Ok. I gave up. I was hoping that my porch room with new insulated steel doors would make the room habitable during the cold Michigan winter. But when the temps went down into the low 30's I realized that I was heating an entire room just for plants that would actually be warmer in my basement, and closer to water. So I moved some things around in my basement, and created my growing room down there.
I actually have plenty of room to start my hydroponics soon, and lots of counter top for working and plant starts and for my regular plants. I have room also for some big pots. Here are some photos!
My green pepper is still going, although I am thinking about trimming it back a bit. My dog ate the two nice sized green peppers that were hanging on it. But I have 2 little tiny ones that aren't doing much right now. I did fertilize the bucket this week, so maybe it just needed a little kick.
I dug up some worms and put them into a bucket with some leaves and swiss chard. I am hoping that they multiply over the winter and create a bucket of good fertilizer. I am also filling buckets with my raw vegetable kitchen scraps hoping that in the spring, I will have some nice compost. The scrap buckets are outside.
When I lived in the country and had a large garden outside in my yard, I made my grandfather's manure tea. I simply filled a large bucket half full of manure then filled the rest of the way with water. I just let this mess set outside in the middle of the garden and when I needed to water my plants, I scooped some out and poured it on my plants. My neighbor and I both bought tomato plants the same day and from the same place. We planted them in our gardens on the same day. However, it didn't take long for my plants to go bonkers and outgrow hers all over the place. I didn't tell her about my tea until she began to complain about the differences in our gardens.'
I wanted to have some kind of organize fertilizer that I can make for my plants. The Internet has lots of directions for making compost tea so I am probably going to be getting into some of my earlier filled buckets outside and seeing what I can come up with. I don't want to stink up my house with anything, so I will need to work on this outside then bring it in and hope for the best. I would like to try it in my hydroponics system as well. We will see!
I like starting my plants in my recycled roasted chicken containers. Black on the bottom and water proof. The top is a nice see through dome with a few little air holes. Makes an excellent mini green house! Plus I can slip in under a cupboard in my kitchen so that it sits next to a furnace vent. Once the plants have grown a bit, I will transplant them into the gutters.
I also have a green pepper plant that I salvaged before the frost in a 5 gallon bucket next to the table. I keep my recycling buckets under the table (I use old pickle buckets for everything I can!) I brought in my potted rosemary and around the room I have herbs (Parsley, Thyme, Oregano) in hanging planters. In a couple of weeks I will be starting my hydroponics system up again. Not sure where as my porch is rather small. Last winter I had it in my basement, but it is kind of cool down there. I would love it on my porch as I can listen to the gurgling water. I will have to think about it a bit.
I am still harvesting greens like Kale and Swiss chard from my back smaller bed. I know that last years Swiss chard refused to die until the snow buried it and the temps went way down. And still as soon as spring opened one of its eyes, it was back. I never had to replant one of my beds up by my back door. The stuff just keeps on producing! 
I chopped up some kale yesterday and made a pita chicken pizza with it. Yummy. I usually put kale in my soups and stews, eggs and also just steam it with chicken or fish. I haven't tried to kale chips that I hear about yet. But maybe soon. I use my Swiss chard the same way only I also use it instead of lettuce in sandwiches. Very tasty!