Great job susaneden:) Although I know you did this without expecting anything in return including the readers (mine) appreciation.

Good story!
I am hoping to find (search the way you found) other people who NEED my extras. I find it harder & harder every year to bring my extras into work, where I am the 2nd lowest compensated person, and those making 3x more than me seem to be the ones asking me every year if I have extra starts for their veggie patch.
I'll let them support the local Lowe's and buy their own if they are that lazy and cheap.
I prefer to donate where it is needed most.
I don't mean to hijack your thread with negativity, but I'm glad to see you found someone who appreciates what you have, and who obviously desperately needs it.

Could I also suggest the care and share, plant a row program, for excess veg which can be distributed, I believe the food banks are under alot of strain at the moment I also use freecycle and it is a great way to share plants, as well as other things, people in my area also do curb alerts, for shurbs ect they no longer want, and have removed, I found freecycle when I moved to CT when I answered an add on Craigs list for a mums group, all the other people where wives of Navy and Army personnel and had so little, but shared it as they could, the freecycle there, had people offering open boxes of cereal ect their children wouldn't eat even Maternity pads and boxes of diapers no longer needed, all these Item went to another home, one day when struggling with my twins aged 3 at the time, someone asked me why I had't got a stroller, I explained I had to leave mine in the UK, the next day one of the women gave me her old single stroller, which I still use, the boys have to take turns, it humbled me as I have never seen people have to swap food before! and other non luxury items.

Yeah--times are hard all around, and if we can help each other, it makes it easier (I was actually on Freecycle because my washer died but those things go fast). Funny to think i was "recession gardening" last year and the year before, before it was cool!

MMQ, you did not hijack my thread--LOL--that was my point exactly. I usually end up giving my surplus plants to folks who can afford to buy their own!

I wish I had room in my little garden to plant an extra row for the needy, but as I am part of that population (at least according to the USDA/food stamps), I tend to can or freeze any extra produce I get, which made my being able to give something to this person even better for me--having excess to share is something that does not happen often with my little family of 4, with 1 still in diapers. Bless those of you that have the garden space to do that! Wish I could.

gods will is for us to take care of each other,so please if you only vaguely suspect someone is in need help them.here in my county unemployment is at 12% in a upper middleclass population.many are to proud to ask for help but food on the table is a true blessing.food pantries are having a rough time meeting need leave your name with them to pass out.dont think about if this or that person is really in need your reward is bigger let the man upstairs be the judge.

At one time, there was a group that actually paid the farmers to donate to the food bank. True, they only paid enough to cover the cost of seeds and labor, but it made some farmers think about donated the extra that doesn't sell. The one year that I donated thru this program, I had 6 bu of winter squash left over after my farmers market ended. I sort thru all the squash, and the food bank was SO surprised to get quality produce.

Unfortunately the people that ran this program had to give it up due to health problems.

This year I have set up with our local senior center to take my extra veggies. I'll just bring in what ever is ready that week, and the seniors can pick what they like to take home with them.

I take my extra plants to work. I am a PT and my clients need inspiration to get back into activities. Its surprising how EVERY year bringing in the herb, flower, and veggie starts will get one or more clients saying "you know if my son does the heavy digging I can have a garden again....."

This year my extra tomato plants are going to a friend at church, my niece, and my clients at work. I've already taken in some herb starts, and it has two of my clients so happy that they have been bringing in "trades."

I see plants as HOPE.

I am planning on giving all the extra veggies to the Salvation Army kitchen and any other needy people i can find. I am wheelchair bound from a badly broken non healing leg and gardening has been a real mood booster. I got free seeds from a few people, planted all of them, and have room to plant more so others are going to donate their leftover seeds from this year. in Texas we have a longer growing season so even late like this it works. One I did not get was zucchini, no one had any seeds. But am pretty good on the other squashes.
Kathy in Texas

Maybe I am missing the point. I think that seedling exchange groups sound like a great idea. Doing nice things for people is wonderful.

I hope we can give more to the people around us. Along with giving seedlings, letting people know that they can use some simple means to improve their own life is important. Maybe fresh tomatoes will not mean much, but they might make all the difference in the world.

>>SKIP THIS BORING PARTFirst of all, there are always more tomato seedlings.

1. Tomato seedlings seldom die.
2. Tomoto seeds almost always germinate.
Which means that if you save tomato seeds from three cherry tomatoes, you could have three hundred seedlings in three weeks.
3. You can plant tomato suckers with about 80% success.
So even after your seedlings get bigger, you can get two or three more half grown plants from those.

I do all of the things I mention above. Three weeks ago, I had no tomato plants. I first planted some leftover seeds. I went out the next day and bought four plants for about $2.50. I got leggy ones with lots of stems. I then cut the suckers and turned that into 10 more plants. So in just a few days and really, one hour of work, I set myself up for the season. 40 seedlings all came up from seed, plus 10 growing clone cuttings that are larger than the seedlings, and 4 growing strong. This is not to say HEY I AM GREAT! The obvious point is that anyone with egg trays or milk cartons could do this.
>>END BORING PARTA person who is saying that they cannot afford a tomato seedling is saying much more than that. The person needs basic organization and planning skills, and basic knowledge that could be gained by reading and use of a library or, even more conveniently, the internet. Teach that person NOT to be lazy! That is a great public service.

There are some people who could feed a family from a backyard garden and there are others who cannot afford a tomato seedling. The difference is not the garden. As gardeners, we know that. Showing compassion is what we can offer as humans free of charge. Showing knowledge and educating people is what we can offer as gardeners, teachers, and leaders.

I always tell people how to grow things when I give them some plant or produce, is that just me? Or just the boring part of me?

Again, trying not to hijack...

toogreen; thank you for the cloning tip! I found a site here that explains the how-to, and it looks like I could possibly do this starting about Mid-July in my zone for a fall crop. The only thing I didn't 'get' was what is a sucker? Does this come from the bottom, or is it just like a coleus and is simply an off-shoot from the main stem?
Thanks.

I am always amazed how people DO NOT know how to survive. Have we discouraged this survival instinct so much that it is gone? When I sell my tomato plants at the farmers market, I do a mini=lesson 'tomato 101' with each purchase. I also have to give lessons on how to freeze peaches, all the way from peeling to pitting to freezing.

I believe it comes from the invention of the refrigerator, tin can, and grocery stores, not to mention a thing called pre-packaged food and the microwave. Oh, and then there's a little song called "Big Yellow Taxi."
I'm betting there's more of us out there that couldn't survive than those who have been fortunate to be handed down the lifestyle that requires it.
And something about teaching a person to fish...

Why was I here again? Oh, yeah. Too-Green, I found my answer; no need to respond to the 'sucker' question.

mmqchdygg,

Suckers are vines that form on the tomato between the main stem and a leaf branch. In indeterminate varieties, this are pruned many times, to allow for fewer, but bigger fruit. In determinate varieties, these are not pruned, as it drastically will limit your total output of tomatoes. I believe the suckers from indeterminate varieties ONLY can be planted as clones. (I could be wrong about this though)

MMM, not only do tomatoes have suckers, but so does tobaco plants, corn and other things. On corn a farmer said it was mostly caused by too much fertilizer.

Shot

I am glad the sucker thing got worked out. I am hooked on the cloning of plants because you get exact replicas and the mass of the starting plant is not just what comes from a little seed. I have started suckers that were quite large. Tomatoes produce a lot of unnecessary foliage. I grow only indeterminates, but I know that all nightshades (solanacae, tobacco included!) will grow from cuttings, so I think it does not have to be a sucker even. I plant branches of tomatoes rather than throw them away. It seems to "take" about 30% of the time.

Maybe that is only slightly on topic, as is what follows:

I wanted to pass on a little exclamation point that might make you gasp. My father and mother took some relatives camping a couple of years ago (mountain states, US). They told the two teenage girls to make a fire and that they would be back in half an hour. When they came back.... nothing. There were the matches. There was the firewood and kindling.
They said they did not know how! And they did not try! For half an hour, they must have thought about it and just gave up.
Both were good students in high school. I am pretty sure that they were accepted to good colleges. I shudder to think about it.

Point being, I guess, that with busy parents, television, video games, and schools teaching... well... whatever they are teaching, there are a lot of people walking around who need a lot of help of the most basic kind just to learn to do things for themselves. OK. Enough of that. I will not belabor that. I just thought it was interesting.