Beech seed and cherry cutting report

Last weekend I checked on the beech seeds remaining in the refrigerator and found that another 60 were beginning to sprout. Out of curiosity, I checked the temperature with an infrared spotter in that part of the refrigerator (upper right) and discovered that it was 55 degrees F. No wonder the seeds are sprouting! Further investigation caused me to realize that the refrigerator is coolest on the left side where it shares a partition with the freezer and lower down. So, the surface temperature in the upper right is 55 F while the lower left is 35 degrees F.

While I had the temperature spotter out, I checked the soil temperature outside and found it to be 30 degrees F while the air temperature was 34 degrees F. I hope these beech seeds won't mind too much being woken up only to be placed in near freezing soil.

So 62 more beech seeds were planted (~120 total with 3 lost to squirrels), other than those lost, only four have emerged from the soil. I have been placing foam insulation over them when temperature dips below 30. There are 90 seeds left in fridge.

The cherry cuttings seem to be doing well, though I thought the same thing in January just before the leaves shriveled up. I have been misting the leaves every 20 minutes or so when I am home to keep them hydrated until the roots take. The differences from January are more constant moisture and the placement of the cuttings under grow lights once the leaves appear.

We had several frosty mornings this week. Most of the garden is protected with two layers of plastic. I am looking forward to Saturday morning when the temperatures will rise into the 60's and the frost warnings are past.