![]() ![]() ![]() And later in the day, I brought them back indoors again. From autumn to spring, I carried many flats of houseplants outdoors to the sunny porch when it was warm enough, above 50° or 60°. In the basement, more plants snuggle close to the 4′ fluorescent shop lights. Plants requiring warm temperatures fill every sunny window indoors. Miniature succulents, succulent gardens in bonsai trays (photo, above), bromeliads, aroids ( Alocasia, pothos, philodendron), amaryllis, leopard lilies ( Drimiopsis, Ledebouria), tradescantias, ferns, ficus, begonias… I propagated all these houseplants for the Elkin Farmers’ Market, where I’ve been a vendor (“Wellspring Gardens”) since April. A collection that started in spring as 12 flats of tender plants blossomed to 40 by autumn. Some I’ve had for decades and don’t want to lose. ![]() Priority went to succulents and tropical plants intolerant of cooling temperatures. Succulents in this dish garden can begin stretching toward the light after less than a week in insufficient sunlight. ![]() On the other hand, we’ve also enjoyed a few shorts-and-tee-shirt days hovering well above average. Both daytime and nighttime temperatures have fallen 10-20° below average on many days in October and November. That won’t stop most gardeners from finding ways to extend the growing season, and, in fact, encourages us to do so.Ībnormally cold weather prompted me to gather all plants that would have been damaged or killed by frost. The average lowest extreme temperatures in winter are 0-10☏, with January the coldest month. I moved to this beautiful acre outside Elkin, in USDA plant hardiness zone 7, in October, 2021. In this article, I’ll describe how enclosing the porch can add more growing space for sun-loving tender plants-those killed by freezing temperatures. This year, though, many nights were frosty. Average nighttime low temperatures in October are in the 50’s F falling to the 40’s by the end of the month. Winter weather is in a rush to make its presence known here in northern North Carolina. Enclosing the Porch for Growing Plants In Winter ![]()
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