GROWING YOUR OWN FOOD with DIRTY NAILS OCTOBER, 4TH WEEK ESSENTIAL GREENHOUSE WORK Cleaning and disinfecting the greenhouse is not a job that Dirty Nails looks forward to. But in the interests of continuing good crops, it has to be done. Diseases such as grey mould, or ‘botrytis’, thrive in the warm, enclosed conditions of the greenhouse environment. Their spores spread invisibly. These, and numerous other nasties, need to be cleansed in order to avoid future problems.

First thing is to remove the entire contents. Dirty Nails stacks all his kit on wooden pallets ready for sorting and washing later. By this time of year there are always lots of spiders that have taken up residence in the greenhouse. Dirty Nails attempts to catch and release every one before disinfecting begins. Most spiders will drop down on a silken thread from their corner when stroked with a fine brush, and can be caught in a container held below. It’s a time consuming and fiddly task but one that is undertaken out of respect for these amazing hard-working little creatures.

Then it is a case of mopping-out and washing-down the whole greenhouse interior with a biodegradable disinfectant, diluted to the manufacturer’s recommended ratio. Washing the contents is next. Dirty Nails only uses plastic pots and trays which makes cleaning easier. His staging, which can be built up and taken down as required, is plastic too. Disinfecting this is straightforward, using a large bucket of weak disinfectant to dunk everything into, with a toilet brush to dislodge caked-on potting compost and dirt.

It’s an outside job and can be done little by little as and when equipment is needed for use. With a howling wind all around, leaves doing the manic dance of the autumn fall, and temperatures low, it can feel thankless and tiresome. But when the gales subside and warm late-season rays catch his cheeks and warm his shoulders, Dirty Nails is in his heavenly element. Sitting on a stool, sleeves rolled up, sloshing and scrubbing mucky old pots which have raised all manner of veggies over the last few months, is an honest and wholesome task. POTTING-ON PURSLANE The winter purslane, which was sown indoors during mid-September, is large enough to be potted on. 4 inch (10 cm) pots are prepared by filling with potting compost and pushing a hole in the middle about 2 inches (5 cm) deep to accommodate the roots. Dirty Nails loosens the seed tray soil by gently tearing out a clump of seedlings, taking utmost care not to damage roots or stalks. By holding the long oval leaves, he patiently teases the seedling purslane plants apart and selects the biggest and strongest for potting-on. Their straggly roots are lowered into the prepared pots. Compost is lovingly pressed down to snuggle them in. They are now ready to go into the newly cleaned greenhouse. Kept moist, they should be growing fleshy round leaves enough to commence harvesting in a few weeks.

NATURAL HISTORY IN THE GARDEN: HOGWEED In area of the plot left to go a bit wild, hogweed grows in abundance. It is a much maligned species and the sap can irritate the skin if the sun shines on it when still wet. None-the-less, it is a vital source of sustenance for declining bumble bees. Having been in flower since June, displaying sturdy umbels of white flowers, this most common species of the parsley family is setting seed at the moment. The skeletal, saucer-sized platters hold clusters of disc-shaped seeds smaller than an old half-penny. Heads held aloft on thick, browning stems, their ripe seeds scatter to the ground when disturbed by strong, gusting winds or are knocked by either gardener or foraging badgers.

A Vegetable Gardener’s Year by Dirty Nails (How To Books, ISBN 978-1-905862-22-1), is now available from good bookstores and www.dirtynails.co.uk , priced £12.99 Copyright, Dirty Nails October 2008