Thanks for the replies. I hadn't been planning on heating my hoophouse as I'm guessing it would cost a small fortune. Which is guess is another 'Stupid Newbie Question'.....what DOES it cost to heat a small hoophouse and what temperature should it be heated to? Our current plans for our new lakefront cabin are to live there during the warmer months and then head south (probably to Baja) for the more frigid months....so I won't be trying to keep plants happy during the winter. I really only want to get a head start on planting veggies and I'm still trying to figure out how to outsmart pesky mule deer that still think this land is their land! I'm currently thinking of planting seeds in a cold frame (maybe I'll add some heating cables sometime) which will be nearer to the house so I can keep a watch on them. Then I'll transplant them to a (unheated)hoop house (up on our penninsula). When all danger of frost is over, I'll replace the plastic with netting (which I'm hoping will keep the deer from feasting and yet still let bees in and it won't get too hot for the veggies). And another 'stupid question'... If last year is any indication of what we can expect weatherwise in Republic, WA....it is very cloudy in the Winter/Spring. With little or no real sunshine, will a hoophouse still provide any freeze protection? Should I add some fluorescent lights? Thanks! Sandy

Hi mystic dragon, I agree with the above comments. I have had the same problem with newly planted roses. What I do is put a cheese cloth shield over them for typically the first week or two. This helps diffuse the direct sun. I also give them 1/2 gallon of water in the morning and another in the late afternoon. I do this until they stop wilting in the sun. I also would remove the buds and blooms, as you want the plant's energy to be directed to establishing new roots. Personally, I don't let my new roses bloom for the first year (two if it is an own-root). I know most people don't do this as it interferes with our desire for beautiful roses asap. I will let 1 or 2 buds bloom to help offset this :) But . . . since I get very upset if I lose a rose and I want them for a good long time, I'm willing to wait the extra time. Just my preference. Hope it helps. Melanie P.S. Your roses were in a pot when you bought them yes?? vs in a box. I ask because your posting says "newbie" and there was a period when the instructions on the box said that you could just plant the rose, box and all, and the box would decompose in the soil. And it will . . . 10 years after your rose is DEAD!! Don't know if those instructions are still there or not as I mainly order my roses or buy pre-potted ones. Just wanted to mention it just in case.

Ahh, cracking. The next phase. Often fraught with frustration - but it doesn't have to be. I did forget one point on the husk removal - after you've gotten the bulk of the husk material off manually(and stained your fingers/hands), you really need to wash them to get as much of the remaining husk off as is possible. The big boys just pitch 'em in a cement mixer with some rough rocks or chunks of broken bricks - and I've got a friend who used an old clothes dryer - with the heating element removed - to roll 'em around for a while with water & rocks/bricks to get them almost squeaky clean. I don't have either, so I just put 'em in a 5-gallon bucket, fill it with water, and stir vigorously with a stick, pouring off the black water and adding more, until it comes off fairly clean. After the BWs have cured for a couple of weeks or more, then it's time for a session of cracking. A good heavy duty hard-shell nutcracker(not one designed for cracking pecans) is really helpful, but a bench-mounted vise is quite serviceable. Here's my main tip for BWs and hickory nuts - soak them in a pan/pot of warm water for an hour or two before you begin a session of cracking. The shells will absorb enough moisture that they will bend, buckle, and split, rather than explode into pieces when you reach 'critical pressure'. With a vise or nut cracker, a pair of diagonal wire-cutting pliers(for making a snip here and there in the nutshell to release nutmeats) and a nut pick, I can usually extract intact halves/quarters from the most inhospitable walnut or shellbark/shagbark hickory. A vote for the 'improved' nut varieties with thinner shells and open central cavities is in order. Emma Kay, Clermont, Thomas Myers, Neel #1, etc. are primo black walnuts, with thin shells and kernel % 2-4 times greater than the typical wild-type BW. Hickories - I'm still waiting for mine to bear, but I've had occasion to sample a few named varieties, and I have a local shagbark selection that won 1st place at the KY State Fair several years back. J.Yoder #1 and Grainger are probably two of the top shagbarks. Fred Blankenship's KY discovery, 'Simpson #1', may be the best shellbark to come down the pike.

I'll add another possibility. My Calvert (not a weeper) has done this a couple of years now. The problem is that I had it too wet (I believe) and the growth was long, thin and weak. Does your plant show a lot of signs of mosaic stress as well? Water availability seems to be indicated by the distance between growth nodes on fig branches (at least that's what I'm going on) and thin nodeless branches are more likely to act as you've described than thicker, noded branches. Try potting in a more airy planting mix next year and trim off most (or all if you're brave) of the thin weak growth. Leave at least 1/4th of the current growth points as you do this (and choose strong buds or ones closest to the main stem). My Calvert is doing better this year (after doing much of what I described above) but I plan on cutting off the rest of the weak growth before new growth next year. ~Chills