There's different kinds of "bang" for the buck. From a pure compared-to-supermarket-prices perspective: shallots. I've seen shallots go for a buck each around here. I bought a bag of sets for 16 bucks years ago and save some back for replanting every year, so my cost per shallot goes down every year even as my crop size grew. As the numbers are currently working, each shallot I grow this year will cost less than two cents. Plus they are terrific to have in the kitchen (especially when they are cheap) and offer long storage with no special effort. From a nutrition-per-square-foot perspective: potatoes. A ton of food from small spaces. Also superb in the kitchen, especially new potatoes, and interesting variety available. And also offer long storage without canning or freezing. From a gee-whiz-in-the-garden perspective: Swiss chard. Grows from spring to fall, is hardy and likes cool weather yet also yields in summer heat, yields all season from a single planting, is easily grown and rarely bothered by pests (in my garden anyway) AND is best thought of as two vegetables culinarily (leaves and stalks)...whew, that's an impressive list of credentials for a leafy green! Collards come close, but I find chard easier to care for and more interesting in the kitchen. But my overall champion has to be: tomatoes. Easy to grow. Prolific plants. Great compared-to-market value. Almost mythical quality when garden ripened. Tremendous variety to choose from. And, for me, without a doubt the most versatile vegetable in the kitchen. They can find a place in breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They can be raw or cooked a million ways. Consider the number of cuisines they are at home in, and the number of roles they play in those cuisines, and the number of ingredients you can marry them to - it's amazing. So for me they are an unbeatable combo of money bang, garden bang, and culinary bang.

We have high sulfur and high ph in well water. We went with Culligan chlorination system. There are two different kinds of sulfur in well water. Ours has sulfur bacteria. A harmless nuisance bacteria. Aeration will not work on sulfur bacteria. It looks like that is what you may have since each company is suggesting equipment that kills bacteria. You don't mention a retention tank which goes before the carbon filter. Research online from my experience and from each water co. we had come to our house says retention tank is needed. Sulfur in well water is difficult. Problem is getting the correct dosage. As chlorine ages it deteriorates, our well water the sulfur level changes so getting the correct dosage of chlorine takes work. You use a pool test kit to check the chlorine level before it goes to the carbon filter. We got a backwashing carbon filter. Cartridge carbon filter clog to quickly. Our equipment is 10 years old and we haven't had a problem. Get it right the water taste good and no smell. When the dosage is off you may not notice the smell ( you get immune to it) but those who visit will notice. We get our drinking water from a natural spring nearby that many people from all over come to. However, I will occasionally taste the water just to be sure everything is working good and as long as the dosage is right the water taste good.

Louise is the co owner of Odoms. A pleasant and knowledgeable lady. Obviously the orchid is named for her. They come to our meeting frequently. Louise explained that Maikai 'Louise' is a defect. The lip has the dots on the right side but the pedals have the spots on the outside of the pedals. All the other Maikai's have the spots on the inside like most other orchids with spots. But the defect is liked and there is no question of which Maikai it is. All hybridized 20 miles down the road... Judy, if potted it likes very good drainage, no moss. It will probably come in a plastic pot with black lava rock. I like the medium but I use terra cotta pots. It does well on cork mounted. I fill in the crevasses of the cork a little moss above the roots for a little drip action.

Nice home and yard -- far from a disaster. Would NOT paint the brick. You could paint your front door. Is there a deep bold red wine color that you like that you could use for your door and any storm door frame ... with or without adding a brass or stainless steel kick plate at the bottom. https://www.pinterest.com/carenpinette/front-door-color/ If you painted all the painted surfaces of your home -- gable end, porch, fascia -- a medium gray color chosen from within the brick, the contrast would not be as stark and, in my non-pro opinion, would be an improvement. While I'd not have chosen that roofing with those brick, I'd still NOT change the roof only for looks -- not worth the considerable expense to do so -- but do consider the colors in the brick when actually is time to change the roofing. In the meantime, it is possible to darken the shingles. https://www.hunker.com/13401213/how-to-change-a-shingle-color If you have all bronze window frames in good shape, keep them; however, if you have a mismatch, consider painting them all black. Since the walk path from driveway to front door is soggy, you clearly need to work on drainage. With the absence of a distinctive slope to the yard adjacent to the front of the house, that requires creating a path for the water to run off. Although a French Drain could work, it could also require more maintenance. Instead ... A wide shallow scoop that can be mowed without other maintenance may well be your best option. In your case, the scoop should be an "L" shape parallel to the front exterior wall of the house and turning to be parallel to the sidewalk leading directly away from the house. The scoop may be wider and more shallow or deeper and less shallow depending upon what works in your yard. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/435582595190669883/ You'll also need to make sure the water from your gutter downspouts is being moved farther away from the house before it is released into the yard. https://www.twofeetfirst.net/how-to-bury-a-gutter-downspout/ You can have the water released above ground or to the first solid pipe, you can attach a different pipe with holes in it into a buried ditch filled with gravel to disburse the water underground in the same way a drain field of a septic tank would. https://www.thenaturalhome.com/septic/ Another alternative that might work IF you have a drop off near the road: With a slope in your front yard, you might be able to create a very short knee wall about a dozen feet or from the front exterior wall of the house, above which would be your walk path -- paving stones with grass growing between them. https://www.google.com/search?source=univ&tbm=isch&q=grass+and+paving+stone+walk+path&client=firefox-b-1-d&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiTxtGI_7npAhVamHIEHYXGA64QsAR6BAgKEAE&biw=1324&bih=648#imgrc=nJStdELGb78dmM A very short one step high retaining wall would still enable the yard to drain down to the lower level. https://www.homedepot.com/c/ah/how-to-build-retaining-wall/9ba683603be9fa5395fab90d68eac94  To create a knee wall for yard drainage, you'd need to dig out the front yard between that knee wall and the road. Have the ground above the knee wall have a very slight slope from house to knee wall so the water will drain off that part of the path/yard to below the knee wall. Put grass above the knee wall with paving stones buried so their tops are ground level and move any shrubs between house and knee wall to below the knee wall. If you need a place to put the dirt you remove to create the lower level, building codes permitting, you could add a raised planting bed either in your yard -- less stooping for your gardening -- and/or create a raised planting bed along side the property line to create a green privacy wall/fence. If Aucuba bushes will grow in your planting zone, they'll keep their leaves and look good year round. If liriope will grow where you live, it makes a good plant outlining a sidewalk and/or driveway and/or parking area. Do know what utilities may be buried in your yard before digging. Consider adding a tree on the left sunny side of the house about halfway from the back of the property to the front -- one that will provide shade in the summer for a side yard patio but let the warmth of the sun come through during winter. Also, consider move the bird feeders a bit farther from the house and add a plain concrete bird bath, also visible from your front window and not far from the feeders. By doing this, you will have even more birds coming into your yard, perhaps even nesting in the trees. If you will add landscaping that includes plants with blooms that attract humming birds, you'll have those birds come by to be enjoyed as well.