Can I grow Mayhaws?

I am right on the line between zones 6a & 6b in the southern tip of Illinois. Can I grow Mayhaws here and will they bear or will the freezes get them? I notice they have a few later blooming varities.
RED

I found some good articles for you. Mayhaws need acidic soil. Naturally acidic soil is desired because it is very difficult to keep alkaline or neutral soil acidic where trees are concerned. Also the problem may not be the fruit (some varieties are supposed to be frost hardy, but the bloom which appears to be more frost tender. You need to consider how cold your area gets when mayhaws are blooming or when fruit has just set. Mayhaws are zone 8 and 9 plants.
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1990/v1-317.html
http://www.sustainablecentraltexas.org/cultivars/fruit/mayhaw
http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/b992-w.htm#mayhaw
http://www.uga.edu/fruit/mayhaw.html

Thanks for the links I have read them. There is one, Texas Star, which is late blooming and rated for Zones 6-8. and I have read of a couple more which are late blooming. I was trying to contact someone in my same zone who had experience with trying to grow them. I'm sure I would lose some crops which I can live with if I got a crop every other yr. or so.
Thanks again
RED

What is your soil's pH?

I cana't remember but when I bought the farm in 96 it was tested and was acidic. I had to add lime to the areas I cultivated. Where the trees would go has not been limed so it should be slightly acidic. I have service berries growing there and I think they like acidic soil. I think my problem will be with late frosts which we have time to time or worse an unseasonably warm spell in late Feb. and early March which might force early blooms.
RED

If you are just adding to your home orchard, it's worth the risk of not getting fruit some years.

I had a couple late-blooming varieties planted but they were the deer's favorite treat and they munched them to death. I hope you don't have deer like mine.

Scott

Scott
Do you remember the varieties and where you got them? We have lots of deer and I do mean lots but I have a couple of dogs and this yr. I found a compound called Plantskidd to spray and it worked very well. You only have to spray twice a year.
Did you ever get anyfruit from yours?
RED

Red, I never got any fruit. I had Big Red, Heavy, and The Gem from Hidden Springs and Reliable from Just Fruits and Exotics. I think the location of the plants was also a factor, they were by the road. The apples I replaced them with also get munched more than my other apples (but, they are at least still alive). One reason why I decided to not replace them was I heard complaints about serious rust problems on mayhaws.

Scott