Mine are going crazy with blooms right now, and we've been harvesting for a little over a week. So far the harvest hasn't been huge, but it has been steady. They seemed to stall on those days our high temps were in the 93-98 degree range, but now that it is a little cooler here, they are a little happier and putting out new growth and tons of blooms. I think the rain we got, which only was a half-inch, pleased them greatly. I'm hoping this week's cold front makes them even more happy. At least our sugar snap peas aren't being hailed upon, flooded or being hit by tornadoes. As long as they are still alive and rain is falling, I think they'll keep producing for a while. The wind today did beat the crap out of them. Kim, I always freeze some, but only about 1 year out of 3 do I put tons and tons of them in the freezer. Tim was out of town on business most of last week, so I didn't even pick them and take them into the house. I just picked them and munched on them while working in the garden---instant, garden-fresh fast food. In the fall, you'll probably need row cover to keep them happy long enough to produce. While they tolerate very cold temperatures, if the cold temps hit while they are blooming or about to bloom, those cold temperatures can knock the blooms right off the plants. I don't cover them up at night unless we're expecting temperatures below the mid-20s. Sometimes we get a night or two like that in late Sept or early Oct, but it is more common to get them in November. If you want to grow a variety that doesn't need to be trellised, I grew Cascadia two years ago and Sugar Lace last year, and both of them produced tons and tons of peas----more than my Super Sugar Snaps or Sugar Snaps growing on trellises were able to produce. Because we've already had high temps here hit 98 degrees a couple of times and 93-95 more often than I can believe for May, I am worrying that the green beans won't begin blooming early enough to avoid heat-related blossom drop. Instead of succession sowing some more green beans, I'm going to plant an enormous number of southern peas instead because the heat can't stop them from producing. My mind has moved beyond the warm-season crops to the hot-season crops because it seems like we have gone from the cool season to the hot season in a very brief period of time. My short day onions are bulbing up. It always happens at this time of the year, and it always catches me by surprise. I have to count backwards from now to the time I planted them, realize it is time for them to start bulbing up and say "okay, this is normal". All the cool-season plants I planted are doing better than the sugar snap peas, but that is not unusual. They are the most finicky when it comes to having 32 degree temperatures one morning and then 98 degree temperatures a day or two later. They don't like those crazy temperature swings. I get the best sugar snap pea harvest when we consistently stay cool and moist. This year cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, be described as cool and moist---hence the sugar snap pea behavior.

The biggest problem I see, is that either you told him, or you thought you told him. Big difference. Hanging all of this on him, without knowing specifically what was said, probably isnt going to go over very well. If you decide to change it, its gonna be costly, for whoever gets to pay for it. I do agree about the countertop on the dining room side being a problem. With that said, if it were mine, I'd: Assuming they are framed cabinets, then, you could leave the uppers as they are, have the cabinet guy trim 1/4 inch off of each base scribe in the range opening. This would pull the base to the right 1/2 inch, allowing you to at least have a half inch overhang on your counter, and the counter would line up with the upper above, regardless. Typically, I try to line the countertop up with the upper anyway, and not worry about the base lining up in these types of applications. I think it looks better when ending tile, backsplashes, wallpaper etc. That seems to be the easiest fix to all of the problems, without having to rebuild 3 cabinets this late in the game.

Another question - since the consensus here seems to be to replace the tree, then how should we physically do that? I didn't see the tree being planted, but apparently the rootball was in a cage and wrapped in burlap. I know they cut the burlap and cage, but the cage is still in the soil. I would hate to just cut down the tree at the base since it's still very much alive right now. But I also don't know how we would physically move it to another location, since it is quite a large tree, and I imagine the rootball would be very heavy. So, should we: a) cut down the tree at soil level, and leave the rootball, burlap, and cage in the ground? We could plant a replacement tree to either side. b) cut down the tree and dig up the rootball, burlap and cage? c) try to pry the tree out of the soil and move it as-is, and if so, any advice on doing this without heavy equipment (with possibly just some strong male neighbors)? d) prune back the tree to a smaller (but still nice) shape, and then sacrifice some of the rootball when we move it? e) something else?

noseometer, I have Ashmead's Kernel now going into its 5th year. I have had fruit the last three. There is a minimal spray regimen that will give you fruit. The flavor of the Kernel will blow your socks off. There are some old posts here by Aalan Haigh (Harvestman) that set out the minimalist spray that will give you fruit. For Ashmead's Kernel it is well worth the effort. See below - looks long but it is really not Posted by harvestman 6 (My Page) on Fri, May 11, 12 at 18:27 Here's my spray schedule for the scores of orchards I manage around SE NY. It has functioned well for me for over 2 decades, although J. Beetles and brown rot of stone fruit increases the number of sprays some years some sites. I commonly mix those three chemicals with the exception of triazide, but I've mixed other pyrethroids with Cap and Immunox (myclobutanil). The main issue you are likely to encounter is captan anywhere near oil. You can't mix the two and shouldn't even spray them within about 14 days of each other. If your problem with CAR requires control, myclobutanil is your best option. One spray of myc. at petal fall and one more 10-14 days later should control it. I use myclobutanil with the brand name Immunox . ======= Dormant oil (this is optional if there were no mites or scale issues the previous season). Do oil spray somewhere between the point where emerging shoots are 1/2" and the flower clusters begin to show a lot of pink. Mix Rally or Immunox (myclobutinol) at highest legal rate with 1 to 2% oil. If it's closer to pink use 1%. Don't spray again until petal fall when petals have mostly gone from latest flowering varieties and bees have lost interest. Than spray Imidan (or triazide or something equally affective) + Nova + Captan mixed together at highest legal rates (you may want to drop the Captan because of increasing concerns about health risks). Repeat in 10 to 14 days. Where I manage orchards, the space between earliest flowering Japanese plums and latest flowering apples is only 2 weeks or so (not this year) which usually allows me to wait until the latest flowering trees are ready to begin spraying anything. Plum curculio seems to time its appearance conveniently to the rhythm of the last flowering apple varieties. This may not be true where you are. If plums or peaches need oil they may need application before apples. I�ve only had mites on European plums here and never need oil for other stone fruit. All this is based on plum curculio being the primary insect problem which is the case most areas east of the Mis. River. These sprays will also absolutely control scab, CAR and Mildew as well as most of the crop fatal insects. Apple fly maggot is an exception, but I haven't had much of a problem with this pest in the orchards I manage. This pest can be controlled with a lot of fake apples smeared with tangle trap. If you don't want to use synthetic chemicals try 4 applications of Surround about a week apart starting at petal fall. You may need to start on earlier flowering varieties as soon as they drop petals. When weather isn't too hot you can mix hort oil at 1% once or twice. Other problems may occur later in the season and you will in time learn to monitor and react to the pitfalls. Mike