Getting ready to overwinter plants

 

The outside plants have been moved off the deck and are staged between Mjolnir and Sleipnir.   They can get plenty of sun but be close to quickly move into Sleipnir if there are frost warnings.  Time to get Sleipnir ready.  

(1) I moved out Jormungandr.  It will spend the rest of the season in Mjolnir.  Not having it in Sleipnir over the winter gives me a little bit more wiggle room around the plant tiers and should I want to use the UTV  in the cold, I don't have to open Sleipnir's garage door and lose the warm air protecting the plants from the cold.  

(2) Moved out the collapsed tier structure that was stored flat against the wall all summer.  It's made from pine so not heavy. 

(3) Removed the screens on the three double windows on the south side of the building.   Screens shade a bit of the sunshine coming through and I can use all of the light and heat I can get in in the winter. Stored screens in the Sleipnir's maintenance room.  Good time to wash those windows too - inside & out.

(4) Swept where the tiers will be set up.  Just a bit of detritus that blew in during the summer.

(5) Picked up the end tables from their usual place next to the deck chairs.  They are made from a durable plastic so, while they can (and some do) stay outside all winter long, they are perfect to serve as a first tier of plants.  I put them end-to-end along the wall but about an inch away  When I set plants on them, the top of the pots will come right to the windowsill so the plants will be bathed in sunlight.  Unfortunately, the yellow-rumped warblers love all of my outside furniture - to land on/ take off from/wait until the next insect comes by.  All 7 end tables needed a good wash.

(6)  Assembled the two sets of tiers.  Pretty easy.  Each has a support structure which swings forward on hinges.  I position each tier system so it's touching the end tables in front of them.  Each tier system has two shelves which lock everything in place.  Each shelf is set at a height so the pots on it are behind the plants in front of them.  When you look in through the windows, it looks like a wall of greenery.  The brothers did an excellent job crafting them.

(7) The outside end tables can handle standing water but the tier shelves are wood.  Got out old plastic tarps and draped them over the shelves.  I try to do a couple of layers of plastic so water hopefully won't find holes to seep through.  A little painters tape keeps everything in place until I bring in the plants.