Joe, Just read some of your questions. A five gallon bucket might be a little too small. Sooner or later it will hold your trees back. Better to convert a 18-gallon storage tub by adding drainage holes along the bottom SIDES of the tub, and fill it with a quick draining mix. Plant your tree in this, and you will be good for 4-5 years. Containerized trees MUST have there roots pruned every 3-5 years, and potted back up with new growing mix. You can still use the original, 18 gallon container indefinitely, as long as it is in good condition. Home Depot sells these storage tubs for less than $10.00. They are also straight-sided, so, take up less room when storing. If you group four containers together into a square, a fifth container can be stacked on top where all four corners come together. Saves space. (Use a dolly to roll the trees around. Dollies prevent hernias). An unheated garage will probably be warmer than outside, and the killing, drying, winds will not be a problem. Try to do whatever it takes to avoid the deep, hard freezing around containerized roots. Maybe a thermostatically controlled heater can come on just to keep the trees above freezing....heating cables around the tubs...small light bulbs under each tub...large cardboard boxes, inverted over each tub will hold/trap residual warmth from the cement floor...etc. It depends on how many trees you will plant to store. Even very low-wattage Christmas lights woven around the tubs will help with the warmth, and only costs a few cents a month to use. When growing season arrives, you can place the containerized trees into a shallow hole, container and all, and pile mulch up the sides of the containers. Roots will eventually grow out of the SIDE HOLES of your tubs, then into the ground. Your trees will love the extra, root room in the cool soil. You can run a sharp spade down and along the sides of your tubs when it turns cooler, and time to store the figs in the garage once again. If you drill drainage holes into the flat, bottom section of the tub, wandering roots will be impossible to sever with a spade without a lot of back-breaking digging. Growing your fig trees will be easy. Keeping them alive, and undamaged, from year to year, not so much. You will be able to do it without any problems if you plan for the harsh winters. Your unheated garage will be an asset, and will save your trees. Grow in containers and do the "fig shuffle". Bring trees into, and out of, storage like many other fig fanatics. Like I said....Zone-5 Ohio ain't sunny, Greece. Good luck. Frank

Hi Gina...it's NOT in bad taste to see if folks will be bringing certain plants they are looking for. It certainly isn't a secret. I think folks are anxious for people to get things they are looking for at a swap. In fact, some folks set up trades via email beforehand that are separate from the group swap - and put those plants in their cars before the actual big swap begins. (I think Hostalavista and Michigan Betty do that with certain hostas since they are both collectors) I will be bringing some pots of hardy crainsbill geraniums to the swap. Time (spring) will tell me which ones...later on. In fact, I am hoping someone has Achillea Taygeta. I would LOVE a division of that plant. Sounds like there will be quite a few folks bringing their left over winter sown plants for swapping!! Fun! Think sunshine!.......Beverly

I am getting things potted up for the swap. I am focusing on bringing a smaller number of larger trades this year. I stopped by a nursery to find some cheap pots and talked them into selling me some of their 6" square pots (probably about 1/2 gallon ones) for $.20 each. Last year Oakland Park had nice 4" ones for $.09 each, but they didn't carry them this year. So far I have rhubarb, chocolate mint, lemon balm, spiderwort, lamb's ear, evening primrose, Golden Tiara hosta, misc. var. hosta, and Michaelinsis daisy potted up into 1/2 gallon or larger pots. I also have quite a few small starts of Penny's Worth daylily, a nice little daylily with yellow flowers. It kind of looks like a miniature version of Happy Returns. I also have plenty of tomatoes. I have about 60 varieties started this year. Some I only have a few of, but many of them I will have extras of to bring to the swap. We will be potting up some other things to bring as well. We usually bring the dogs into Columbus with us when we visit. But I don't see how they will fit in the van with all of the plants. It looks like we will have to leave them with friends for the weekend. We are looking forward to seeing everyone on the 15th. James

Hi folks! Granny!!!!! Of course you count!!!!! I'll take pictures of the Mail Pouch "barn" and other stuff so Lee can show you on his computer. Beverly hasn't even seen them yet! I broke my little finger and am waiting to see the hand specialist to be sure I didn't damage any tendons or ligaments. I hope not. This nine fingered typing is for the birds! I keep trying to use the splinted finger and typing really weird stuff! I also pulled the muscles of my chest badly enough that they thought that I might have a broken rib. Sheesh! I'm still going to find a way to pot up those last few plants! There is NO WAY I'll let if spoil my once in a lifetime trip with the boys. We're going snorkeling, para sailing, catamaran sailing, swimming with the dolphins and even some time for just laying on the beach! No heavy lifting for me until after the cruise! I'm overwhelmed with all the stuff I need to do in the next two weeks so I'd better go make another list and start checking things off! Barbi, was that you who wanted the baby arborvitae? I'll save them for you. I did dig up the campion that seeded itself in my stone path before I hurt myself. (*again*) They are a nice biennial. Mine are white but Beverly has some rose ones so who knows what color the seeds the bees made! I have Solomon's seal that needs dividing and some salvia that seeded into my stone path too. The candy tuft jumped the path but it might have to wait 'til fall. I can't wait to see Betty and Ron all the way from Michigan. I keep killing my forget-me-nots! Wonder what I'm doing to them? I hope everyone is doing well and my penchant for injuring myself is not "catching"! ~~Mimi