Real Shutdown Day

Although my "official" greenhouse heater shutdown day was Nov. 18, I kept the thermostat on at 25 degrees to squeeze a few more days out of the peas, carrots, beets and broccoli. It worked for the first three, but as of today there were still no broccoli heads. And all four were impacted by a freeze the last two nights, with the inside temperature getting down to 23 at the thermostat, and probably colder next to the windows. I whacked down the peas and salvaged what I could. I also tried to salvage some cilantro, but it was too far gone. The carrots and beets will be preserved in the soil, but it was too frozen today to pick any.

I unplugged the heater for good, and that's probably it for the greenhouse (except some carrot and beet salvage efforts) until April. The fan is turned off, but its thermostat is still on so I will be able to monitor inside conditions. I also have trail cameras inside and outside, and they also record the temperature when they take images.

Attention moves to the heated garage where I have been potting the parsley, rosemary and mint the past few days, getting multiples of each. Only one thyme sprout made it through to this stage. Some of the petunia and geranium cuttings look good, some do not. I don't have anywhere to put the arugula sprouts, but at least I now know I can use that seed packet in the spring when the soil in the greenhouse thaws out. Along with what I call house plants (aloe, Cuban oregano, basil and oregano) I don't have room for anything else.