There are a variety of approaches to dormancy. Ideally, if your area is cold enough without being too cold, outside would be best. Some of us live in the South and getting temps cold enough is an issue. So many folks use a fridge. For us in the North, the plants would freeze to death outside. So many of us use attics, garages, heavy mulching outside, and fridges. When my collection was small I had my 2 VFT's in the butter keeper. When we moved to a home with an upper and lower, with attic, I used the attic. it was cold enough, here in Western NY, to be in an unheated attic, but the heat from the 2nd floor kept it from being as cold as the outside. For a couple years I had to farm my collection to a co-worker's garage. This year I will be borrowing space from a wholesle greenhouse. One thing an attic with window does, though, is provide the cues for the plants to break dormancy, since they will respond to the increased daylength of mid-late winter. Light isn't necessary but it's more natural for breaking dormancy.

True blackberries are apparently wild in southern mn up to the Twin Cities, but I have never seen them. It's one fruit I could never understand all the hullabaloo about. Since the center stick in the berry is not removeable, I think maybe I just have an aversion to that. As I remember (many years ago), the canes were quite vicious. I would think the tip method would work though. If you already have wild currants or gooseberries there, I would let it stop you from planting more, but I would still choose the rust resistant cultivars. About the five needle pines, this will help you distinguish: http://www.bonsaiforbeginners.com/Bonsai_for_beginners-pine-pruning.html Scroll to the last photos. There are always inaccuracies on the web. You need to be cognizant. This one is completely WRONG! http://www.shohin-europe.com/ARTICLES-MATSU-differences.html I have never made pie with the honeyberries. I eat them plain with sugar (even better - honey), or make honeyberry brown betty instead of apple. Still working on the correct spicing, although they really don't need any. Juicing would be excellent, I'm sure. And there would be very little, if any, pulp left. Plants might produce a few berries the second year, but will really start the third. From two plants you should get enough for a pie in the fourth or fith season. I am not sure, but I would think they are quite pH adaptable, being a Lonicera. Mine are in a pH of 7. Yes, I think it is the exotic nature of them that keeps the price up. That, and that none are seed grown to my knowledge. A good thing in my opinion. Also, to my knowledge, I am the only one clanging the invasive bell. I understand it might be region specific, and there are relatively few people who have even grown them as long as I have, but in fact most Lonicera species are invasive here, at least to some degree, if not terribly so. I really can't understand the resistance I've encountered to the idea that honeyberries could be invasive too.

It emerged early because it was in a warmer than normal environment. I'm sorry but there's nothing you can do that will help it survive until it can go outdoors.

If you feel comfortable with your security settings while you are at the computer then you are equally protected when you walk away. I never leave a browser open but my email is always iconised and set to look for emails every 5 minutes. This is a throw back to my dialup days when my wife and daughters would get excited if the girls could not get through on the phone because the old fool was on that new fangled internet thing again wasting his time. Well, I don't know if I am comfortable with my security settings, though they may very well be sufficient. I keep feeling like I have to hurry up and finish what I'm doing on the computer so I can go offline. That's a throw back to my dial-up days where I always felt rushed to get my internet stuff done so I could free up our one and only phone line !! :-D Also, I always felt (or was under the impression) that if anything happened while I was at the computer (i.e. if there was a sudden virus attack, spyware attack, attempt to download something I didn't request, etc.) I was right there and could stop it if it somehow got by my security software. But if things are all "hooked up" while I'm away from the computer, I worry (paranoid as I am) that something could get through w/o my being there to stop it. (I even unplug the DSL line when I go offline !!) Perhaps I need high-speed therapy or something. :-) Thanks for the comments, owbist ! Scott