overwintering

=Preparing Your Garden for the Winter= The outdoor growing season will have significantly slowed at this point, so very little work will to cover your beds with your [|pop up greenhouse] or [|season extenders]. First, deeply water the plants and remove any dead or damaged plants (compost them!) need to be done. Be sure to keep an eye on the temperature and soil moisture levels. A couple weeks before outdoor temperatures are expected to fall below freezing during both the day and night is the best time to install your season extenders. Choose a warm sunny day. Spun fabric and cold frames work by providing a wind buffer and trapping heat from the sun during the day, thereby creating a warmer “microclimate” in the planting bed. Spun fabric will give 2 to 8°F of temperature protection during the day. Cold frames will give 10°F protection during the day.

The dormant bed will not be uncovered until February or March, but you might be able to monitor the plants in the pop up greenhouse during the winter months. In order to avoid risking damage to the plants during a winter visit, you must choose a day that outdoor temperatures are above freezing (mid-40s or warmer would be ideal), and the air is calm (NO WIND OR BREEZE). Be sure to open only the side of the greenhouse that faces the sun, and keep the greenhouse open for less than five minutes. This isn’t a very long time, so be sure to make your observations quickly!
 * Visiting the greenhouse in the winter**

September October November December March April May June Avg High 73 62 52 42 45 56 67 77 Avg Low 57 46 38 28 31 40 50 59
 * Average monthly high and low temperatures in Boston**

Source: Bartholomew, Mel. Plant A Fall Garden Now! Square Foot Gardening www.squarefootgardening.com/html/body_fall_garden.html
 * Germination Times** **at Different Temperatures**
 * ~ Crop || 32°F ||~ 41°F ||~ 50°F ||||~ 68°F ||
 * Beets || Not tested || 42.0 days || 16.7 days || 6.2 days ||
 * Cabbage || Not tested || Not tested || 14.6 days || 5.8 days ||
 * Carrots || 0.0 || 50.6 days || 10.1 days || 6.9 days ||
 * Lettuce || 49.0 days || 14.9 days || 7.0 days || 2.6 days ||
 * Radishes || 0.0 || 29.0 days || 11.2 days || 4.2 days ||
 * Spinach || 62.6 days || 22.5 days || 11.7 days || 5.7 days ||