I'm wrapping up my first bonsai season, you guys REALLY helped me out by correcting a lot of the misinformation I accumulated from youtube videos and google research. You guys helped me survive the summer, now I need to survive the winter! I've seen a lot of different techniques, I pulled a little from everything I've read and came up with a concept that should work for my situation...Maybe? But I won't do anything without running it by you guys first.

I've seen articles that say to dig a hole in the ground and cover the tree pots with mulch, the problem is I have about 13 trees now (I may have gone a lil crazy...good news is they're all healthy and doing well!) that would be a big hole in my backyard.

I've also seen info on storing them in the garage... So this had me thinking... Can I put the trees on the shelf (pic included) in a tupperware tub, and fill it with mulch? Maybe collect some snow and cover them with that?? And I guess put drain holes in the bottom of the tubs incase the snow melts. Would this work? Or should I start hiring a digging crew?

Maybe the best thing is to find someone in your area who has keep trees a long time and see what they do. In a similar climate to yours in Rochester, NY, a guy I know puts them in a garage with a heater to keep it about 10 or so below freezing.

If the trees are from a cold climate they absolutely have to have a long winter dormant period with temperature below freezing. Putting the pots in the ground gives them a huge heat sink that keeps temperature in the pot more uniform but does little to protect from hard winds which can be a killer.