips so it easily fits inside. Its BIG, but that palm is my pride and joy. Fortunately those to not gain height very fast, and also are very happy in rather small pots. The reason it looks so "tall" is because its got an extra 2+ feet on it because it is sitting on a table. The only palms that will stay out are the in ground Sabal Minor out front on the south side of the house, and the windmill in the pot. I do wrap the pot, and use either xmas lights or a heating cable around the pot itself to keep it from freezing. The sago palms stay out until night time temps go down to around 27 or lower. The banana to the left with the single white chair next to it is a Rojo "blood leaf" or "blood" banana. I have it since it was about 1' tall and for almost 3 years now. This is its third summer out, and it is putting up lots of pups, especially since he got a bigger pot this summer. Only two of the Bananas come in, the others are Basjoo and will go in the ground to overwinter, OR just get cold stored dormant in the basement. Thank you everyone for all the kind words and for looking! It's not the best but its what I can do given what I have. If I actually owned the house, it would look ALOT different, with many things actually in the ground.

This was a duplicate post to one in the Trees forum and was answered with several comments. [Duplicate post:[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/question-on-new-maple-growing-in-the-back-yard-multiple-trunks-dsvw-vd~5377686)