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Fill the coffee cans with water.* You might also want to put a small thermometer among the plants to monitor the temperature in your garden. The ceiling should be propped open every day, even when the skies are cloudy. And it should be closed every night. In both cases, the roof will have to be removed to adjust the ceiling, of course. Your solar garden should provide a suitable temperature for the plants. But when it really gets cold, you may have to bring the plants indoors. Let the water in the coffee cans be your guide. If it starts freezing, that’s the time to move inside. By the way, don’t forget to maintain the water level in the cans. And remember to water those plants. * Why use water? The best way to answer that question is to (oh, oh, here it comes) do another quickie experiment. Sooo.. QUICKIE EXPERIMENT “F” Water as a Heat Storage Material Try to get three small cans of the same size, like soup or tomato paste cans. Put water in one, sand in another, and pebbles in the last. Fill each to the same level. If you have permission to do so, place the cans in an oven (not a microwave oven). Turn the thermostat to the lowest temperature possible and set the oven on “bake.” After about a half hour, the contents of all cans should be at the same temperature. Using a pot holder, remove the cans and put them on some newspapers. Wait several minutes. Then carefully touch each can. Keep doing that every so often. Which one holds heat the longest? Does that answer the question about using water in the coffee cans?