Just for kicks, I like to test the resolve of certain plants in the fall of the year and this autumn has been no different.

After clearing off the fields I decided to set up a "fall" test plot to see how certain plants would react to cold and minimal moisture. There were two onion plants, a red and a yellow, one cauliflower, that amazingly grew back after flea beetles annihalated it in August, a strawberry plant and two full fields of rye that I planted Oct. 9 as a cover crop.

From mid October to Thanksgiving Day, we have had some harsh weather conditions here in northwestern North Dakota. In fact, the temperature has dropped to 4 below zero Fahrenheit on one occasion and has been in the single digits on numerous nights.

But, there has been little moisture, only 3/10 of an inch in the month of November and about the same amount during October. It's been incredibly dry here, which seems unusual.

The onions didn't do very well. I had them covered with autumn leaves and although they grew roots and began growing stems, the cold hit them hard and the "leaves" almost looked as if they were blistered from the cold. The good news, though, they both had roots about six inches long, which tells me long-day onions will grow after the summer solstice.

The cauliflower has worked hard to continue growing and although most of the leaves were damaged by the intense cold, several, close to the stem, continue growing to this day. Unfortunately, the angle of the sun is such that this plant is not going to get much more sunlight before the winter solstice.

The strawberry is the biggest surprise. It appears to be doing well, or as good as can be expected under the conditions of which I've allowed. Again, covered with autumn leaves, many of the leaves on this plant continue thriving on the last week in November. I ran a temperature probe and found the soil to be 40 degrees Fahrenheit so it is certainly sustainable.

The rye has done well also. A lack of moisture, sporadic sunlight and several nights of bitter cold, and this crop continued to grow until about a week ago, until it finally went dormant. Rye is a strong plant in the single leaf stage.

My conclusion is that given a little protection, plants can and will thrive in this environment late into the year. If they can continue growing after being hit day after day with the variables I've described,  they will thrive in a greenhouse with moisture and a more constant temperature.