To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Butternut info needed
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 10:45:17 -0600
Sarah: Have you tried growing Buartnuts? I've never had any
hardiness issues with them here in WI, gets down to -30F every couple
years here. Season length might be more of an issue.
~mIEKAL
On Thu, Nov 5, 2009 at 10:37 AM, Sarah Kehler Ewing <skkewing@yahoo.com>
wrote:
> Thanks for the input. I've read that I can plant them in a nursery bed for
> a year (this is recommended because of low germination and for protection
> of the nuts from squirrels), but then they have to go out! We have two
> dogs and lots of cats that keep those critters out of my garden, but I'm
> also picking up more hardware cloth to cover my nursery for the winter.
> Our soil is heavy clay, but I have goats and chickens that produce enough
> manure for me to amend my planting areas.
>
> I am planting most of the 500 seeds as soon as they arrive today or
> tomorrow! We do have the room: I keep finding things to fill up the 25
> acre yard site that we fenced out of the 160 acres we own. Once that is
> full, then I get to kick the renter and his cows off and keep going on the
> rest!
>
> I'm also looking at spreading the seeds out to my local fruit explorer
> group as you are correct that butternuts are in serious trouble. My guess
> would be that the cancer simply hasn't reached us because 10 trees per
> province isn't enough to spread it. Even if I plant acres of them, as long
> as I practice proper bio-hazard precautions like not bringing any more
> butternut trees in, I will probably never get it.
>
>
> Sarah
> zone 3
> Edmonton, AB
>