"Mary Fisher" wrote in message
. net...

"Rhiannon Macfie Miller" wrote in message
...
I've just cleared out my greenhouse. The tomatoes were still fruiting,
but not ripening well, the aubergines were more or less over and the
chillis have produced more than we'll use in five years. But the main
reason for clearing it all out was the mould.

You may remember that last year I had some nasty mould in my greenhouse.
(I have no idea what it is, but it produced brown furryness over any
dead matter such as old flower petals on the ends of fruit, and quickly
spread to living material.) I left the greenhouse open over the winter
in the hopes that the frost would kill it, and this year I made sure it
was better ventilated over the summer, as recommended by urglers. This
worked well, until the autumn came and I closed the window to stop the
tomatoes and aubergines (which were only just getting going) from being
discouraged by cooler temperatures. The mould came straight back and
quickly got as bad or worse than last year.

Now that I've got all the plants out (and I don't intend to put more in
there till the spring), and given that on current performance I don't
expect this winter to be as cold as last, is there anything I can do to
help ensure that the mould spores don't survive?

You can't be 100% sure. As soon as you open the door more will come in and
the greenhouse isn't hermetically sealed anyway, is it?

Mary

Rhiannon

I agree, Botrytis (the fluffy mould in question) is a big problem at this
time of year, I use one of those office type fans in one of mine to keep the
air moving, cut back and remove any foliage that's past its best and
generally try and stay cleaner and tidier than normal, but I do not use any
chemical to clean it all, I can't its got too many plants in it!
--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collections of Clematis viticella (cvs) and
Lapageria rosea