Learn Everything You Need To Know About Keeping Your Garden Clean

Every gardener knows that keeping the garden clean is an important disease-fighting technique. Gardeners who practice good garden sanitation not only have fewer problems with diseases, they'll also cut down on pest and weed problems as well. And while keeping a garden clean is a great deal easier than keeping a house clean, it does require some of the same attention to detail.

Do an annual cleanup. Inside the house, it's traditional for the major cleaning effort to come in the spring. Out in the vegetable garden, you should plan to concentrate your cleanup efforts in the fall. At the end of the growing season, routinely remove and compost all plant stalks. Lift plastic mulches and either dispose of them or save them for the following year. Even if you don't plan to use them for plants in the same family next season, form the habit of dipping plastic mulches in a 10% bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water) and letting them air-dry before rolling and storing.