> Rachel how did you make your prop tent? Oh no, I knew you were going to ask. :) It is so cheap that it's embarassing. but it works. I have an old patio table that the glass broke out that I put on top of some pallets (It's about the size and shape of aluminum greenhouse tables anyway, just with less center support); I draped greenhouse film over the table and tucked the ends under the pallets. A small, ceramic heater with a built-in thermostat goes inside. I fold back one side during really sunny days so the heat doesn't build up. By late march I put burlap or a light shade cloth over the top, if I haven't already put the shade cloth over the whole GH (I'm at the 38th parallel, and typically need the shade cloth on the GH mid-late March to keep it from getting too hot). When I don't need that space for propagation anymore, the film gets folded away, pallets get put on top of the table, and it's used for growing on space. Ultimately I'd like something like this: Starter GH, as a nicer-looking and bigger version. There are smaller versions of this available all over the place, often called 'patio greenhouses' but I'm not sure there's space for a heater. Those would be ideal for use with heat mats though.

I am in z5a and am starting to bring stuff inside this week. It was 39 yesterday morning. I dug up a bell pepper from the garden and brought it inside on sunday. I took cuttings from an early girl tomato also and am rooting them. I will start bringing the amaryllis inside this weekend. I planted some cukes on sunday also and saw today that one is already coming up. I brought the 3 citrus trees inside a couple of weeks ago. The mineola tangelo has new growth and a bloom. One of the mandarins (kishu) has new growth and quite a few blooms. Tender succulents came inside on monday. will be planting lettuce, radishes, carrots in a cold frame early next week.

Don't worry about it. If you are in and out of your greenhouse every day, there will be plenty of CO2 in your GH. The GH will only become deficient in CO2 if it is sealed up for several days at a time. More important perhaps is that you have good air circulation. Still air creates a thin layer of CO2-deficient air surrounding the leaves of the plants. Good HAF will prevent this and assure good growth. SB

Can you get under the base on the outside, just a wee bit? If so, you could lay out some heavy plastic, tuck it just under the base, then bring it up and around perimeter of the GH and secure it with tape, or a combination of tape and cords. My origninal GH plans called for a wood framed structure, with the north end as a seperate, heated, insulated space, with a door leading to the actual GH. Alas, it was not to be, and while I ended up with a very nice GH, I know exactly why you want a separate, insulated space for potting, storage and general puttering, in the warm and dry in winter and possibly even AC'd in summer. If your GH could be attached to another structure, even if it's just a wood storage shed that you could insulate and heat and perhaps, retrofit with a few small windows, you might get what you want. But for this winter, if you can't get under your base, you can still lay down plastic, leaving enough at the top to overwrap bales of straw, to surround the GH. If you keep the straw dry through the winter, it will be good for another round, or use it to mulch your beds in spring. Sprinkle some moth repellant flakes on each bale before you wrap it though, or small critters, especially mice, will see it as an invitation to move in. Straw bales are among the best of all foundation insulators, but they do have that drawback: they must be kept dry, or they will rot and by spring, stink, and unless defended by a replellant, they will attract small rodents, followed by their slithering predatators. Another option would be thick foam insulation, wrapped in the plastic, then secured to the GH base. Either way; if you can get the bottom foot or two sealed and insulated, it would make a large difference in keeping the GH warm through the cold of winter.