Ray, the other way is to keep it indoors in a warm enough place with lots of light. This works for Sharon (Norah S), she has pots full of them and they grow babies and everything. But it isn't easy to get the light and temp right - she gave me a baby last year and apparently I didn't give it enough light or something, because it went dormant and never sprouted again. So she gave me a new one this summer. She has great faith in me! It did OK in the pond, and we took it inside to our indoor mini pond last weekend. It still has one bud. Now I'm worrying it will not make it through the long winter, like the other one - maybe I'll follow Horton's method after it stops blooming! :) Mary

How are things going? If what you planted is reliably hardy, no protection should be needed, especially if put in ground in spring. Where the ground does not freeze, heaving is not a problem. Attempting to keep plants that should go dormant in vigorous growth mode at the wrong time of year could be extra stress, not helpful. Unlikely in Z8 but worth mentioning. Couldn't tell if you are talking about plants in pots or in the ground? What plants? If you are zone-pushing Z9+ plants, I don't think I would use any kind of plastic. A pile of leaves is my usual method. Some paving bricks adjacent to the roots (on S side,) or dark-colored jugs of water, dark rocks, can also help keep the ground slightly warmer. Regardless of method, excellent drainage is usually a key factor in successful zone pushing. Wet + cold = rot. Dry + cold = exponentially higher chances of survival.

Where in AK are you? I'm in the Interior. You do get better storage if you cure the potatoes. But curing means laying them out in a shady spot for a few hours to dry out, since excess moisture on the skin surface will rot them once they are in contact with other potatoes. Not in direct sunlight. The poison is a glycoalkaloid called solanine, I think. The crawlspace is pretty handy. The straw recommendation works, but usually brings in bugs too. If you can close off the crawlspace and let spiders do their thing than no biggy. Otherwise, using milkcrates lets in plenty of air, and the crates can be stacked. If it needs to be outside, could do an in-the-ground storage method (one of the classics like the garbage bin or the 5-gallon bucket) covered with straw, under a low row cover to extend the storage season and buy you time to use up the crop. The top potato varieties in AK aren't known for their extended storage life, but for flavor! No matter what, if you are in the interior or anywhere adjacent the ground will freeze pretty early, and eventually so will the stored crops--but with row cover and insulation, maybe not until...November? Depends on the setup. Problem is, once the storage bin is opened, some supplemental heat will need to be added (hot rocks or something) to balance out the incoming cold air. A lot of bother if not much crop (less than 2-3 buckets). If you have a garage with a framed-in unheated attic, that might be a place for a BIG load of potatoes. But if you have that much space or crop, an insulated root cellar with a remote temp sensor to tell you when to wheel out the little oil-fin heater is the way to go. Digging my hole for one of those right now.

Peonies.....you've got peonies?.......in California? They must be California grown, I thought peonies only grew in northern latitudes where they receive a winter of content.... When a plant, that should bloom, doesn't....then the first thing to do is STOP ALL FEEDING....NO MORE FERTILIZER. The idea of this is make the plant think---yes, plants think---that they are in distress and whaddya know....they begin to produce buds....in order to produce flowers..which then produces seeds.....and we know what a seed does. So stop any and all fertilizing until it does bloom. Plants stop blooming...or wont bloom, for many reasons. You have to figure out which ones causes yours to not bloom. Too much water; too much fertilizer; too little water; too high a temperature; too much sun; too little sun' tired out soil; too much shade; too cold at night; too warm at night;.....and it goes on and on. Sometimes too when a plant just refuses to bud and produce bloom, the first thing you might consider is to divide it.....as we do when perennials like lilies when they stop or bloom small or not as many. Usually, just dividing the plant makes the plant want to produce more. Since dividing is easy....make sure each division has at least two 'eyes' and make sure to plant no more than 2" below surface----otherwise, the plant may never bloom. Now, having said that....maybe that's where your trouble lies....its too deep in the ground. Bring it up....its easy too, just put a spade into the ground on the four sides....lifting a bit each and then finally lifting the entire plant out and plant it --at the correct depth--in its now home which you have prepared ahead of time. Water it well, then wait.