Shodo,
Glad you find the
books useful!
Figs in MN? I doubt it for a while, at least not without lots of work, but you can if you want. You could build a protective enclosure every winter--
Eric Toensmeier has bananas in Holyoke Mass! He wraps it in hog
fence, with plastic just inside the
fence, leaves from the
yard, Christmas
lights to add a little heat, and I don't know what all else. It's a lot of work, but it works, and has for years.
High tunnels are quite useful and make a huge difference, even if they have no supplemental heat. I think they are going to be a valuable addition to the toolbox for most people in most climates. That's where figs and (semi-dwarf) peaches will be best for you, probably. But temp regulation is key: A friend of mine had a fig in a large pot that he and I took in and out of his basement for a few years until it got really big. So he put it in the ground and then built a tiny little
greenhouse over it. That didn't work very well--it got too hot, the tree got confused and broke dormancy, and then it got killed in the cold temps at night.
A lot of this has to do with microclimate analysis and design, digging deep into the details of that, and the details of the plant physiology. Some southern plants will die back to the ground but resprout and make food the following year. Others can't hack that. Eric's
Perennial Vegetables book list many species he calls "dieback perennials". Hardy
enough in some cases. But the fig in the tiny greenhouse is a case in point--too small a greenhouse, got too hot too fast, shocked the plant with too wide a temp swing.
Generally I think we need to push the limits some, but obviously pushing them too much is a waste of effort. And, hell if I know, man! We're all trying to figure this out! Much to learn, much to learn.
As for buckthorn, it makes good
biochar! But also: It coppices vigorously once it attains a certain (unknown) age--seedlings will not coppice. The bark of common buckthorn is rich in tannin and was used as a tanning agent. The
wood is marble-like with close grains and reddish veins. It is used in woodwork and carpentry. In Russia it has been used for ornamental
art wares and plywood. Common buckthorn wood is marketed in the United States because the yellow sapwood encircling rich orange heartwood has ornamental value. The hard wood of Dahurian buckthorn has also been used for making furniture, and oil has been extracted from the seeds for lubricating oil. It has been used for fencing and posts, turnery, tool handles. It has minor
medicinal uses, its fruit is edible to a very limited degree ONLY in emergency, but use for over 10 days will cause significant potassium loss. NOTE: The berries are also said to cause vomiting, so not sure where that note about eating them for emergency comes from. Check it out before eating it! Eat at your own risk!
