9. End of Season Maintenance

Early August is “maintenance month” in our backyard, which for us living the southern hemisphere is the last month of winter. We pick early August because there is a minimum of plants growing within, and we begin propagating seeds in the greenhouse towards the end of that month. Maintenance involves two distinct “operations”; that relating to the greenhouse and that which effects outside;

GREENHOUSE MAINTENANCE

For one weekend in August everything is removed from within the greenhouse, including shelving, the preparation trolley and any pots or containers holding plants of any nature. In other words the greenhouse is emptied. The shelving within our greenhouse is actually seedling display trolleys on castor wheels from a nursery that were no longer required. We have adapted them to suit our purposes and they can be dismantled very quickly and removed. Each of the trolley sections are laid out on the back lawn, brushed down with a little soap and water, hosed off with a jet spray attached to the hose and allowed to dry. In this way we remove the “hidden critters” underneath and clean away any potential diseases. The vertical steel posts are wonderful places to hide and they receive a thorough cleansing as well. And empty pots, growing boxes and containers get the same treatment. Nothing escapes an annual cleansing. Even containers housing plants get a check-up, inside and underneath. The whole purpose is to ensure that no potential disease or pest is passed onto the next crop.

It is easier to check on the condition of the floor and walls of the greenhouse when everything has been removed. We still get a few weeds internally and there are always a handful of snails that manage to sneak in and hide where no one can see them. This is also a good opportunity to check on the condition of the bricks that the trolleys sit on. We don’t sit our trolleys on dirt simply because as you add growing mediums to each shelf they simply sink into the soil. Eventually they become unstable. We place a brick at soil level under each wheel and that ensures they remain in place and secure. But each year we still check on their condition and replace any that are broken.

As the original PVC door covers have been removed and replaced with fly screen doors (which allow the breeze but keep out most insects), these also receive an annual inspection for screen damage and damage to the frame. At this moment the front door is looking a little worse for wear and will require some repairs to the base frame. A little oil on the door hinges is also recommended.

Cleaning of the walls usually consists of a serious jet spray of water from the hose, although any dirt not removed is brushed off with soap and water. We don't have too many problems with dirt on the outside since the roof is of igloo design and dirt cannot find anywhere to grip onto. But it still gets a once a year spray just for the hell of it.

Any pots still producing have dead leaves removed, a trimming if necessary, top soil added and any weeds removed. Snails and slugs find ways to hide amongst the leaves unless you are vigilant with your plant inspections. If the plant is getting too big for the pot then this is the best time to repot it in something bigger, with new soil added to assist future growth. Make sure all your existing plants are given a "health check" before you put them back into the greenhouse. Any plants looking sick should be discarded immediately. We wont take the chance that they may recover because if they don't we have an even bigger problem. Their condition will effect other plants that are currently disease free.

EXTERNAL MAINTENANCE

Maintenance outside the greenhouse is done on a continual basis, usually in the late afternoons when conditions are a little cooler and there is little breeze. External maintenance requires a little vigilance as each raised bed is inspected. It doesn't take long, but is absolutely vital. We check continuously on the health of all external plants, and in particular look for changes in leaf condition and colour, plants not producing, plants producing plenty of flower but nothing edible, plants not producing new growth and potential infestations by insects. Our lime tree attracted ants for some time until we discovered that there was a nest underneath. Not a pleasant job to remove it! The lime tree survived but it will take twelve months to recover. This year we have pulled off all the flowers so that any growth will come from the plant itself, not the fruit.

The main external maintenance is that performed between crops. As each crop concludes all plant growth is removed, most ending up on the compost heap. The raised bed is cleared of all growth and allowed to lay in fallow for a week or two. In the meantime additional compost is added, soil is turned, the ph is checked to determine if the level is correct for the next vegetable to be planted, worms are added from the compost heap and manure is added if necessary (our neighbours always know when this has been added).

We practice crop rotation, which means we do not plant the same vegetable in the same raised bed each year. This also cuts down on the possibility of disease being passed on from crop to crop, and is just as important as the maintenance itself.