North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[BekeeprTop@aol.com]

Well here's my update to my plant-under-red-pines challenge:

1] the first limbs of the red pine have become quite elevated over the years, 
in fact its up to 10' to the first limbs of the red pines, which might be 
[wild guess] 25' tall.

2] a wild grape is all the way to the top.   I will transplant a grape in 
under one of the climbing wild vines, offering the wild vine for the domestic 
vine to climb up.  To keep the fruit in reach, I will prune the domestic vine 
at 
6' or 10' each year.

3] Since I have 2-yr mulberries once transplanted available, I will 
transplant two of these as well.   These will not grow in full shade.  There 
clearlly 
is some light making it through to this area, and as said the red pines have 
abandoned covering the ground [why I don't know, many trees would not concede 
light at their feet].

4] I may even plant a mulberry and a grape into the same hole as time to 
clear and dig is so rare.    Two things planted in the same time.

5] The strawberries currently in this same area under these 2 red pine need 
to move out.  I'm considering now the front of the house, though the front is 
not a sure thing, since a large pecan is offset in the front, but there's no 
point leaving the strawberries where they are not thriving.

This experience is making me reconsider cutting down a much longer line of 
red pines on the other side of the house, if they will clear out underneath 
perhaps they can be tolerated for a few more years.  I dunno if reds have any 
value at the saw mill.
Thanks for all your inputs.
Charlie Paradise, Massachusetts