Red Grass, Tomatoes, & Table

I started work in house two at nine.   Some of the tomato plants in house two have been there since last October.  I kept them for propagating.   There are three different varieties that I don't have seed and I don't think there is any available anywhere.  These are some cross pollination that have occurred naturally in my gardens.

One is called Purple Cherry.  I had one plant in house one.  I took cuttings and had four or five in house six.  It looks like an elongated Black Cherry.   The one I call an Orange Gladiator.  It is like and the same size of the Gladiator, except it is orange.  The one on the right is called Yellow Banana.  Last year the fruit was about two inches long and fairly narrow, hence Yellow Banana.  The are ten cuttings in each quart jar.

There were a lot of legume type weeds growing the north raised bed.  I dug them all up and spaded this bed to get it ready for some parsley plants.

Here is the purple fountain grass.  We have two large pots with a large plant in each one.  I divided one into three parts.  The larges part was put back into the pot and the two smaller parts are # 2 pots.  There is a little green on them.

Yesterday, I transplanted more tomato plants.  There are fifty-four plants in that row.  The blew twine marks the next row.  The plants are eighteen inches apart and there is eighteen inches between the two rows.

The above photo shows the holes I dug.  I dug the holes with a small trenching shovel.  I then put a plant in each hole and packed the soil around it.  Then on my knees I put the tomato plant in the hole and with both hands filled the hole with soil.

I discovered that I hadn't planted any Black Cherry tomato plants.  I found some seeds and planted one half tray.

I made this table for house two.  It is my contention that there is not ever enough benches or table tops for all the junk.  I built this bench with a 2x4 piece of plywood and a couple of six feet 2x4's The table rails or skirt are out of 2x4's.  The four legs are made of two foot 2x2's

The above photo shows the construction of the skirt and leg.  The skirts are held together with nails and screws.  The legs are held to the skirt with screws.  I drilled holes the skirt and screwed in the screws.  I was easy and quite fast and seems to be pretty secure.

There it is all together with a few trays on top.

Here it is with more trays.

For supper I had beet greens.  I cooked them for about forty minutes.  The are really dark and tasted so good.  These were planted last fall in house six.

The seeds that I ordered for Alisha came this morning.  I ordered pole beans and salad onions this morning.


Comments and questions are welcome.

Table Saw Sled and Small Table

We have been to the temple all morning.  As soon as we got home, I changed my clothes and went out the garage.

This is the small table upside down.  Yesterday, I glued the gray blocks to the skirt.  I put screws through the holes in the gray blocks and drove screws through the oak blocks into the table.  The legs are secured to the table top.

Using half inch screws I secured the runners to the base.  Now I am in the process to make the guides for cutting perfect miters.  The photo above shows how it will set on the base. There should be a ninety degree angle as represented by the speed square.  

I am making the angle guides out of some old 3/4 inch plywood.  there are two pieces about two inches wide glued together. I then drove screws through them to hold them together. Hope to finish tomorrow.  I need a right angle triangle to get an accurate corner. 

Comments and questions are welcome.

Putting Christmas Away

The Christmas season is about over.  It is time to box it up and put it away.

Carol boxed the Santa ornaments in the live tree in the corner.  I put the big nativity away that is on the dinning round table.  It is always a challenge to get the piece in the right spot.  I have the compartments numbered and a number on the bottom of the same piece.  They would not fit in.  Used the named compartment instead of the numbered one.  They fit right in.  I slide it all in the big box.  It is now ready for next year.

I made this stool from a piece of wood that we found on a trip west of Utah Lake and west of West Mountain.  We were hiking and found a old weather and partially rotted piece of wood.  I took it home and used it for the seat.  It has been in the garage ever since we moved here nearly twenty years ago.  I wanted to fix it several weeks ago.  Today I pulled it all apart.  I filled the mortises with Elmer's glue and used clamps to force the tenens into the mortises.  It looks a little crooked from this angle.  That is okay.

While rearranging things in the garage I found and solid old table top.  I cut into two piece to build a table say sled.  I have one I made a couple of years ago which is not very accurate.  I took my time on this one which is really accurate.  I can cut a perfect 90 degree angle.

I use the table saw sled to cut rabbits in this wood.  The one on the top is too wide.  The one on the bottom has a tight fit.  I am going to make a small stool which I will use a router to make the rabbits.

I thought that I would use the table saw sled to make miter cuts.  My miter saw has been in house four for years.  I brought it into the garage and cleaned it up. A little sowing machine oil helped to free up the saw.

I glued up four twenty-three inch zx4's together to use for the legs.  I ripped a little off each edge of the 2x4's to have good gluing surfaces.  I put a little glue on and clamped them.



Comments and questions are welcome.

Varnishing My Table

A stool that I use at the kitchen table has a large potted plant on top of it.  The stool that I use at my desk top computer is moved from computer to table back to the computer.  To day I decided that I would varnish the top of the plant table.  I used a spray can and did not want to get it on the legs.  I have some screw holes that I need to plug before that.  I wrapped paper around the legs to shield them from the varnish.  I the sprayed it with many coats.  It is out side so the smell will dissipate. Tomorrow I will bring it into the house.

Building a Small Table or Stool

Yesterday, I wanted to build a stool.  I run out of  time before I run out of something else to do.  Last night I sort of sketched a design of a small table.  I have a large stool for the table that where I eat.  I have small stool at my desk top computer.  This morning I began to build it.  I am calling it a table because it is square.  I build it out of out of old weathered 2 x 4s and some other weather one inch pickets from someone's fence. 

I cut four legs, four trestles, and four skirts out of 2 x 4s.  the 2 x 4s are 1 1/2 inches thick.  I cut all of them in so they are square except the skirts.   There is a pile of mistakes that I made which caused me to take some apart.  The skirts were cut to short.  They were to be put under the seat and screwed to the legs.  I had to cut them shorter and place them between the legs.  The trestle were put together in and "H" shape.  I wanted to have the weathered wood showing,  I ended up trimming the weathered trimmed off both sides.  I had to make a new one. 

I made the top out of  four 2 x 4 x 11 inches long.  they  should have 13 or 14 inches long.  I trimmed weathered sides off the centered board and one side off the two edge boards.  I glued the boards together and clamped them.  I moved them two separate times before the glue had set and the came apart at the middle.  I then put more glue on, and clamped them, and will wait till tomorrow to finish the table.