Looking Ahead to Winter Sowing

I've started collecting empty gallon milk jugs for winter sowing, which I plan to start at the end of January.  This worked so well for me last year, that I hope to do more this year, and to try out more kinds of plants with it.

Freezing Water

Over the next couple of days, we're supposed to get some extremely cold weather for this early in the winter, with lows in the single digits.  This area is just going to get a glancing blow from the weather system that is moving across the country, and we shouldn't get the snow predicted for other areas.  But this forecast does mean it's time to remove the pump and fountain from my pond, and to put out the pond de-icer. 

Aroma

When I stepped outside this evening to walk my dog, I was immediately put in mind of one of my favorite cartoon characters:

Keeping the Greenhouse from Freezing

Earlier this fall, I set up my pop-up greenhouse out on the patio, as I do every year.  At first, I move in only the most tender plants, and just zip the doors shut at night.  As the weather continues to cool off, I keep the doors closed all of the time.  Then, before the first hard frost, I add a second insulating layer of plastic, by hanging a layer of bubble wrap inside the walls and roof of the greenhouse.  I also put in plastic containers of water, painted in dark colors to absorb the sun's heat during the day and re-radiate it at night.  Real solar greenhouses have very large containers to hold a lot of heat; I just have 1-2 gallon containers, such as milk jugs.