Moving plants into the greenhouse for winter

I haven't posted about my greenhouse adventures in ages. I got my first (and only) greenhouse a year ago June. Last year I wintered over a bunch of tender perennials sold as annuals, with mixed success. Petunias did very well, but a lot of the other stuff died (partly my fault for going too long between waterings and having inadequate air circulation in the greenhouse).

Fast forward to this year. I spent most of today moving stuff into the greenhouse, since our nights here in Portland are beginning to get cold. We've had frost in some areas already, though what we got at my place was more like slush and didn't kill anything off. But why tempt fate? So I got busy.

In addition to the citrus and brugmansia from last year, I have some bouganvilla and mandevilla. Plus, this year I'm trying an experiment. I dug up my bell peppers and jalapenos, potted 'em up, and moved them into the greenhouse. I don't expect them to bear during the winter, since I don't provide supplemental light, and I only keep the greenhouse heated enough to keep things from freezing. But I'm hoping to keep them alive so they can get an earlier start next spring. Plus I think it'll be cool to have shrub-sized pepper plants.

My Greenhouse

In June I bought my first-ever greenhouse, which I got for super-cheap from a nursery that went out of business. It's 8x16', plastic with wood on the lower sides. It seemed huge when I first got it, but now it's full to bursting. Another nursery that's going out of business is selling tender perennials for $.10, and I bought way too many. I've decided to see which ones can be wintered over; .10 each is cheap enough to take some risks to further my horticultural education :-)

I plan to keep the greenhouse at a minimum of 45F, which shouldn't be too difficult given that Portland winters are usually mild.

I'll post updates from time to time. In the meantime, here's a partial list of what's in there:
Tender perennials - petunias, salvia, verbena, gazania, impatiens, coleus, and a few others usually sold as annuals
Fuschias
Brugmansia
Citrus - several types of lemons, oranges, and limes
Elephant ears (taro)
Cannas
Thunbergia (Black-Eyed Susan vine)
Basil
Lettuce

I have a wireless thermometer that records maximum and minimum temperatures each day. So far it averages 40-50 at night and 60-70 during the day. Outside temperatures at night are usually about 5 degrees lower than the temperature in the greenhouse. I haven't gotten a heater yet, but I plan to this weekend. Portland's average frost date is Oct. 15, so I'm on borrowed time.

I'd love to hear from other greenhouse gardeners in the Northwest.