Not too late to buy peach trees if you order asap. Try Whiffletree Nursery in Ontario. They ship across Canada (except BC). That's where I got mine from.

Just place a large enough sheet of 1/4 inch square metal "hardware cloth" over the staked to the ground tree and make sure all edges are buried in the ground. Or coat the tree with a product called "Skoot" which has thiram as a major component of the product. Voles and mice hate the taste and will not eat the branches if coated with Skoot.

Learn.

It won't and the branches will crack after about 3 or 4 years as they get too thick to bend easily. But you use other newer branches that are always coming up. The newer branches still give you peaches.

Both methods work. Your choice.

Yes, they took and saved the trees.

@@Veritas-dn6ss That's fantastic! Can you post a short update video? Would be great to see how it looks now, two years later

The shrub supports the peaches fine unless you have a bumper crop. Then you would need to stake any heavy laden with peaches branches until harvest.

John and Thomas pears are hardy on the Canadian prairies, but of poor quality compared to the commercial pears that are available but would normally die in our cold winters. I am growing several experimental pear varieties here in Edmonton. Basically any pear they can grow in the Okanagan as long as it does not mature too late for our earlier fall weather. We would be two weeks later in maturity vrs. Kelowna grown pears due to our later spring and cooler summer weather.

There is a problem with clear plastic. It will act as a greenhouse, and on a mild sunny day in February or March, it might be +20C or warmer inside. The tree will come out of dormancy thinking it is spring, only to be killed when the temperatures drop to -15 or -20C. It is better to use an insulated tarp that will not let direct sunlight in. With the light on, it still looks awesome and the whole teepee lights up like a giant white or orange light.

Another option is make a teepee out of poles and use a double wrap of insulated tarp. This might be enough for your apricots to get them to survive and fruit as it is 3-5C warmer inside the shelters from ground heat that is captured. See my other video on doing this. Also by dangling a 100 watt shop light into the insulated teepee and plugging in the extension cord every night it will fall below -25C, you will get about 20C MORE warmth inside, so peaches, sweet cherries, etc. will all survive and fruit despite -40 or -45C on the prairies in January during a cold snap.

Lloyd Lee the famous apple and plant breeder from Barrhead Alberta tried many rootstocks. His best was Dolgo Crab pollinated by Siberian Crab. He planted the seeds in mid September between two logs and all the seedlings were ready to graft in two years. Re buying rootstocks, Bud 118 would probably be your best bet. Slightly dwarfing, very hardy. You could also try dwarf rootstocks from the U of Guelph, the "V series" or Ottawa 3 dwarf rootstocks.

Yes but the ONLY variety hardy above the snow is called "Balsor's Black" from New Brunswick. All other blackberry varieties die at the level of the snow in my climate.

I haven't tried but I see no reason why it wouldn't work with aspens.

If you let the peach tree grow a year the trunk will be way too thick to bend under the snow. I plant the graft union 3-6 inches below the soil, and at green tip, cut off the trunk flush about 2 or 3 inches above the soil, so about 6-10 inches above the buried graft. Then bend the shoots from above the graft in late October along the ground to be covered by snow (or leaves if no snow at first until the snow comes)

@@Veritas-dn6ss So keep the tree til you get green tip (presumably to feel confident the transplant worked) and then cut the trunk at that point? Any fertilizer or food recommended?

​@@Veritas-dn6ss I did it! I had my first harvest of 11 peaches this year!! Awesome.

Check whiffletree farm and nursery

I leave the tape and wax on until at least the next year. It does tend to slowly peel away so timing is not important. I have left them on for 3 full years and then simply remove the tape/wax which will have become very loose by then. While we don't want the tape and wax to "strangle" the graft, this never happens with the rubber tape and grafting wax I use.

You can graft one end of the bridge scion into the top part of the roots. You have nothing to lose by trying this. The best method is coat the chewed damage by voles asap with a sealer of some sort to keep in the moisture PLUS do the bridge grafts. Sometimes the sealer allows the bark to regrow and the tree is saved even if the bridge grafts fail. I use a honey like sealer called "Green Earth Pruning Seal", but there are several out there.