The reason I feel the temps are much warmer than you think, is because unheated basements are rarely cooler than 50* F because of the moderating effects of geothermal heat AND the heat gained from the first floor of the structure. Even if the basement is unheated & there was no heat to consider from the first floor, only geothermal heat, 60" soil temperatures in zone five are rarely below 40*, and are much warmer at 72" depths. This means the basement is radiating heat at around 45-50* from the entire floor in the dead of winter. I'm not trying to be argumentative, I just want to be sure you're working with reliable info. ;o) Do you think that what you say about overwintering evergreens (I assume you mean coniferous) in total darkness at temps under 40F/5C would also apply to, say, heucheras? Yes, I do. I overwinter lots of evergreen plant material in a garage that for all intents you may as well call dark. I overwinter troughs full of alpines, shallow hypertufa containers with sedum & house leeks (sempervivum), some hardy cacti, ..... you get the idea. As long as the temperature is low enough to keep the plant quiescent, no light is required and any light available is of little value. What IS an issue is when the soil warms sufficiently to stimulate the plants to growth. THEN, light becomes an issue. Warm soil with no light means the plant will grow, but will be using stored energy, weakening the plant by producing foliage that is unlikely to survive exposure to the elements. In woody plants, it also produces etiolated growth with internodes long in contrast to normal growth, that unless removed will spoil the looks of the plant. Obviously, producing growth that needs to be removed before it has matured to the point of providing an energy return is an unnecessary misuse of the plant's energy. Al

You and I are in nearly the same climate, so my experience may be of some use to you. I have found artificial protection of mature crops through winter - by putting plastic or cold frames over them - not very succesful. It generally results in their being attacked by aphids or other insects or fungal problems. Just letting cold-hardy crops take their chances with z6 winter is more productive - and a whole lot easier! About two winters out of three we're still eating fresh greens in februrary. Starting stuff out anew in early winter inside or outside in a hotbed and then transfered to a cold-frame generally works well. Stuff grown in cold-frames is usually a lot healthier then in a hot-house. Of course, lettuce in february doesn't happen in a cold-frame. I forget about lettuce for the cold six months of the year - never heard of the stuff. In June I eat it in quantities that might seem deranged to some folks. My primary green thru late winter and early spring is walking onion. Can't recommend it enough - completely cold-hardy, reliable, effortless perennial. With that plant you could abandon the grocery store without fear of scurvy, though by May you will be tired of it! But then, you don't have to eat it again until December. Anyway, my experience has been that effort expended to "baby" plants thru winter is largely wasted effort. Expand into the now little-used former reliables like walking onion, parsnip and other crops that can be left out, put up storage crops, and enjoy the luxury of greens in mild winters when they happen.....

suzeprich, I don't know what kind of instructions you received from your source but there is nothing to prevent a pelargonium from coming back year after year after year IF they are treated so that they are not forced to do something they cant do properly. That is, if you provide warmth, the plant will want to grow...if you provide sun, same thing, if you water your plant....same thing. But how much growth can one expect when the sun is low in December and January. So the plant just sits and tries to survive on what it has done and hopes the March sun comes fast. Think of a prune...the dried up plum that looks like a ...well...like a prune. That's how your geranium can look through winter and come back better than ever. But, it must not be given something to initiate growth at the wrong time. The method above is without ifs, ands or buts...its faultless. The other method, to bring it along through winter and enjoy what bloom is on the plant and the little that continues into winter. But, such low sun prevents any strength in the plant to keep going. So it too, can be cut back, given fresh potting soil and it will flower just as good, maybe better, than last year.

Congrats! 1) Yes, all peppers are perennial. Some are certainly more longeval, but they can all overwinter. 2) To prevent cross-pollination, you'd need to keep your plants literally hundreds+ of feet apart.... and even that would be no guarantee. In my garden, I space my plants 18 - 22 inches, but I'm not concerned about cross-pollination. Josh