If the idea of extending your growing season has sparked some interest in winter gardening, don't forget that there are a number of crops well suited to winter gardening. Apart from the well-known winter crops such as spinach, leeks, scallions cabbage, kale & parsley, winter gardeners should also try arugula, escarole, claytonia, kohlrabi, mizuna, radicchio, sorrel & watercress, corn salad (mache).
Certain herbs will also grow well in cooler temperatures including cilantro, winter thyme, winter savory & sage. Few flowers will produce under these conditions with the exception of violets & johnny jump-ups.
A few tips:
While each layer of protection will increase temperature, each layer will also cut out about 10% of light. Two layers will not pose a problem but a third layer could cause crop failure due to inadequate light levels.
While soil temperatures are still warm, fertilize leafy greens like spinach, corn salad & sorrel so that they have enough nutrients to take them through the fall.
Harvest greens above their crowns so that growing tip isn't damaged and you get another crop.
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