If you want baby spinach, begin harvesting when your plants are around 2 inches (5.1 cm) long. You can typically pinch off the leaves at the stems using your fingernail. Use garden shears or scissors for tougher leaves. Always harvest full leaves with a bit of stem. Leaves without stems will go bad very quickly. For harvesting adult plants, ensure that they have at least 6 leaves that are around 4 inches (10 cm) long. Use garden shears to cut the outside leaves and ensure the plant will continue producing in its container. Once it has grown a tall flower stalk, harvest the plant by cutting the main stem. Bolting occurs when spinach plants send up a seed stalk that eventually flowers. Flowering turns the leaves bitter and inedible. If mature plants begin to grow taller in a short period of time, it's a sign of bolting – pull up the whole plant and harvest its leaves. If you're not using your spinach right away, store your unwashed leaves in a plastic bag for 5 to 7 days. If you store spinach in your freezer at 0 °C (32 °F), it can last for 10 to 12 months.
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One-sentence summary -- Cut off spinach leaves early if you want baby spinach. Remove your spinach leaves after 40 to 45 days if you want adult spinach. Store your harvested spinach in the refrigerator.


The lava rocks will serve as both a means of filtration and a way to hold your other filter media up away from water return nozzle at the bottom of the container. The layer of lava rocks should be just deep enough to cover the hole for the return hose.  You can purchase red lava rocks at most aquarium supply stores or large pet stores. Fill the bottom of the container with lava rocks until the return hose is hidden beneath them. Filter material often comes in rolls and is made out of layers of coarse and fine fabric. Unroll it and trace the general shape of the container onto the filter material. Cut the shape out and then repeat that process 3 more times until you have at least 4 layers of filter material to place in the container.  You can purchase the water filter material at aquarium supply stores or on specialized websites. If you can’t find filter material, you can also use a mesh laundry bag filled with household sponges. Lower a layer of filter material into the container and position it flat on top of the red lava rocks. Then place each additional layer on top of the previous one so the water has to pass through multiple layers of it before reaching the lava rocks.  If you have trouble getting the filter material to stay on top of the rocks, you can add a layer of the metal screening you used at the end of the inlet hose to make it stiffer. If you used a laundry bag and sponges instead, make sure the bag and sponges completely cover the lava rocks. The lid will prevent any debris from falling into the filter while also preventing overflow if the filter drains slowly. Once the lid is on the filter, move it to where you intend to set it up. Make sure to seal the lid once you put it on.
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One-sentence summary -- Pour a layer of red lava rocks into the bottom of the container. Cut filter material to match the shape of the container. Place the filter material over the lava rocks. Seal the top of the container with the lid.


A common strategy in Stratego is to surround one’s Flag with Bomb pieces to prevent players from accessing it. However, this strategy may fail if your opponent uses a miner to defuse these Bombs and then captures your Flag. If you do surround your Flag with Bombs, make sure that you have some high ranking, moveable pieces nearby to take out any approaching pieces. Since surrounding the Flag piece with Bombs is a popular strategy, you will benefit from keeping some of your Miner pieces in play. Having Miners on hand will help you to defuse Bomb pieces later in the game and hopefully capture your opponent’s flag. Scouts are helpful in identifying your opponent’s frontline pieces, so it is a good idea to keep some Scouts in your front row. Since Scouts are low-ranking pieces, you can afford to lose a few in the first few turns if it helps you to identify some of your opponent’s higher ranking pieces. Although you do not want to have all of your high-ranking pieces up front, it is wise to have a few in your first two rows so that you can use them if necessary. Otherwise, your opponent’s high-ranking pieces may take out an entire row of your low-ranking pieces before you can stop him or her. Stratego requires you to use your memory skills and pay attention to what pieces are where as your opponent attacks. It is also helpful to note the pieces that never move during the game. These pieces are likely to be Bombs, so you may want to send your Scouts to check them out or send Miners to defuse them.
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One-sentence summary -- Protect your flag with Bombs. Keep your Miners in play. Position some Scouts in the first two rows. Make some higher ranking pieces available for movement. Pay attention to the positions of pieces that do not move.


If you’re used to removing your wet clothes as soon as they’ve finished washing, try holding off until the spin cycle is complete. The rapid movement of the drum will whisk excess moisture out of the pants, getting them that much closer to dry by the time they go into the dryer. Think of it as giving yourself a head start. The spin cycle only takes an average of 5-10 minutes on most washing machines, but has the potential to save you a considerable amount of drying time, depending on the material of the item. Towels are designed to be absorbent, which means they’ll soak up water every time they collide with your wet trousers. The moisture will be distributed between the towel and pants, and the pants will dry faster as a result—you can worry about the towel later.  Make sure the towel you use is made from a moisture-wicking material like cotton. Be sure to remove the towel after about 15 minutes. After that, it will just start contributing moisture to the rest of the load. Instead of using one of the dryer’s presets, select a specific time frame and make sure the heat level is as high as it can go. When the timer goes off, check the pants. If they still feel damp, put them back in for 5 minutes at a time until they feel dry to the touch. You might be surprised by how little time it actually takes to get your clothes dry.  Most people are used to loading the dryer, twisting the dial to “normal,” and letting it run until it’s finished. If you’re in a hurry, however, this can really eat into your time, and may not even be necessary. Drying natural materials like cotton on high heat regularly may cause shrinking or damage the fabric. Remove the lint trap from the top of the dryer and tap it over a trash can to loosen the dust and fibers that have accumulated on it, then slide it back into place. Keeping the lint trap clean ensures that your dryer is performing at peak efficiency, and could shave an extra few minutes off your total drying time.  A pristine lint trap channels heat and air much more efficiently than one that’s blocked up with debris.  Get in the habit of emptying the lint trap after every 2-3 loads of laundry you run through the dryer. It's also a good idea to make sure the exhaust duct that carries hot air out of the dryer isn't blocked up. Over time, dust, lint, and cobwebs can accumulate inside, reducing air flow and creating a potential fire hazard.
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One-sentence summary --
Take advantage of the spin cycle. Throw a dry towel in the dryer. Use a timed dry with a high heat setting. Clear the lint trap.