I donate common varieties to local food shelves, and I commend all gardeners who do this, but I especially like to donate to our seniors in local assisted living communities and subsidized elderly apartment housing. Most of the older folks around here gardened until they weren't physically able, so they have a keen interest in all the vegetables I grow because they grew many of them themselves in the past. Many of these folks want the varieties you can't find in a grocery store. They also know and appreciate the difference between store bought and vine ripened produce. Many are house-bound and can't physically get to the local food shelf, grocery store, or farmer's market, so they appreciate being able to choose their own produce rather than having others shop for them. There are some who can afford grocery store prices for mediocre produce but can't afford the prices of some of the quality produce at farmer's markets. This year I am growing some heirloom varieties I have never grown before because some of my new friends requested them. I am also trying to become more sensitive to ethnic and cultural tastes, and this year I am growing some new things I never would have considered in the past, which is a benefit for me as well. Some speak of their favorite vegetable varieties they used to eat as a child or used to grow in the 40's, 50's, or 60's that I can't find seeds for anywhere, which I find very troubling. Thank goodness for the seed saving movement of today or many more varieties would surely be lost. Lastly, many of these folks are lonely and absolutely love talking to someone outside of their generation with whom they have a shared interest. To be frank, I love seeing the appreciation in their eyes and I am becoming selfishly addicted to it. Regards, -Tom

Back in the 70's I helped with Community Gardens. At one point, the local correctional facility decided to have inmates work their own gardens. The University, with a field close by, provided extremely fertile lots and plenty of cow manure. Things grew beautifully and the inmates were extremely proud of their labor. One night, their gardens were raided and lots of produce was stolen. The inmates were furious. That situation created a wonderful life lesson for these men about how it felt to have your "stuff", whatever that may be, stolen by others. We had a heated discusion about it and I bet some of them never forgot what it felt like to have your property taken by others.

Yes. It's wasting nutrients (aka money) on the lettuce, but I imagine you're not planting a couple of 20-100 ft. rows of it so it's no big deal. It doesn't take much of it at all to go a full season, anyway. Unless you're watering heavy you shouldn't have to apply nutrients more than 2-3 times for any of it, especially since it's getting cooler.

Beautiful kitchen! How wide are the drawers to the right of the DW? If they are 24", you could retrofit a MW drawer. Or, you could add a 24" MW drawer in a base cabinet, under the window. The counter would be a few inches shorter, but not so much that it would be unusable for adults, and maybe even better for kids. GW discussions--MW drawers. ETA, you could extend the counter all the way across the window, and use it as a serving area, with drawers on the other side of the vent, too. You could keep breakfast and snack items in the drawers, so the kids could help themselves. The area over the vent could be used, too, if you build an extension, and might be a good location for a fridge drawer, for drinks, condiments, and other things the kids use often. GW discussions--refrigerator drawers How wide is the spot where the trash can is sitting? You might consider an under-sink trash pull-out, then put drawers for food storage in the open area, especially since it's near the pantry. GW discussions--under-sink trash pull-out If the shallow pantry is on an inside wall, can you open the stud bays for more depth? You could gain a few inches of shelf space there. How deep is the space beside the sloped wall, behind where the sliding door is when it's open? I'd build some shallow storage there, too, if possible, covering the lower part of the slope (you can't walk under that part anyway). It could be painted the wall color, to make it blend in, and it looks as if you could have some storage behind it, where the flooring is extended. Do you have more pics of that area?