My garden is doing quite well following the move, I note great deal of new growth even in the past week! But as the temperature begins to drop, I am increasingly nervous (and cold! My blood is still SFL thin!). The plan for the moment is to bring the jungle inside for the winter, but I wonder if small outdoor greenhouse might be a better solution.

Does anyone have any advice re. a greenhouse in a City apt context? Or any other overwintering advice for a gardener not so used to winter?

Thank you in advance.

With a table, some shop lights with high spectrum bulbs, and an electric fan you should be able to set up a decent indoor environment for your tender plants. Plan on sheltering them inside from mid-October to late April in this area.

RDogg, NYC regulations are pretty strict. If you decide to get a greenhouse, you must get approval from your landlord. We had that issue here - the tenants garden on a portion of the roofdeck - and found out the building would need an additional permit to put in ANY type of installation like a greenhouse. The city rejected the application.

The garden came inside this winter, and our little jungle home kept our focus off the cold months. We lost the bamboo and the sweet potato vine, but the rest of us survived (incl poor hubbie and his run-ins with the bougainvillea).

I wonder if I should have considered a outdoor storage shed (I've seen them at HD I think Rubbermaid) -- substantially cheaper than a greenhouse, legal (thanks, heathentart), and I could have let my plants "sleep" the winter away... though tropicals may not need the rest.

But I have many months to figure THAT one out!