Cavey, glad you posted about the soil mix. I thought I was on top of everything with fall purchasing of fencing, screening, metal name tags, metal conduit for fence stakes, landscaper staples, screening staples and weed cloth. Scions will be cut as weather permits starting this Thursday and running thru March as weather permits. However I hadn’t dug my composted wood chips which I use for holding root stocks before and after grafting. Dug up and filled three twenty gallon containers just now and will fill more tomorrow. Last year we lucked out and could dig wood chips whenever they were needed; that is not normal of course. Currently the south side of our wood chip pile is still not frozen. Snow is forecast for tomorrow so that will keep the pile diggable for maybe this whole coming week.
WE are in zone 5 with zone 3 and 4 temperatures. Last year I ordered rootstock around now and selection was limited. This year all rootstock was ordered in early fall, for next year may do in early summer depending on quantity to be ordered. Grafted rootstocks will be planted in an outside nursery AFTER all danger of frost is over. Planted some in early May last year that were leafed out. Had intentionally brought them from the cold barn to the warm barn before planting and they leafed out quickly, May not do that again. Many of the grafts were killed by the three unusual freezes that came after planting.