The Northwest has joined the Northeast in your difficult winter, Lesa!
It isn't just the lights - it's the room, Silkie! And, I no longer have the kind of ceiling above my good south window where I can easily hang lights.
It is easier to move things out into the greenhouse and turn on the heat :/. I can hang a light out there. . . . Now, we are
talking real energy use!
But, the
room problem -- Last year, the plan for the tomatoes was to pot them in larger containers than usual, after they were about a month old. I did that and moved them out of the greenhouse into a plastic tunnel.
It was 38F in there the 1st night! They had never experienced a temperature below about 58. Many wilted so badly that the leaves and tender growing tips did not recover. Back into the greenhouse they went; where I no longer had room to walk!
I could pull some hardier plants out (off the floor) each day once things began to warm up but the the cool weather lingered. I finally hardened off the tomatoes and took the risk of setting them out in the open garden. Too early!! They spent nearly 72 hours covered thru 2 frosts.
The only thing that saved my sorry . . . state of affairs was the sheer number of plants that I had. If memory serves, 16 of the 60 tomato plants in the garden had to be replaced. And then, my 60 plant tomato patch really didn't have a very good season.
The peppers did reasonably well . . . they weren't subjected to such nonsense
!
I still think that the 24th is the best date for the snapdragons and peppers for me here. I got the containers of soil good and soaked in a basin of water and allowed them to drip (sorta) overnight in the greenhouse. No heat in there, they froze like bricks that night . . .
I carried the containers indoors and sprinkled seed and a little more potting soil on top yesterday and they are now resting comfortably in my nice warm kitchen. It is -1F outdoors.
I'll start the 1st half of the tomatoes by March 1 and the 2nd half of the pepper seed soon after. No Fear!!
Steve
.
