Thanks for info! I was wondering on the straw brownrexx mainly because I don't see where the potatoes are getting their nutrition from if you only use straw. Good info on the scab though since I plan on reusing this bed. Looks like I will need to go a bit deeper on my straw layer on top as well. My research turned up that rabbits are not really fond of tomatoes nor squash plants. Even the deer left my tomatoes alone the one year that they raided my garden. I usually don't have many deer about but they do occasionally wander through. They chowed down on my cucumbers that year and munched my pole beans and sunflowers but left the tomatoes alone. I plan on trialing some bush butternut squash this year and if I didn't purchase enough potatoes to fill out the new bed, I may plant a few squash in there. I am really looking forward to the gardening season but appreciate doing the homework this time of year to make the season successful. Happy gardening