I think you did ok. I wouldn't put straw under the seed pieces because the roots need to get down into some soil/nutrients quickly and mulch under would hinder the progress. This is the first year I've grown potatoes under straw but I've been growing them under leaf mulch for years. I never dig a trench or prepare the soil in any way. I usually grow them anywhere I want to expand the garden, just laying the seed spuds right on the sod and covering them with mulch. It kills the grass pretty quickly while the spuds take their time sending out roots. It takes a while for the vines start to poke through and when they get about 8" long above the mulch, I start piling on a little more. I don't find that the yields are greater by piling the mulch deeply as it would be when hilling with soil but hey, it was almost no labor. (It takes me longer to cut up the seed spuds than to "plant" them.) The best part of planting taters under mulch is that you can pull back some mulch and grab a handful of golf ball-sized spuds for an early summer salad long before you would ordinarily think about harvesting them. Wayne

Thanks, Kay and Val. You know how the FFO's are - sometimes they are the utmost gorgeous bloom to be had on the plant, never to be quite so stunning again. I hope that's not the case. I couldn't believe my eyes when I measured it. I had to do it three times to make sure. I've had a few of the fall-planted tet seedlings in the backyard bed to bloom this year, but not many. I wasn't expecting any more from them this year. I think the unusual amount of rain we've had this month has really helped. Last year I asked some questions here at the forum if anyone knew about the importance of early morning sun, and no one seemed to know if it made a difference. (Our daylilies were getting at least 5-6 hours of sunlight, but the ones at the back next to the fence were not thriving.) We had an existing 6' board fence across the back (as well as the sides), so we had it and some trees removed or trimmed, and installed a wrought iron one. That and the rain have made a tremendous difference, especially in those planted in the last row closest to the fence. Nancy

Do Brugs survive in the ground in DFW? I had mine in pots and pulled them in the garage. They were blooming and had lots of buds that have now bloomed and the garage smells amazing. This is the first year I have grown them and I am still figuring out what to do with them over winter. Lots of smaller potted plants have come indoors but I don't have room for these in the house.

From a pure functionality perspective, I don't really much care for that piece. I'd be worried that the baby might get his head bumped against the raised ledge on the right--either by someone changing baby or later by the baby himself if he tried to sit up or was squirming. In addition to the issues that you brought up regarding the stain, it just does not look like a well designed piece of baby furniture. It looks like a piece where they are trying to make it still be useful after the baby stage. Chances are, however, you will invest in a new set of children's furniture in 2-3 years and may want a different coordinated look so just get a simple changing table that works for the next 1-2 years and assume you will either use it for another baby or get rid of it. BTW, for my 3rd child I did not even use a changing table as I had disposed of the one I had after baby #2 and was not about to spend a few hundred on such a temporary piece of furniture. I just used a good quality pad which I slid under her older sister's bed and more often than not I changed her on the bed with a plastic pad below. Diapers I stored in a cloth diaper stacker.