I believe sun scald and splitting is a problem whenever you have temperature swings from warm to cold. If the tree is tricked into thinking there is an early spring and sap begins to flow, and then there is a hard freeze, it can split the wood. The side of the trunk facing south to southwest is most commonly affected since the radiation of the sun hits more directly on that side. On the other hand.... from what I can tell, this isn't really a problem with young trees. It stands to reason that thicker, older wood that traps more sap and absorbs more heat is far more likely to be affected. In your case, if the lower half of your trees are constantly shaded and/or covered with snow, I doubt you will ever have any issues, even if your trees are old. I believe the white plastic trunk covers will help shield from this sort of damage, but I've also heard that they can cause other problems, which in my view seems to arise from covering up canker and fireblight, or insect damage. Take the covers off after two or three years and you might have an unpleasant surprise. For what it's worth, I have weighed whether to paint or apply covers to my young trees, and I decided against it. If I see problems, I'll reconsider. But at least for now, I figure it's not worth the trouble, and might even possibly cause harm. No worries. I think your trees will be fine, given your conditions.

I just got power back at my desk at work since going off Monday (still out at home). My poor trees took a beating. I think I was able to right and stake most of them. 60-70 mph winds took the leaves off but I think the fact that most were limb-tied at more than 4 corners probably stabilized them. Out of 52 2-3 year-olds, I'm only worried about 1 not making it. (positive thinking) I would say most of the 6-7" metal stakes got pulled from the winds. I think I am going to re-tie them all for the winter. For what it is worth, I think garden twine and stakes are more effective than limb spreaders. Competing leaders and new scaffolds I have had good luck with clothespins. Weighted clothespins and spreaders are quicker/easier but have been less effective for me. Thanks all. Chad

My advice is only worth 1 penny, but I will add it to the pile: The bigger concern for plant GROWTH is sunlight, duration and intensity, not temp. (Although typically, more sunlight = higher temps.) Unless you are adding supplemental lighting, do not expect any/much winter growth. (As I'm sure you are aware, photosynthesis is the process by which the plant gets their energy that will enable growth, with less light, photosynthesis will slow down, regardless of the temp. In general, a lot of growth will not take place a few weeks before or after the winter solstice (~ Dec. 21). The further south you are, the shorter that period of time will be. Are you looking to simply overwinter plants, or are you trying to grow and force blooming? Different goals will result in different actions. And remember, the MOST important thing is making sure the temps don't get TOO high! Cooking your plants can happen even on very cold days, if the sun is shining brightly, and it is amazing how quick that can happen! VENTING needs to be your top priority! As Dan suggested, you should start with the hardiest of plants (winter greens are a great option), and learn about your greenhouse in relation to your latitude and specific microclimate. Then, slowly add in more delicate plants after you understand how your GH reacts to certain outside stimuli. Different plants will require different conditions of course, so the learning will never truly end!

You will need a dust free zone for spraying the cabinet doors and drawer fronts so as mentioned that will need to be built somwhere where the temp is the same as the interior of the home IMO respirators are needed anytime you spray paint no matter what the paint is. IMO stripping is best done outdoors or in a garage with the door open and the strippers will work in the cold .If you start now you might even be lucky and get some nice days still. I would never use oil based apint there are many good paints that are water based and made for cabinets but IMO spraying is the best way to do cabinets for a professional look and also they just stand up better