Mother's Mini-Manual: Greenhouse Gardening

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1. Pull up and destroy diseased plants. Don't bother trying to save them; you risk spreading the disease to other plants. It's just not worth it. Don't pile them outside of the greenhouse where they can serve as a reservoir for infection. Diseased plants piled next to the greenhouse can reinfect crops inside through spores that are blown into the house through vents and windows or tracked in on your shoes.

2. Don't let weeds grow wild next to your greenhouse. Aphids, thrips, mites and flea beetles thrive on weeds and can come through ventilators or the screen door into the greenhouse.

3. Be a good greenhouse keeper. Most pests live in crops right in the house itself. Pick up bits of foliage, stems and rubbish and destroy them. Keep weeds out! Weeds such as chickweed or oxalis grow fast under the benches and are a refuge for insects.

4. Inspect plants you introduce into your greenhouse.

5. Use soil-less materials for starting seeds and rooting cuttings.

6. Fresh air circulating through your greenhouse can do a great deal to reduce disease problems.

7. Become an amateur plant doctor and check for symptoms of disease and insect troubles on your plants.

8. Don't use soil or containers in which plants have died or have gotten sick unless you pasteurize or disinfect them first.

9. In watering, avoid wetting the foliage. Water early in the day so leaves can dry in the sun.

10. Never crowd plants; they need good air circulation.

11. Hang the hose nozzle on a hook to avoid picking up disease organisms from the floor and spreading it when you water. Watch for contamination of tools, shoes, equipment.

12. Avoid overwatering and overfertilizing, especially with nitrogen.

NATURAL INSECT CONTROLS

In addition to the many suggestions above, Organic Gardening Under Glass lists several natural insect controls which, because they're used in a confined and concentrated controlled environment, may be highly effective in combating unwelcome pests. (For additional tips on natural controls, see "Pacifism in Pest Control" in Mother Earth News, No. 9, Page 38.)

COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE NATURAL SPRAYS AND DUSTS. Nicotine sulfate, pyrethrum, ryania, rotenone, sabadilla (all of which are plant derived) and diatomaceous earth (the skeletal remains of microscopic organisms) may destroy insects effectively, but some may also kill fish and birds, or harm humans. Follow the directions and advice of your supplier.

HOMEMADE SPRAYS. The Abrahams list several aromatic concoctions which they've found to be effective in keeping away unwanted pests. All are based on the premise that some homegrown plants — such as tobacco, peppers, garlic, and onions — not only repel humans but offend insects, too. With a little ingenuity (and perhaps some attention to the idea of companion planting) you should be able to use the idea to your own advantage.

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