Cutting knotweed off at ground level does absolutely nothing to deter the evil plant, it simply regrows. If you prevent it from flowering, it helps suppress the spread of it somewhat.

Found in an old Vt barn. I bought a stack of them, we use them as trash bins all over our house.

Farmers would soak the buckets before use to swell them .

You are correct , elevation is a big factor. Our frost free days have been increasing the last decade. I would go with 5B

Consider that a lot of Vermont wasn’t on the grid till the 1930’s when the Federal Government instituted the Rural Electrification Program . At that time , most of the State was still open fields and pasture and the early lines were installed the easiest routes which often didn’t follow roads. The end result is that a lot of our current grid in now buried in the grown-in forrest and often hard to access. These sections are very costly to keep cleared. The trimming crews show up on our farm every few years to hack back the growth along these lines. Storm damage repairs are time consuming and due to demographics, our isolated lines are often the last to be fixed. Such is life on the back roads of Vermont. Losing power 2-3 times a year is expected. It will be 100 years before our lines are buried.

This whole land shortage problem is quite new in Southern Vermont. Pre pandemic, buildable lots languished on the market, sometimes for years. I purchased 25 beautiful view acres for $50K that had been listed for 3 years with no offers. Things changed quickly with Covid, it was as if a switch had been thrown. The same was true with affordable houses, zero demand to bidding wars almost overnight. I doubt the market will correct anytime soon. Contractors used to need work and were easier to find too. Hindsight is always 20/20.

Doggie door = wildlife entrance. I witnessed a case where skunk entered house thru dog door, dog chased skunk through house spraying everywhere. House had to be evacuated and extensively renovated. A nightmare.

Our farm has never been posted and never will be. We’ve had zero problems with keeping our land open. Hunters are very respectful and foragers typically ask. Vermont has always been an open land state and I hope it can remain so. Newcomers knee jerk reaction to post their properties is a worrisome trend.

Refreshing to see a great photo without all the over the top editing , saturation, etc

Bernie is the richest Socialist in Vermont