PalmsNorth.com

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to share a few pictures of my garden I planted in June. I hope to do a lot more next year! I'm planning everyday on how I'm going to protect it all this winter. I love all the suggestions and examples that have been posted here on this site. Very Helpful.

Thanks...

Scott

http://s994.photobucket.com/albums/af66/ScottyON81/

Very nice and well done garden. What zone would you say you are in?

They say zone 6a. I have heard others say zone 5b. We're usually warmer here in Kingston since we are located right on Lake Ontario. It keeps us cooler in the summer, but warmer in the winter. We usually get a lot less snow then say Watertown and Syracuse NY which is between an hour and two hours south of us. Last winter we started getting snow at the end of November (which is early, usually not till late Ded or early Jan). But it warmed up fast in the spring and by beginning of March it was hitting around 60 degrees...

Scott very nice. When you bought that washy what was it labeled as?It looks to me like a W. filifera or W. filibusta. I hope El nino helps you this winter. If so great year to plant things. Have you given any thought as to what protection you are going to use?

John

I bought it at Home Depot in Toronto. It didn't have a label. It looked horrible when I bought it. Thanks for helping me to ID it. Paul from Ontario has some pcitures of a structure that I am going to try and replicate. Wooden frame, plastic for the sides, wooden top. I'm thinking of using heat lamps with a thermastat. Any suggestions?

Scott I think if I'm not mistaken Paul had a diagram of how to set up the thermostat with a relay, I think it was him. El nino
should help for sure last time 97-98 Providence saw 15 degrees for a low. I was in High school in NH and we got crushed with a ice storm, lost power for a week.

Bill

Don't know how I missed this post...

No, I've not set up a thermostat with a relay. I just used some heating cables with a built in thermostat! The otehr thing I use is the older stlye small xmas lights (C9 I think they're called?). And they really do help.

If this winter is a as cold as last winter you're going to need to add more then plastic to the structure (someting to insulate to hold the heat in on the really cold days/nights!). But with an El Nino you never know what we're going to get (come on warm winter!)

Scotty- I've done a long term zone rating for K-Town (and recently using the lows I record in Railton), and other areasin Ontario. There is (was?) a station on Amherst Island that was a long term zone 5b. Kingston works out to a 5a over a longer stretch, but that's at the airport, which doesn't have the heat island that much of the city does. I think the former station downtown was 5b, but I'll have to look back at the data... The zone '5' probably extends 15-30km north of the lake, which is why I use the 4/5 zone rating. Interestingly, Syracuse is actually in a colder zone then Kingston, due to the lake!

The New Canadian Tire on Division near the 401 had Jap. maples on for 10 bucks, if you're interested. The one with better selection (Cat. Woods) still didn't have their trees on sale when I last checked (Boo!).

Paul I will have to try and find it, I think it will help us all very much. For about 20-30 bucks we can set them and forget them! If you have three identical structures right next to each other, you would only need one to control all three if the watts were the same. It was over a year ago at least when I saw it last.

Bill

Yeah Bill,

I was in high school too! We had a huge ice storm here in 98! This whole protection thing is stressing me out! So many ideas and I just it to work!! I'm thinking I may try heat lamps. Like the type you use for lizards etc... Paul was mentioning that plastic won't due it for around the sides. I'm wondering if I should just completly close in the structure, burlap each plant and use the heat lamps?? There would be no natural light though...

Hey Bill and Paul...

Check out http://niagaratropicals.blogspot.com/... I met Tony back in July. He is who I bougth my plants from. Scroll to page two. There is a guy in the Niagara Falls region. It shows the way he protects his Trachy. I bought that same burlap when I was there. What do you guys think of that idea?? It's working well for him... Oh yeah, he doesn't cover his needle palm which you can see in the back of one of those pictures...

There are so many ways that you can get these guys through the winter, you just need to pick what works the best for you. A insulated box for the washy will be a must otherwise the lights or whatever heat source you use will never shut off. There are tons of pictures on here of palm huts that people have built over the years.

So I was looking on the site of the people who make the better than burlap and it dosen't really say a lot. What is it's claim to fame, is it like a breathable frost cloth?

I did see those pictures before on the protected trachy, I think I have to many fronds to do it like that. Looks nice and easy though. I wouldn't leave my needle out unprotected, maybe not heat but they should be kept dry.

The ice storm sure was something! 100's of thousands of people with no power. You must be my age then.

Bill

I'll have a look at the packaging later and get back to you.. I'm 28... I'm planning the box right now. I've decided to go with an insulated box with a small space heater. Do you think I should eclose the whole thing with insulation?? Should I leave a small area of the box just covered with see through plastic to let natural light in? Or should it be entirely closed in with no light?

Funny you ask, I was going to post that same question. I'm not sure I'll post it now.

Bill

haha, that's funny.. Thanks.. I'll have a look at that burlap later and let you know what it says..

Hey Bill,

The better than bulap packaging calls it a thermal cover that won't let water soak threw... It feels softer than burlap and thicker..