Hey, Shoe. I plum forgot about this thread. I ended up putting a tomato cage around the sapling and then some meshy stuff to keep the chicken from pecking it (a bit more than I had over the summer). I also mulched with about 3-4" of dead leaves, but the chickens were able to poke their little beaks under the mesh and pretty much spread the leaves around their yard. The tree got one mulberry on it last summer - hoping for more this coming season! Glad to hear they are hardy in your colder zone, I don't see many around my neck of the woods, but I think most people are put off by their messiness. I got a white variety and don't anticipate any fruit lasting more than a few seconds on the ground. I'm actually hoping for a bit of entertainment when the berries start dropping. Have a jolly holiday.
