Where I live, the outside temps can get down to 10F at times. I have an unheated greenhouse, so at least the plants are protected from wind. But the inside temperature at night is the same as outside. So I cover my tender plants with plastic film, and put a mist nozzle on top and let it run all night. This keeps the plants very close to freezing temperature, which seems to be good enough for them to survive. This works with outside temps down to the low 20's F. If you wanted to do it right, I guess you could turn your greenhouse benches into little hoophouses and rig the mist nozzles above them. If you don't have a greenhouse, you could cover the plants with plastic and rig a mist nozzle. But you have to make sure that the wind doesn't just blow the mist away. If wind is a problem, you could use a nozzle that makes a larger droplet size. But it will take more water. Or you could move all your plants into the house or crawl space a couple of times a year.

I don't think he literally meant it was freezing! Call me nuts but I run our dehumidifier in the basement almost all year long. I find the extra heat put out by it is enough to temper the air to a comfortable level. In the summer the basement will stay in the mid 60's with no AC down there but of course we need to run the dehumidifer in the summer. With it running the temp will hover in the upper 60's and its very comfortable. If I were to try to dehumidify the basement using our AC it would be way too cold to be comfortable. In the winter we heat the basement with duct work from our furnace. Again, with heat from the furnace I can keep the basement in the mid 60's which is not too bad, but we also have a whole house humidifier which we really need for the portion of the house above the basement. The extra moisture from the humidifier will condense on our basement glass block windows (and I can imagine it would do the same behind the studwalls too on the concrete walls) to counter this I run the dehumidifer in the basement during the winter. Besides keeping the humidity to a reasonable level it also adds a little heat and will keep it in the upper 60's. You may be able to tap into existing ductwork for added heat and add returns as well. Adding insulation will help too if it isn't already there.

Hibiscus Seed Capsules Seed saving is a lot of fun and it's easy to do! This is how I do it....and these are general and universal instructions. Mother Nature is pretty easy to figure out if we keep with the idea that SHE needs to keep it simple too. Take a good look at a flower. When the flower fades leave it where it is, do not remove it. Eventually at the base of the flower there will be some swelling. This is where the seeds are forming. Do keep the petals where they are and let them fall naturally...I don't touch it or bother it, I just leave it be. The base of the flower will swell even more and soon you'll notice that the flower stem and the swollen base are turning a papery-brown. This is a very good indication that the seeds are almost fully ripe....in effect the plant has achieved it's goal of reproduction for that flower...it has produced viable seeds and no longer needs to expend energy to keep it alive, so it doesn't sends it's sugars and water up to the stem anymore. That's why it's turning papery-brown. It's no longer being supplied with nutrients and so it's dying back. The drying action will continue and as the swollen pod continues to dry you will see it start to open....some pods will open in a starry design, plants like poppies create a ridge of tiny little circles near the top of the pod....they make themselves into something like a little "salt-shaker" (sorta...but you could imagine it.) All flower pods will open in some manner when the seeds are ripe....it's so they can disperse their seeds. When you see that the pods and stems are both brownish in color, AND you notice that the pods are starting to open you can then collect the pods. I place the pods on an open plate or in open bowls in a safe place where they won't be disturbed and let them continue to dry naturally for another week or two. Then I remove the seeds from them. To assure that the seeds are thoroughly dry I let them dry on an open plate for a few more days...I even will stir them every now and then to make sure the bottom layers will get a chance to dry too. Storing the dried seeds is easy. I use paper envelopes. I make my own with my printer, but you could use coin envelopes or even mailing envelopes will do fine too. Label them so you know what's inside. Store them where they'll be away from heat or direct sunlight. I use cardboard file boxes to keep my seeds in and those do just fine. Another good place to keep them is in your dining room drawers. Those are dark places and your dining room is sure to be safe from extreme fluctuations in temperature. Good luck with your seed saving! Trudi

I think I've WSown this in the past - my computer crashed this past fall and I lost all my records, but I know I WSed some kind of clary sage mix. I think it was a mix called Claryssa. I did have success with it, and knowing the way I garden in general, I most likely did not cover the seeds - too much work for me! I probably sowed it around late February into March, since this is when I do my annuals, and I think this is an annual. Sorry I can't be more specific, but I really lost a lot when the computer crashed.