Spring cleaning

   The tomatoes are enjoying the full strength fertilizer. Some are growing about 1½ inches a day, but a few seem to be less vigorous. To help them along, we have been rotating the plants around the shelf to provide an even light source for all of the plants. Although moving the plants is beneficial for their growth, it can create a huge mess in your grow room. Crowded spaces and spilled dirt and water can become a breeding ground for disease quickly because of the heat and humidity common in most productive grow rooms. The easiest way to keep your plants safe from disease is to clean the grow room once a week. 

To do this, remove all plants from the grow room. Vacuum or sweep up all loose dirt/growing medium that has spilled from previous moves. Using bleach or an organic cleanser spray all the surfaces in the room. Let the air out for a few minutes and wipe down all of the sprayed surfaces. Leave the room open to air out until the smell of the cleaner has faded, about an hour or two. Now wipe the containers clean of loose dirt and debris with a damp rag.

 Now that the room and containers are clean, begin to move the plants back to the grow space.  Move plants that were not receiving as much light to the best-lit part of the room and rotate the others into the vacant space. By keeping the grow space clean, you can prevent many incurable diseases that can occur when growing vegetables indoors.