Get that sparkling greenhouse effect!

Cleaning up the greenhouse at the end of the season is one of those tasks that tends to get left to the last minute. We think of it as a wet day job.

However, it's not a good idea to let it drift. A greenhouse is a small, enclosed, sheltered environment that is perfect for raising plants - and just as ideal for breeding a host of pests and diseases.

Cleanliness and hygiene are essential if a greenhouse is to be a bonus and not a heartache.

And this is the perfect time to "spring clean" it in readiness for the new sowing season which, in the case of half-hardy bedding, onions and leeks starts in January.

First, clear everything out of the greenhouse.

Empty old compost from pots, trays and grow-bags on to the compost heap or use it to mulch shrubs and herbaceous plants. Do not keep it for next year.

If you put shading paint on the glass to prevent over-heating in summer, wash it off now. When you sow seeds early in the new year they will need all the natural light they can get.

Brush the staging, the nooks and corners of the framing, and the floor. If you have beds in the greenhouse, dig them over thoroughly and work in organic fertiliser.

Ideally, the soil should be replaced every three years.

Cover the beds with black plastic sheeting to smother any weed seedlings that will germinate when you start heating the house.

Scrub every surface with diluted Jeyes Fluid.

Another vitally important job which can be left to a wet day is thoroughly washing all pots and trays.

Cleanliness, you will find, avoids a lot of damage and failure from disease and pests.

Your step-by-step gardening guide

PUTTING THE MOWER TO BED:

THERE is nothing worse than getting out the motor mower for the first cut of the new season to find it will not start. Here's how to put it away for the winter in good order.

1. Run the engine for a minute to get it warm then tip the mower on to its side to drain off petrol and oil.

2. Thoroughly clean the machine and rub it all over with an oily cloth. Clear out wheel treads.

3. Remove the spark plug and clean it, using emery cloth to remove any deposit from the electrodes.

4. Spray fine oil into the spark plug cavity and return the plug, screwing it in finger tight.

JOBS FOR

THE WEEK

PUT sticky greasebands round apple, cherry, pear and plum trees to trap the wingless female winter moths which will climb the trees to lay their eggs.

STORE apples in a cool, dry, frost-free place. Only keep sound, undamaged, undiseased fruit.

PLANT garlic and overwintering onion sets.

PLANT spring cabbage where they are to crop.

MILES AHEAD OF THE REST

THE "Mile-a-Minute" Clematis montana is an ideal plant for covering a fence, an ugly garden building, or for scrambling into a tree.

People readers can buy two of the pink-flowered form, C. m. Rubens, for pounds 10.95, including packing, postage and VAT, or four for pounds 19.95.

Send your order to: People Clematis Offer, PO Box 64, South West District Office, Manchester M16 9HY. Make cheques and postal orders payable to: Mirror Group Newspapers SPG585 and write your name and address on the back in capitals. Or call the credit card order hotline on 0161 431 6431 quoting SPG585 Clematis Offer.

Offer closes on December 11 and is subject to availability. Allow 28 days for delivery (UK mainland only).

Questions and Answers

QCAN I safely grow Nerium oleander and lantana OUTSIDE in this country?

A NEITHER of these plants can be left out all year. However, they can spend the summer outside. They should be grown in a soil-based potting compost.

Remember that Nerium oleander is very poisonous, and some people can come out in a rash just by touching the leaves.

Q CAN I trim back my large magnolia tree. It is overhanging my neighbour's garden?

A NORMALLY it is not necessary to prune magnolias but if they need bringing under control then carry out the pruning from mid-May to mid-July after they have flowered.

The exception is the evergreen M grandiflora which should be pruned in the spring.

Article Details

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Title Annotation:	Features
Author:	Lyte, Charles
Publication:	The People (London, England)
Date:	Oct 27, 1996
Words:	717
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