Colder Weather, Securing the North End of House One.

I drove to the dentist's office to pay a bill.  On the way I saw the pretty yellow flowers.  I had to stop and take a picture, but I thought that I left my phone home.  I went home and Carol went to her DUP meeting.  I walked over and took several pictures.  After closer examination I could see that they were gum weeds.  They looked so pretty because they had been mowed down several times and bloomed on short stems.  Normally they have tall stems and are not landscape plants.

There was a cold breeze blowing below the doors on the north end of house six. The block and pieces of wood covered the space below the doors.

Some pretty aster were growing the upper pad.  We used to grow these, but there were not very impressive in the pot. The one below look really pretty good.

I wanted to plant some red beats.  An idea forced itself into my head.  I could easily space the plants by using a Styrofoam tray.  One tray had 338 cells.  I had to make the raised level.  I used the 2x4 to smooth it off.  It would have been much easier with the help of another person.

I was planting red beats and the seed was to large and got stuck in the Styrofoam cells.  I use a drill and a 5/16 inch bit to make the hole in the bottom of the cell larger.  I tried several other size bits there were either too large or too small.

I was kneeling on the right of the Styrofoam dropping a seed into each cell.  I was hard to lean over and drop the seed.  Idea.  I got a large piece of plywood set it in front of the Styrofoam.  With the chair, I could sit there and lean over and drop in a seed.  I used tweezers. that didn't work.  I used a little spoon and picked up the seed with the spoon and dropped in the seed.  That was to slow.  Finally, I put the seeds in a small container and was able to pick one or two seeds.

I left the Styrofoam in place when I watered them.  I think that the beets will germinated and grow up through the cells.  after the leaves come through I will remove the Styrofoam and the beets will establish them selves.

As I was walking to turn off the water, I walked past the Saffron plants.  They were blooming.  I thought they were through blooming.  I took a closer look and there were a bunch of flowers with the reddish, orange stigmas.   I left some chard boiling on the stove, and hurried back to the house.  I lowered the temperature and went back and cut off the flowers.  When in the house I removed the stigmas as you see in the photo below.  There may be more tomorrow.

Comments and questions are welcome: