I'm going to try again, because interestingly the thread didn't move to the front page... maybe because GW thought I was a 'guest'... Here's my post in case it doesn't carry over (and if it did, sorry for the duplication): I apologize for the old thread resurrection, but you guys weren't kidding! Last year I freecycled a *lot* of HRDA, and left two. Didn't get nearly as much seed from them so wasn't concerned. Today went to the gaura bed to compare what I had growing in a jug as gaura (it wasn't, dang it, just more weeds so far), and oh my stars I have another bumper crop of HRDA coming in! LOL! I'm not freecycling this batch, I'm gonna eat 'em! And *if* I spare one, I'm bagging the seed head before I pull it down. I did it wrong last year. Found a recipe at dandelion herb dot com, for anybody else who might be facing this "abundance" this year: "Steamed Greens with Feta Steam greens --wild and cultivated --beet greens are especially good with mallow (Malva spp.) and purslane (Portulaca oleracae). Amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) also is scrumptious. Remember to use young greens for a most tender treat. Saute garlic in olive oil, add steamed greens and crumbled feta. Delicious."

It depends on the fabric content Sue. Even if it's all cotton it would have to be washed first to get all the sizing out. A polished cotton wouldn't tea dye well even after washing if at all.

Chapman for me has had firm, smooth, uniform, wide fruit that are about 2lbs, with excellent texture and taste when watered well (a really nice tomato for enormous sandwiches). When not watered well, it was a little mealy, and not quite as large or productive, but still smooth, firm and large. I got my seeds from Cole_Robbie of TV. Perhaps this was midseason to late for me. George Detsikas Italian Red was much tastier and more prolific with less water, but it got very large fruit either way. I got mine from Marsha of TV. It had smoother, more uniform fruit when watered more the first year, and a beefsteak shape the next year when I watered it less. I wouldn't call it early, but it's definitely early for its size. It's probably on the early side of midseadon. I've only grown Cuostralee once, watered a fair amount. It reminds me of a giant-fruited (about 2lbs), later Matina, with somewhat milder taste, and RL foliage. It was doing quite well, and was setting fruit nicely at the end of the season, but it was late for me compared with most varieties. I got my seeds from timeless-tomatoes.com. The fruit were pretty smooth and uniform. PBTD quite underperformed for me the first year, when watered well (it did have medium-sized fruit, but it was so late that I'm not sure if it was done growing), and fantastic (and decently early) the second year, not watered much. I got my original seed from Tormato of TV who got it from someone (seeds were marked 2013). Mine didn't have much hang-time in 2017, but in 2016 I harvested them before they were fully ripe (and they were still quite firm). In 2017, the taste was sweet, but mild; it was extremely juicy, and would have made a great juice tomato. I liked it more for its production than taste, but it did taste good. In 2016, the taste was unripe, but mild; it was decent for the ripeness level.

Lowes lists about $4 per bag lets say including tax. FWIW, I buy the $2 bags, then use my Lowes card to get 5% off: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Premium-2-cu-ft-Black-Hardwood-Mulch/3420262 I have it delivered for $50, and they just stack pallets next to my lawnmower shed. In addition to eliminating bugs, another added bonus is that I can do, say, 20 bags today, then skip 2 weeks and do 20 more when I have time. There's no major rush to do it all at once, and there's no huge pile somewhere with a bunch left on the ground that I can't get up. I'm actually about an hour from Greensboro, I just put that in my name because, when I first started posting, someone (@ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5 , I think) suggested that I list the closest city so that people would know my zone without having to repeat it all the time. Also, at some point, if you haven't yet, many people with aching backs and little time start to question why so much area is dedicated to open mulch to turn, weed, and recover yearly, as opposed to more or better-placed plantings. A fair question :-) And there are really 3 answers: 1. I hate mowing, and really don't like grass. I think that it tends to create a useless area that requires a ton of work to maintain! So I've eliminated a lot of my yard, and instead converted it to flower gardens. 2. Many of these gardens are along walkways, so I at least need to make the areas adjoining the walkways pretty. And once you start putting in mulch, there's never a "great" place to stop. 3. Most of the flowers die away in the Winter, so the mulch helps to control weeds, hold in water, and make the gardens look better when there's nothing there but a few bushes. And a fourth answer, really: I like the smell of fresh mulch :-D I did some research last year on good ground covers to consider instead, but nothing really jumped out at me. I've considered Chocolate Chip Ajuga in place of mulch, but I'll need a ton of it and I'm not entirely sure that all of my flowers will be able to grow through it! So that might be something I address next year, I dunno.