Heating In this transitional period o the year, as summer changes into autumn, a little artificial heat regulated by a greenhouse thermostat may be beneficial to your plants. Shading Towards the end of the month remove the shading wash from the glass if you have not done this before. If the weather becomes hot and sunny you can always provide local shading for young and tender seedlings and cuttings, using paper, butter muslin or horticultural fleece. Cleaning Clean and disinfect the greenhouse now if this was not carried out last month. Pests and diseases By the end of the month the atmosphere in the greenhouse is likely to be damper and cooler, so be alert to signs of grey mould. Bringing in tender plants Before the nights turn too cold bring into the greenhouse any young or tender plants that have been outside in frames or in the garden during the summer. Discard any plants of indifferent quality and check carefully for signs of pests and diseases. Sowing annuals Annuals, such as cornflowers, calendulas, nemesias and godetias, sown in early September and grown as pot plants in a cool greenhouse, will make a colourful display during spring and early summer next year. Schizanthus is another excellent plant to grow in this way. Plant the seeds in trays of seed compost, and keep at a temperature of 13-15°C (55-60°F), and prick out the seedlings onto 8 cm (3 in) pots of potting compost as soon as they are large enough to handle. Plant one seedling per pot. Keep the plants over the winter on a shelf near the glass. Taking cuttings If you have not already done so, it is still possible to take cuttings of a number of plants which can be overwintered under cover. These include tender perennials, herbs, shrubs, fuchsias, pelargoniums and house plants. Vines Reduce ventilation and watering as the grapes ripen and stop feeding as soon as the grapes start to colour. Remove leaves which are covering the grapes. This will assist ripening. Pick bunches as they ripen and remove any mildewed fruit and leaves at the same time. This helps to reduce the spread of the fungus. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers Harvest before the first frost of the greenhouse is not heated. It is not normally economical to heat a greenhouse sufficiently to continue growing tomatoes. Once quality deteriorates, strip most of the leaves from the tomatoes and peppers to encourage ripening of any remaining fruit.