If you decide that you want to keep plants over winter or you want to start seeds yourself there is one rule that you just can't get around.
SANITATION!!!!
This means cleaning up the dead leaves in and around your pots and flats.
This means checking regularly and coming up with a plan for controlling pests in a way that you feel comfortable. Not everyone likes spraying chemicals in their house.
This means tossing out a plant you really wanted to save but it is slowly dying with no hope of true recovery.
This means attending to them a couple times a week so you do not miss pest problems creeping up on you.
This means making new cuttings of the old plants and tossing the rest into the cold compost bin when they are old and tired.
This means cutting back your plants that seem to be growing all over the place so you can manage them more efficiently.
Being a gardener is not just about loving the plants and nurturing them along. Sometimes it is a brutal job that requires losing sentimental attachments. Sometimes Grandma's ficus is better off in the snow bank than propagating generations of spider mites and mealy bugs for the rest of your plants. It means taking the time to monitor the health and well being so the ficus doesn't need to go to the snow bank because you weren't paying attention. Being a good gardener is hard work! The rewards are amazing...
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