Scott has mastered the origin of plum varieties better than I, but Methely is considered a J. plum and Toka a hardier hybrid. Methely is hardier than any other red-fleshed J. plum that I've grown from my observations of cold related cambium damage. The more commonly grown J. plum in Z 5 NY is Shiro. Most Euro plums are somewhat hardier- also flower later. Peach buds have over a 5 degree differential of hardiness between flower and vegetative buds. One year my orchard got down to -22 and leaves were fine but not flowers. Same with areas not quite as cold as I believe -19 pretty much kills off flowers. Areas that got much below -25 lost their peach trees. As I recall the same thing held true for plums that year.

Geraldo, yes, squash were $1.99 a LB at the local Kroger's here in the suburbs of Detroit last weekend -- easily making an average butternut $5 to $8. Food prices are REALLY rising here -- a whole chicken that might have been $0.59 a lb a few years ago is now $1.29 to $1.89 a lb unless on sale. So, that is one reason I grow a lot of stuff. There are many more reasons -- enjoyment/fulfillment, hobby/something to do, etc. What is really sad is that so much good food is STILL being thrown out, as you mentioned with the less-than-perfect squash. Alas, when will we, as a society or as a species, learn no to waste? Allenwrench, you asked about my land, and about what I do with all of the things I grow. I have about 2.1 acres, in an "L" shaped lot that is largely flat, but it does have a bit of a gentle slope in the back, and a low spot at one edge that floods a bit a few times a year for a day or two. Soils -- well, I have everything from very heavy clay to sandy loam, and it changes very abruptly in places. I can, freeze, and dry produce. I've gone extra heavy into it this year because of my concerns over the economy, the "global food crisis," peak oil/energy, etc. Since I can do it, why not? I am feeding not only my immediate household, but putting up a lot for my two sisters and their husbands, my niece with 3 kids, and giving a lot away to friends and other family. I'm trying to be as self-sufficient as possible, because I CAN be. I figure everything that I don't have to buy from the store is that much less oil that was burnt shipping food thousands of miles. My limitation here is that I'm not legally allowed to have animals -- so, this means that protein is harder to do -- I'm trying to grow a lot of beans, quinoa, etc., that are vegetable protein sources. I'll try to post some other garden photos tomorrow. Dennis SE Michigan

I was out watering the garden this morning and it was just unbearable. There are clouds of bugs just circling my head. However, I was thinking about what some people above mentioned, and as I was in the vegetable garden I did realize that while the flying gnats are torturous, I haven't really had any serious bug issues in the garden itself (well, other than the red lily leaf beetle, for which not much can be done). All my vegetables are relatively free of bug issues. The deer ate the entire garden except the squash a few weeks ago, but it is rebounding now, and I seem to have some fungal issues with my tomatoes (septoria, I think) but honestly, no bug issues to really speak of. Even in the perennial beds, the usual reign of terror by the oriental beetles, my arch nemesis, is not so bad this year. My echinacea look really good this year, and even my shasta daisies are relatively untouched by those foul fiends. I'm trying to decide if it's a good trade-off - being tortured constantly by flying gnats and mostquitoes in exchange for having nicer looking flowers and more productive veggies... but I can't decide! Yeah, things look good, but if I can't stand to be out there to enjoy it, or to get chores done, is it worth it? The jury is still out! :) Dee

Thanks for sharing your experience. It's so great to hear from others who have gone through the process. We are building a house out in the country, as well. We are planning on doing the back up generator (we are in wyoming) so it's nice to hear that it is worth the extra cost. We are not putting in a basement (the water table is too high on our property) but I do have some concerns about my laundry/mudroom. I don't know the dimensions but we ended up stealing space from that area to make our master bath even larger. In the end we are doing a stackable washer and dryer but that will leave me room for a big closet for coats, as well as, a smaller closet with a doggie door for the cat boxes. We will also have room for a bench/cubbie unit. I've worried that I will hate the stackable washer and dryer (I'm short and with 3 small kids they will be used alot) but I thought I'd appreciate the extra storage. The mud is ridiculous here but we've been living in a mobile home on our property for a year while we built so I'm hoping that just the extra space (3 kids, 3 cats, 3 dogs in less than 1100 square feet now) will help me look past the mud that will be inevitable for a long time. We are afraid to pave our road because my hubby worries he will just tear it up snowplowing with his tractor in the winter. And it's true that gravel is cheap (relatively) and can make a big difference. We are doing a playroom in the bonus space above the garage but otherwise our house is just one level - thank you so much for sharing.