by Lisa M LaVergne

Created on: March 05, 2009

Properly caring for your greenhouse in the winter is an important part of greenhouse gardening. Without proper winter care, your greenhouse may fail to function properly, and your winter gardening endeavor can quickly turn into a disaster. Fortunately, caring for your greenhouse in winter is quite simple, and easy for both the beginner greenhouse gardener as well as the more experienced gardener to perform.

Fall Cleaning of Your Greenhouse

The first step in properly caring for your greenhouse in the winter is to properly clean it in the fall. You greenhouse needs to be regularly cleaned and disinfected, and doing this in the middle of winter is just not conducive to winter gardening. Likewise, neither is disinfecting it in the spring or in the summer, because this leaves time for germs and garden pests to form over the winter months.

Fortunately, there are many products available that are designed to safely and thoroughly clean and disinfect your greenhouse, before you start growing your plants in the winter. Make sure and clean the entire structure, inside and out, so that you properly remove any pest or germ infestations that might be starting. You can also fumigate the inside of your greenhouse for good measure as well, just make sure that all plants are removed before you do so.

Maintaining Greenhouse Accessories

Greenhouse accessories that are essential for successful greenhouse gardening such as ventilation systems, watering systems and heating systems, should all be checked at the beginning of the winter to ensure that they are working properly. This will help to guarantee that the products stay working throughout the winter, and keep your plants alive and healthy. Check for malfunctions, nicks or breaks in wires, and leaks to water lines and faucets. If you find anything wrong, not is the time to replace or repair the products, before winter sets in.

Once winter is upon you and you have your plants in the greenhouse, you will need to continue to check your greenhouse accessories to ensure they are functioning properly. Perform a weekly inspection of all greenhouse accessories, to make sure that everything is still in tip top shape. If you see a problem, you should immediately attend to it before the accessory goes out, which can result in a frantic rush to keep your plants alive.

Maintaining the Greenhouse Structure

When you inspect the greenhouse accessories in the fall, you should also check the structure of the greenhouse itself. Panels or fabric should

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