first.. inform your seller .... of how many seem to be browning.. perfect your guarantee ... they may reship in fall for replacement ... second.. stop watering unless your finger.. inserted to 3 inches.. indicated the soil is dry .... next.. what type of soil do you have .... did you plant them at the proper height .... at the point where they were planted prior ... finally .... i would not start shaping them for a year or two .. if you have good soil .. NEVER feed them .... unless a soil test indicates something is lacking from you soil ... finally .... they were kind of big for bare root .... but that said.. consider that you planted 40 trees ... if a few die.. thats what happens when you work in volume .... even the pro's would expect some problems ..... exactly how many of the 40 have significant problems .... any chance you can post some pix???? ken

I never thought I could do without a dishrack, but I am about there. I changed to a very tiny dishrack (about 6 x 12 inches) a few years ago in my still very not-updated kitchen, and I find I probably don't even need that. The key, as noted above, is have really great places where everything goes, plus keep some counter space free. I re-vamped my cookware collection, so even in my ugly kitchen, each pot or pan has its spot. So it's very easy to dry a few handwashables and put away. I do use dishtowels and get a clean one each evening for any such dishes and rotate it to be the hand towel and just get fresh towels as often as I think I need to--it's just as easy to wash a dozen as a half. I think I finally got the picture when I realized that with the old dishracks, you either had an empty dishrack or you had items just sitting there for 12-24 hrs and it saved almost no time in the long run. When you don't have the dishrack, you have space, and in the space you can set a pan or a few glasses for a few minutes, then clear. I currently have a ceramic cooktop (I like it!) and it's part of the system, too. I move the pots & pans to the sink area to wash, and clean the cooktop nicely, and then it's space too for setting the clean skillet to dry for a few minutes. Take a few minutes to think about what habits are easiest for you to make or break, what time & motions work best for you, what storage you might need to rearrange to make some of that work better, and you will find a way to not use a dishrack/drainer.

This depends on the species. Some seeds, especially from Alpine plants, do not survive dry storage and need to be stored moist in a plastic bag of damp sand or vermiculite, or sown immediately. Some seeds can be dry-stored but lose viability quickly; such seeds will last longer if refrigerated and are best if sown within six months of harvest. Some seeds have been known to survive dry storage for thousands of years. Once again, you can post questions about specific seeds to the Growing From Seed forum. The seed of *most* flowering plants stays viable longest if dried before being stored. Once seed has ripened and at least begun to dry on the parent plant, it should be harvested and placed in a cool, dry, shaded location with good air circulation to complete the process slowly. Be patient; some seeds may need up to six weeks to dry thoroughly. Too much heat can cause seeds to dry too quickly, dessicate, and die. Once the seeds have ceased any changes in appearance (some seeds will darken, shrivel, etc. during the drying process), they can be safely stored for later use.

Squircle!! I laughed because I still use my old Corning Ware with the blue cornflowers on the sides! My daughter keeps saying that I should get rid of them because they are so old. I tell her, "I am old too. Do you want to get rid of me?" I should give all my kitchen stuff to charity when I die, because she will get rid of it anyway. I will roll over in my grave when she throws my Ankarsrum mixer or my Breville Peel and Dice out. Maybe, I should be buried with them.... I love my stainless steel rolling pin that my father-in-law made for his mother-in-law. (My husband's grandmother) But, my husband loaded the dishwasher one night, and he put the rolling pin in the dishwasher. No more shiny! He did the same thing to my meat mallet. Biscuit and doughnut cutters are still shiny though. Used a Corning Ware dish tonight to make 4 rolls. Lars, your lasagna looks better than the one I made the other day. Mine was really flat and green. Not pretty at all, but it is probably one of the best recipes I have ever made.