The best time to clean the greenhouse is when you have the fewest plants growing. This is why November is the perfect time to bring out the cleaning supplies.
1. Clean on a sunny, warm day - It will be good for your positive vibes to get into the warm greenhouse sun and it will be good for the garden too.
2. Cut back on watering - Sitting water is never a good thing. Extra moisture and cold soil encourage insects like fungus gnats to multiply.
3. Remove cobwebs - While spiders are largely good for your garden, they sometimes offer a runway to the creepy little critters that are distantly related - the spider mites. Luckily spider mites will go dormant this month, but their hideouts can be the cracks and crannies so they are worth cleaning. Using a duster, remove the visible webbing and insects you see in your corners and ledges. Wipe surfaces with a damp cloth and a gran a bucket of soapy water.
4. Remove extra plants -
Yes, there may be a few flowers and fruit on tomatoes, but with diminishing light, there will be fewer and fewer fruit for you to harvest. If you are not planning on heating your greenhouse, warm climate plants will quickly start to mold and spread spores. Unless you are heating to consistent Summer temperatures, the warm season crops like melons, cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers should be pulled now. Pick the fruit first and then pull the plants.
5. Wash over wintering plants - It is time to turn the greenhouse over to cold season plants. Mustard greens, spinach, arugula, watermelon radish and root crops like carrots or beets will withstand frost levels. Remove any scale with a Q-tip dipped in alcohol then wash the leaves with a soapy soft cloth.
6. Wash fabric row covers - Wash your row covers and cover your plants with a protective Ag-30 ribbon cloth to give them extra protection over winter.
