HELLO SHEILA,

FROM WHAT I KNOW OF SABALS THEY HAVE A HARD TIME GROWING BY ME. I PUT A FEW 1 GALLONS SIZE PLANTS IN THE GROUND AND THEY NEED A LOT OF PROTECTION FOR THE WINTERS. I ALSO THINK THEY NEED A LONG HOT SUMMER LIKE IN THE SOUTH TO KEEP THEM ALIVE.
I HAVE NEVER STARTED THEM FROM SEED BUT I HAVE STARTED SABAL PALMETTOS ( CABBAGE PALMS )FROM SEED I PICKED UP IN ORLANDO FL. I SOWED THEM IN THE FLOOR OF MY UNHEATED GREEN HOUSE LAST SUMMER AND THEY SPROUTED WENT THROUGH THE WINTER AND ARE STARTING TO GROW AGAIN. TO BAD THEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO LIVE UP HERE IN NORTH JERSEY. YOU MIGHT WANT TO TRY WINDMILL PALMS ( TRACHYCARPUS FORTUNEI ). I HAVE SOME IN THE GROUND FOR THE PAST 5 YEARS AND WITH A LITTLE PROTECTION THEY COME THRU THE WINTER FINE.A's HARDWARE AND GARDEN CENTER SELL THEM IN THE SUMMER IN FORKED RIVER. NOT ALL A'S CARRY'S WINDMILL PALM BUT I KNOW FORKED RIVER DOES.
THEY GET THEM IN AT THE END OF MAY GIVE THEM A CALL.
GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR SABAL MINORS
STEVE..........

Well,
I have to admit, I'm not a palm fanatic but I do like them. Some references had S. minor as hardy in NJ so it was worth a try. Like you, I have a small unheated greenhouse but wasn't planning on overwintering them. Here, wind will be a major factor. We get some significant gusts throughout the year coming off the bay.

Sheila

Hello sheila,
just give a windmill a try and you'll be hooked. Your winters are milder than mine being north west of the George Washington Bridge in the hill country.
plant one close to a wall that will help with the wind problem. its get windy here too. though not as bad as you.
my winters go below zero here. do you get that low? they do recover fast and you'll be the talk of the block.
did i sell you yet (lol)
njsteve z-6

hahaha,
I had considered them because Oikos (in MN I believe) had them. They were experimenting with cold tolerant palms and were growing out seedlings from the most northerly regions they could find. Unfortunately, they lost about 60% of their stock this winter.
Well, I am still just getting started on my little patch of the universe so I may see how these guys do and put in other palms next year.

Sheila

Sabal minor is foliage hardy here on the SE side of the house and growable (with winter windburn) in exposed siting. Hardy to 0 to -5. S. minor 'McCurtain' and NE Texas ecotypes appear to be more tolerant of wind than other minors.I've been growing palms outdoors with reasonable success (as well as failures!!!) for 18 yrs. You'll need to grow in containers (in sun for fastest growth) and keep roots above freezing for at least 3 winters. Trachycarpus fortunei is hardy to 6 degrees, but needs protection from wind and severe cold in winter. Same growing conditions and times as for minors, but a 3 yr old trachy looks palmy; a similar aged minor still has forked leaves. Louisianas are faster and more vigorous than minors, but more tender and easily windburn. Both tolerate some shade. Fertilize trachys moderately and Sabals heavily. There are 20+ palms (trachys, minors, louisianas, & 1 Rhapidophyllum hystrix; needle palm) at Palmyra Cove Nature Park under the Tacony palmyra Bridge. They're behind the ramp and on the south side of the education center. Mulch mounds around stems/trunks over winter, but no foliage protection for these. Overall excellent first and second winter foliage retention including on trachys, and they get much hardier with age. All of the above, except trachys are solid in zone 7 (growable in zone6) with good siting.