spinach is a very difficult crop for most areas. The best way to grow it is over the entire winter. It should do ok for you. it should survive and you crop it in the spring. you plant the seeds probably now and harvest in the spring. there are some web sites discussing growing spinach do a google search. of course the pacific north west is where the seed crop is grown because it does well there. I have given up on it and now grow swiss chard. really tasty if you pick some good varieties. It grows so incredibly easy compared to spinach. you can slice off the stem and eat the leaf portion only just like spinach. of course do not throw away the stem. they are great to eat but you can cook them separate for a different texture. However, I just cook it all together. I am not trying to emulate spinach.

Just happen to have these instructions sitting by the computer to try myself. They came from the extension office so it should be reliable :) Roasting Hulled Pumpkin, Squasah or Sunflower seeds To hull seeds in quantity, first break them up with a rolling pin, then drop the seeds and hulls into a large container filled with water. Stir vigorously to bring all kernels in contact with the water and to break the surface tension. The kernals will sink to the bottom, the shells will remain floating. After the seeds have dried they may be roasted in a frying pan at low heat or toasted in a shallow pan in the oven at 325º Mix: 1 cup seeds 2 teaspoons vegetable oil Heat stirring frequently to prevent scorching. the time required will be from 2-6 minutes, depending on the dryness of the seeds.

When we prune roses, often we only see one side of the bush. I often find that when an apparently healthy cane has died or started to ail after pruning, that when I cut it, I find a problem on the backside that I just didn't see the first time. Now the color black isn't good. When it appears where you've just cut back, you've spread something to that surface. Clean secateurs are a necessity in our zone. (I've seen secateurs in zone 10 that could be called, at best, grotty and the owner never had a problem spreading diseases...probably because the fungi that are problems in zones 6-7 never reach our activation temperatures there.) There is also the black that shows up when a fall cane gets killed by winter. And there're big black splotches that rarely appear midsummer and need to be romoved quickly.

It looks like all of the buds that are falling are in the same area? The plant could have fallen over damaging the buds or if they were stacked close together in the store the stems could have been tangled being damaged when pulled apart. Sometimes a plant will drop buds when the environment changes but that would usually be all of the buds or moving from lower buds to upper buds. The ice cube thing is another story altogether. Most people here, (myself included) will say it wont work, its just some marketing gimmick to sell plants. We have always been told to use lukewarm or room temperature water to prevent shock and how most orchids would never encounter ice in nature. But then there is my mother in law with her huge plant that's always in flower telling me I should just throw ice on all of my plants, I just shake my head and walk away. By the way, I will NEVER have her house sit for me.