I was out last night measuring my zinnias for the zinnia trials and thought Id snap a few shots to share with you. They are doing quite wellthey are all big, healthy-looking plants with fairly numerous blooms. A couple of them are sort of nondescript colors, but I didnt take pictures of those. 
Most of them are bright reds, corals, and pinksjust what I love seeing in the garden (especially the vegetable garden, which is usually mostly green).
Zinnias
Zinnias
More zinnias
While I was out there, I was noticing my potatoes. . . theyve been doing fairly well (I think), but since Ive never grown potatoes before, Im not sure what they are supposed to look like at this point. You can see in this photo that it looks like a few of the plants are sort of turning brown and starting to lay down a bit. . . can that be good?
Potatoes
Do any of you have experience with potatoes you can share with me? How do I know when theyre ready to dig? Do the plants give me a clue, or do I just dig them whenever I have time? I confess, Im hoping that the sort of poor-looking plant in the photo is just how you tell when theyre ready to dig up. 
But Im thinking thats probably just wishful thinking on my part and really that plant is simply not doing well.
I would greatly appreciate any helpful suggestions you seasoned potato-growers might have!
Your potatoes are ready to dig when they turn brown and start to die off! You have done well with them, they all look so good. Your Zinnia’s look fabulous too! Love reading your blog!
Thanks so much for your kind comments!
And I have to laugh about the potatoes turning brown and dying off–that’s really just what I was hoping, but I wasn’t thinking it was likely. Thanks for the info!
Did you buy your zinnias as plants or start from seed? and What is the name of your zinnias? I am looking for the huge zinnias- but can’t seem to find the plants- thanks
I am doing a master gardener zinnia trial for the U of M–they sent me six varieties of seeds. l I was actually surprised that, for the few amount of seeds I got, there was a very high germination rate. I can’t remember the names of them, but I will check my sheet tonight and get back to you. I know one is “Benary Giant Line” but I can’t remember any of the others at the moment.
Ok–the varieties of seeds I got were: Benary’s Giant Line, Envy, Pinca, Queen Lime, Queen Red Lime, and Uproar Rose. I would have to say, the ones that are supposed to be green (Envy and Queen Lime) are not green–they’re sort of a pale, nondescript yellow. By far the least pretty of the bunch. But all of them are nice and big and healthy and had great germination rates. So I would recommend them.