I agree with edselpdx! Amazing how generous people are and I am planning on listing a lot of stuff in my garage on freecyle. I will enjoy having my items go to people that really need them and appreciate them way MORE than I will suffer through fighting with some of the @&*# people that attend yard sales and insist that the $40 lamp is only worth 25 cents rather than the $2.00 price tag. It is true...'tis more blessed to give than receive that quarter, while you chase the cheapskate out of your yard with a pitchfork (but the look on their faces is priceless!) Amanda

A root cellar would be so nice, wouldn't it? Why not plan one in your new home. But in the 21st century, it needn't be a cellar. All you need is a separate, insulated area that can be a different temperature from the rest of the house; it could be heated/cooled with the same system, whatever that is, but have its own thermostat. And it should be small, so you don't waste heating/cooling energy on empty space. We were given a wine fridge as a wedding gift. Not being big wine drinkers, esp. white wines, we mostly use it as a sort of cellar --- we keep it at its warmest (about 55 degrees) and put big bags of dry goods, or potatoes, in it in the summer. For winter, what about making a small spot in the garage warmer? I start my tomato seedlings in our semi-heated mudroom; in March, when they start, it can be still down to freezing out there. I made a kind of greenhouse by hanging an old shower curtain in front of the seedling shelves, and I strung some Christmas lights along the shelves (the old incandescent kind, not the cool LED kind!). THese produce a small amount of warming, enough to keep this curtained area 10 to 20 degrees warmer than the surrounding area. I was thinking that for cellar-type storage, an insulated cupboard in the garage with a wee bit of warmth added like that wd prob. do. Good luck! Z

HVAC is more than temperature. Humidity matters a great deal. If the outdoor humidity is high, you will fill your home with cool, clammy air. That moisture will have to be removed from the air and the other house contents the next day. You might be better off transferring heat in the evening/night when the temperature gradient is shallow.

Karin, If you are still reading, I just purchased 3 Optimara Natalie, they look like Rebel's Night Breezes, only a smaller shape. The flower is very dark blue-violet with a frilled picot edge. We are in the process of moving. "Everyone" who comes to help wants to filch a leaf off of Rebel's Night Breezes. (Maybe because it is blooming its fool head off.) I also picked up another blooming MyDelight. So, the helpers can have their own version and my plant can keep her leaves. The plant store also had a batch of traditional solid purple pansies in various shades, and many bi-colors in shades of pink, mauve, maroon. Our new house has a spare room to use all for plants and be able to close the door. The back yard is large enough to add a greenhouse, perhaps someday. This is a happy upgrade for my plants. I thought they were having to go into adoption or foster care, but now they can continue to lounge around like lazy teenagers, eating, sleeping until noon, but not willing to bloom. Joanne