Your and my weather is only going to (quickly) get worse. Next Tuesday-Thursday our predicted low in the always-sunny, deep south state of Mississippi is 20 F with a wind chill of 12-14 F!

It's nasty currently. 32F and misting. Have to wait for Tues at the earliest for a break. Probably will be Wed before it's tolerable. The oak trees are still all green. None of the previous freezes have had time for the effects to really show up. All those leaves are going to fall at once.

Same here too. I have a single maple and it has dropped almost all its leaves over the last three days. The oaks haven't dropped many leaves at all. I expect to have a yard full of leaves over the next 7-10 days though.

I am not handling this well AT ALL. It's cold. I worry about the GH temp. It's cold. Itchy dry skin. It's cold. Covering the remaining plants in the yard. It's cold. Chapped hands. It's cold. Raking leaves. It's cold. Rain. Oh, and IT'S @$*&%$# COLD!!! Can you tell I am a (South) Texan? Ok, ok, I am a not a Native Texan but I got here as soon as I could.

I agree with all the "It's cold" statements. Same here in NE Mississippi. I can't ever remember seeing winter weather in mid-fall like this and I have lived in Mississippi (and the Deep South) for 70 years!

I am surprised that so many of my plants are still green too, The annuals and tender perennials are mushy /limp/black but the hostas,salvias,catmint are all green...

It's 47 here. We're waiting for the front. We have everything but the citrus trees in the hoop houses. I have decided that the citrus are more trouble than reward. I saved the caladium bulbs this year. They're in the garage.
On another forum, they are discussing bubble wrap for insulation. When we lived in Tucson, we had a pool cover of bubble wrap. It was most effective. The bubbles were larger than regular bubble wrap. If we keep getting these crazy low temps, I might have to check one of the pool suppliers here. I have used bubble wrap along the bottom of the hoops. Not sure if it was anymore effective than the foam core insulation across the bottom of the hoop.
I'm hoping the heaters will stave off the chill as they have before when we've had freezes . It will be 31 tonight. Brr.... I'll be getting up during the night to check temps.

@Bubbles, they are discussing bubble wrap in the Greenhouse forum. Seems the pool covers are the strongest and work well. Go over there and see what they have to say. I just discovered my heater timer went kaput tonight. Just when I had stopped obsessing over checking the GH temps. I have it set on Med. for the next 36 hours without a timer. Then tomorrow I will bump it up for the freeze. I know the plants are pouting even at 55º.

Cheryl, what sort of timers do you use? I have gone to GH-graded thermostats for all my heaters. They are not all that expensive, but they are extremely accurate. I just plug all my electric heaters into the thermostats (4, in two GH's), set the heaters on maximum temperature, and then let the thermostats control the heaters. I have found that the thermostats on the vast majority of electric heaters I have used over the years are inadequate, and that's the nicest term I can use!

Ken, seeing how this is my first greenhouse, well second if you count the lean two made of PVC and tarp, I used standard indoor outdoor timers without thermostats. Please tell me where I can find GH timers with thermostats. My heater is not a GH heater either. Just a heat dish with Off, Low , Med, and Hi settings. Would your timer be able to keep a constant temperature in the GH by turning the heat dish on and off?

Bummer about the timer. If it isn't going to freeze tonight where you are, do you think you need to have heater on Medium? Seems like you're really spoiling those little green children!

Of course I am spoiling my plants. That's a given. I built them a greenhouse, didn't I? I feel the less they stress the healthier they will be come spring. I want Hawaii for them!! My aim is to keep the GH a constant 70º. But since that is near impossible since the GH sits on a deck, the floor areas only 1/2 covered with I/O carpet, and is not air tight, I will settle for 65º. OK 60º. 55º and will work hard to keep it there. Isn't a constant temperature what we aim for? The temps at night are going from freezing to 40º's lately. Even if we arm back up to our normal Fall temps, by January, we will be back down there again, no doubt. That's Texas for ya. If you don't like the weather, just wait. I am longing for one of those 80º Christmases! Yeah, it's till possible.

Sandi, surely you jest. Though your statement was for Cheryl, you do understand what my 600+ tropical plants mean to me (mostly orchids)? These are my babies. I don't necessary pamper them but I do want them to be healthy and not be damaged by the cold. I have heard from some that I must keep my GH around 60 F and from others that say: "Poo, the orchids will survive (brief) temperatures of even 30's". What's the truth? I have no clue. Beliefs, book-reading, and what other's tell us are what the vast majority of us base our opinions/knowledge on. The thermostats that I use are accurate to 1/2 of a degree. I just want control of the temperature inside my greenhouses, at least to the best of my ability. I have a lot invested, not only in time but also hard-earned money.

Cheryl, those thermostats came from X-PLOR CUSTOM PLASTICS, INC. and the thermostats I think can from one of their subsidiaries, KKONTROLS. I think I ordered them off either Amazon or eBay. They cost something like $41.00 each plus minimal shipping. Since all my electric heaters are remotely controlled by those thermostats, I just set the heaters at their maximum (temperature) setting. The heaters will only turn on and stay on as long as the thermostat allows them to do so. My only other control is the wattage. My heaters are 750 W, 1000 W, and 1500 W (different makes of heaters). I use the wattage that I think will be necessary depending on the outside temperature.

I'm just sayin' those plants are going to expect mid 70s during the summer if you keep spoiling them.

I don't think you can "spoil" orchids, Sandi. Pets, wives, and children - but not orchids. Besides, mid-70's is what they will get in the summer here.

I believe we just posted at nearly the same time.
Yes, I was teasing Cheryl about pampering her plants. Mid 70s would be like Heaven here during summer. We have very few temps in the 80s during summer....mostly 90s and 100+ here.

Sandi, I was referring to low temps, not high temps. Like you, we here in NE MS get really hot and really humid. By putting all my tropical plants under large oaks/cedar trees, that (high) temperature is moderated somewhat.

Cheryl, we were supposed to have temps in the mid 20s last night. I don't think it got below freezing up here on the hill. I have a huge Mexican bird cage with cane begonias in it. I was just too tired to try to get the plants out before dark. This morning, I looked out and the begonias were fine. I waited for the sun to come out and they are still fine. Tonight it will be in the mid 30s. We didn't even turn on the heaters. Sunday it will be 79° during the day. Weird weather.

Iknow what you mean, Sandi. The only thing worse that cold Temps are variant Temps to the extremes. I mentioned on another thread, the temp in the GH reached nearly 100°today . I had to open the doors and windows before everything fried. These drastic Temps can't be good for my babies! I know it's driving me batty!

Today was great weather! I've had four freezes now, twice was temps in the 20's.