A couple of full tree shots. The more I look at this Fireglow the more the ultimate shape solidifies in my mind. I'm very glad that Al (tapla) encouraged me to remove the main trunk on this tree. The lower limb is going to turn into a beautiful 2-3' tall tree. The basic shape of this tree is there. There are multiple plains (vertically) and multiple clusters (in the round). Now, over the next couple of years, I need to put into practice what I've been reading about judicious pruning, bud pinching (to reduce internode length and finish each limb), and partial defoliation (to reduce leaf size). Probably my favorite tree at this point. The Corallinum (due mostly to Al's help in pruning) is developing its top on on side. This tree certainly has shown resilience after loosing alot of it's root mass when dug out of the ground this spring. Now to keep the top in check so the bottom back buds and begins to fill in. Some back budding is already beginning low on this tree. Yay! Thanks for the encouragement and guidance Al. Blake

I think you should leave all the seedlings in the container. I grew about 15 in a 15 gallon pot last year, and they produced enough to feed a family of four a few meals a week for about three weeks. Didn't seem crowded to me. Bush beans have a short period of producing and need to be picked as soon as they are ready, which means pods a little smaller than green beans you would buy in the store. As soon as you allow pods to get oversized, they will shut down. I actually grew Filet Beans, which are small plants. So my advice may be wrong if you have beans that grow larger bushes.

If you have any place where you could dig a ditch, it is one-time labor that hasn't failed me for the last two winters. I did lose plants when I tried the pots in the barn, insulated, or in the garage under the house. I was lucky enough to have a drainage problem in back of the barn that was solved years ago by a ditch, about a hundred yards long, and at its deepest (and closest to the house)about 3 feet deep. After a few years of the barn/garage losses, it occured to me that with the ditch, I had the start of an informal "minnesota tip". I just set the potted roses in the ditch in early November, covered them with leaves, and left them there. The snowfall closed them in safely. The first spring I made the mistake of trying to lift them out before removing enough leaves, and broke a few canes pulling them through the weight of the leaves. This year I was more patient, took ten minutes to lift off the wet heavy leaves and all came out fine. If there is a spot where you could dig a winter home, it will be the easiest solution, reusable every year so that you can impulse buy more roses without a plan for them "right now, because it can always winter in the ditch...."

To help cut down on water usage when using containiers is if you can bury it the in the heat of the summer. I did it this year with tomatoes. Guessing it cut water usage in half. This works great here because of the long cool wet springs. You get the beifit from warmer soil to get the roots growing. I dug a hole deeper then the bucket. Then put a brick in the bottem for the containier to sit on. This allows for a drainage space. Throw in a little loose compost for any roots that grow out the drainage holes in the containier. Your plants should love it.