We did something similar - just dug a hole between the plants (NOT in a planting hole) for each day's accumulated veggie trimmings and covered. Very quick, easy, and no problems. Over the 3 years we lived there the soil went from heavy clay to beautiful, dark, rich soil. I credit the worms, they make short work of those trimmings. I've heard people say critters will dig them up but that never happened, in fact our dog would walk between the strawberries and pick and eat them. She never dug at all. How well your garden will grow until those scraps decompose or are used by the worms depends on how good the soil is now. It's not a really fast way to enrich the soil altho if you chop or blend the scraps they will break down faster. Start collecting coffee grounds, they are a valuable addition. IMO a composter is not necessary to make compost, 4 pallets, a ring of wire fencing, or a pile works as well. Do you have access to free compost from the city?

Hi, this is my first time posting, and if it is too long, I apologize. This is about our odyssey in creating our kitchen on very limited funds. We wanted top quality while having little extra cash to put away. We ended up purchasing one piece at a time, while looking at Craigslist/Boston Globe online/etc. I researched which were the high quality cabinet brands (here, thank you all!), and bought a set someone was removing. We found it online in the Boston Globe. Very high quality, lots of pullouts, and if you are at all creative, this can give you a good opportunity to think outside the box. Our Quakermaid cabinets have lots and lots of features (pull outs, 4 drawer stack, dividers, lazy susans, etc.), we made sure that the set we purchased had more than we could use of lots of different sizes, (which has been very helpful in fitting as well as in creating a recycle center elsewhere in our home.) We paid $2,500 for 19 of them, with extra fillers included. We have installed a plate rack, created a baking center (by cutting down a cabinet which had strange side cut outs - we leveled the top and have a lower surface to roll out dough,) and are creating a kick drawer under one of the cabinets, per instructions on Ikea Hacker. I check CraigsList every morning and evening for about 20 minutes. I was the second caller on some gorgeous Oceanside Glass Tile (Veil blend with white, iridescent white, iridescent clear and frosted tiles.) It was left over from a job, and the first person to see it didn't know what she was looking at due to the tile's clear tiles appearing brown on the backing paper) and I paid the outrageous price of $5 a square foot. I still cannot believe that. It was a good thing I checked that morning, as the seller said that he had many, many others call about the tile. Last Saturday I drove 3 hours to pick up just the sink I wanted. I paid $500 for a 60" long Kohler Pro TaskCenter (with cutting board, rack, strainer included - it acts as its own countertop, and has a built in stainless drainboard.) It retails for over $3000. It is about 2 years old, and stunning. It was advertised (I check multiple CraigsList locations) including the faucets, which I did not really want. I was planning on removing them. However, when I had a chance to really look at them back at our home, I fell in love with them. They are very high quality - Vinnata Faucet, matching Wellspring filtered water faucet, and matching soap pump, all in Vibrant Stainless. The faucet may not work well - I don't know. Based on what I was told, however, it works fine - they had bought and gutted the home, and were totally renovating. I at first thought that the styling was too traditional for our kitchen, but believe that the Vibrant Stainless finish will work well with our knobs/pulls and really pull things together. A new Vinnata in Vibrant Stainless costs more than I spent on it all. We ended up looking for this type of sink because we could not afford the soapstone we really, really wanted. We purchased butcherblock from Ikea - gorgeous and affordable. We finished the baking area with beeswax/mineral oil, and will be treating the counter on both sides of the sink. We may use the Ikea product, or wait for good weather and use Waterlox. We installed a stainless hood I found half off on ebay, which was through a local retailer, which saved on shipping. I purchased cabinet knobs a while ago when a local store was closing - I purchased a few more than I needed, just in case our plans changed a bit - we still saved quite a bit. We installed the cabinets ourselves. Two years ago our local big box store had an insane sale on overstocked appliances, and we picked up our Frigidaire Professional with Convection Range for $299 (true story) and our Maytag french door for the same. The unexpected sale ended in three hours, so we lucked out. While I keep checking Craigslist, the only things we anticipate paying full price for will be the flooring (we want Forbo Click Tiles) and the electric installation. I have tiled our entryway, and will practice before installing our glass tile backsplash, but feel confident that I will be able to master a good tile install. I did an estimate the other day, and believe that when all is said and done, we will have spent under $6,000 and our kitchen will have an added value of close to $50,000. Finding the time to work on it is challenging, but we continue to make progress. From dark, gloomy early 70's to light and bright modern, we can see it coming together. This type of doing the work only works if you don't move your main supply lines, are willing to spend the time moving around your floorplan (google sketchup is helpful, but I finally made a 3D scale plan to help me visualize the space). Lots of time, but believe it or not, my DH and I are closer because of working on this common goal together. I think having strangers traipsing through the house for months would be much more stressful. Doing it this way takes patience, luck, flexibility and knowing what you are willing to settle for. I will post photos when we are done, but just wanted to say you can pay for it in cash and have a kitchen that you are truly happy with.

It's looking like some shade of aqua/turquoise will be a winner. Dianalo, the tile on recyclingthepast.com is going to be my new obsession! Amazing stuff. I wonder if it's just coincidence that they have such a large selection of Belgian stuff right now. Belgium is a favorite travel destination of ours, and in fact, the artwork in the kitchen and dining room is mostly Belgian prints. I think we really need to work in some sort of accent with that tile! I'm also in love with those big sinks with attached drainboards -- always on the lookout for one, never get lucky. It would necessitate bigger changes to the cabinets than I was thinking, but it would be so worth it. I will definitely try the hot iron approach to removing the backsplash. mama_goose, it's true - the worst that can happen is that I'm that much more motivated! fori, you are right, the peninsula is innocent! It's a bad relationship between it, the fridge, and the neighboring cabinet. That countertop where the microwave currently lives mostly functions as a clutter-magnet, so I could certainly live without that counter space. It does provide good storage below, though. After doing some measuring, I'm not sure how much recessing the fridge and/or removing that cabinet would do. The pantry wall on the left of the fridge limits how far I could push it back and still get the freezer door open all the way. I'd get 2 inches, at best. Not sure that's worth the work of breaking down the wall there. Forgetting about that base cabinet for the moment, the diagonal measurement from peninsula corner to fridge corner is only 30" and the diagonal from the opposite corner of the peninsula to the laundry closet wall is only 33." Since the fridge can't move much, and the laundry closet is not changing, I think that area would still feel cramped even if we took out that base cabinet entirely. paintergirl94, I am blown away by your drawings! I hope my kitchen looks so good in the end! I am really liking the microwave shelf idea -- had never even heard of that before I started reading this forum. Your plywood counter is so cool, I never would have thought of something like that. DH actually came across a local cabinetmaker the other day, so that and you all are spurring me on to consult with some independent guys here and see what they can offer. I'm getting optimistic that we can get some combination of new and old to blend well here.

[First, I read the posts through about 4pm (ET) yesterday, but only skimmed the rest (I started this response yesterday around 4pm as well!), so if I'm repeating what someone else has said, consider it a second opinion!] Yes, your kitchen is nice but I do understand you want to put "your" stamp on it. Cosmetic changes with accessories, wall paint, etc. are one way...as well as the least expensive and easiest. The real question for you is this... Does this kitchen (layout, cabinet configurations, cabinet types, and workspace size/location) work for you functionally as it is now and are the cabinets in as good a shape as they look in the picture? What most of us don't want to do is put major $$ (and $20K is major) into a kitchen that functionally does not work for us. We'd rather wait and save up to do it right...to not only make it "ours" but to also make it more functional all around. If the answer to either part of the above question is "no", then I would either do a budget-friendly new cabinet/layout change or wait until you have enough $$ to do it the way you picture your ideal kitchen. Looking at the kitchen as it is now, the layout isn't too bad...the only 3 thing that I would want to change are: (1) Increase the amount of space there is for the Prep Zone (probably b/w the range & sink since the island has no water and, therefore, does not make it ideal for prepping anything that needs rinsing/cleaning/peeling) (2) Increase the amount of work and landing space on both sides of the range (as a side note, the counter behind the island is pretty much wasted space as anything more than a "junk collector". It's too far away from the sink, range, and refrigerator to be of much use.) (3) Get rid of the OTR MW and replace it with a true range hood and full-size MW that's located more conveniently and safely (maybe move the refrigerator & MW to the other wall and make it a "snack center" and then center the range on its current wall). Yes, the island is workspace, but, as I mentioned before, it has no water so isn't really convenient for prepping. If you used the island, your workflow would be: Refrigerator to sink, then sink to island, then island to range or MW, crossing aisles each time. If you used the area b/w the range & sink for prepping, your workflow would be: Refrigerator to sink and then directly to the range, the last w/o having to cross aisles...so one less trip and less aisle crossing ... All that is well and good, but if you want to use the same cabinets, none of those changes are possible without rearranging the existing cabinets and changing the countertop. So, based on your ideas, here are some thoughts: >Cabinets/Soffits/Refrigerator Refacing cabinets...It's a well-guarded secret by the refacing companies that refacing is not as inexpensive as the commercials imply. As someone has already pointed out, refacing can often cost as much as replacing cabinets or even more. Even at 50% the cost of new cabinets, it seems like a waste of $$ to me b/c new cabinets would give you more useful cabinets…more drawers, a trash pullout, etc. Painting can also get expensive unless you do it yourself. Painting cabinets is not as easy as painting walls…you have remove the doors, prep the surface (the amount of prepping depends on the condition of the surfaces (both cabinet doors & drawer fronts as well as cabinet boxes), true material of cabs & doors, etc.), paint two or more coats, etc. See the Painting Forum (http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/paint/) for more information). If you're going to pay to paint or reface, look into the cost of new cabinets before you commit to anything (and remember…the advantage of new cabinets is you can get closer to an "ideal" layout, more useful workspace (and better located), and more functional cabinets. [BTW…are those builder-grade cabinets that just have a single fixed shelf in the base cabinets (maybe even a half-shelf) or were they "upgraded" to at least have roll out tray shelves (ROTS)? Drawers are even better than ROTS.] FWIW, I agree w/you on the cabinets…I'm not fond of them either, especially against the floor. Refrigerator...Even if you're not getting new cabinets, there's no reason why you cannot "build in" your refrigerator. All you need to do is surround it w/panels and pull the cabinet over forward so it looks like it is full depth. Finish the end panels in whatever you do to the rest of the cabinets. However, the soffit above it is an issue… Soffit...If you do remove the soffit, then you have a couple of possibilities: add crown molding to give the overall kitchen a more "finished" look or perhaps get some short cabinets to "stack" above the current cabinets…that, of course, would be more $$$. If you go the crown molding route, I would not go to the ceiling b/c the crown will overwhelm the cabinets. With the soffit removed, building in the refrigerator is easy! "…consider bumping the cabinets to the ceiling and adding shelf underneath …" The problem w/this idea is that it will make the cabinets inaccessible to anyone under 6' or so. The other thing to think about is that anything stored on open shelves will collect dust and, since you don't have a real range hood, grease/steam/etc. from cooking. (Even if that OTR MW is vented outside, they're usually not very good at venting and notice that it does not cover the front burners at all…so that means the grease, steam, odors, smoke, etc. will stay in your kitchen, not vented to the outside.) >Island Island w/bookcase..."...(we) want to change up the island as well - maybe with storage for books at the end..." Do you intend to change it completely? As it is right now, there appears to barely be enough room for the table with the island as long as it is. If you increase the length of the island, it will seriously encroach on the table space and the aisle b/w them. That aisle will be well-used as it is the main way to get to the refrigerator, MW, and into the kitchen to prepare a meal. (The refrigerator and MW are the items that are used the most by those not working tin the kitchen...well, the sink may also be in that camp if there's no other sink conveniently located on the same floor as the kitchen.) Now, if you get rid of the table and maybe use the DR for all your meals OR put in a banquette (they need less space than a table & chairs), then the possibilities open way up! If you intend to replace the island in whole or in part, then be careful how long you make it. Island w/seating...How wide is your kitchen? You need to be very careful here. If you add seating, you need to have room for (1) sufficient overhang so your guests will be comfortable sitting at the island and (2) for traffic to pass behind & between those sitting at the island as well as anyone working at the counter behind the island. Ideally, you should have (1) 15" seating overhang (the minimum the NKBA recommends for counter-height seating) and (2) 54" to 60" b/w the edge of the island's counter and the edge of the counter on the other side (against the wall). The aisle width becomes even more important b/c it appears there will be traffic coming in from the outside directly into the kitchen and passing through to get to the rest of the house. [We cannot see all views of the kitchen, so this is based on what we can see.] So, my question is, do you intend to remove the entire island and replace it with all new cabinets? If so, I think you can fit seating. It looks like the current island is 3 or 4 feet wide. Simply replace them with 24" deep cabinets facing the range wall and use the "leftover" for the seating overhang. If the current island is 3' wide, add another 3" and you have the overhang you need. If the current island is 4' wide, then subtract 6" or so and have an 18" overhang or 9" and have a 15" overhang. "…Island - too big for me - prefer to make it longer but slimmer…" If you want seating at the island, you will need the island to be at least 40.5" deep (1.5" counter overhang on cabinet side + 24" cabinet + 15" seating overhang). What do you plan to do about the counter? (I may have missed that part!) >Countertops Countertops…I would not replace the counters unless you replace the cabinets. If you get stone counters, they are usually two to four thousand dollars (or more) and unless you plan on keeping the cabinets for 10, 15, or more years, I think it's a waste of money. If, OTOH, you plan to replace them less expensively (laminate, butcher block), then you might consider it to get a "color" you like…but wait until after you've painted or refaced the cabinets. Once you redo the cabinets, you may find that you actually like the counters…especially if you go with a very light color…dark counters and light cabinets (like white, cream, pale yellow) look great…at least IMHO! Hope all this helps! Welcome and good luck!