SNOHOMISH – When Jacob Bailey grew a cabbage that tipped the scales at nearly 30 pounds, he was sowing the seeds for his college education.

SHORELINE – At St. Luke School, fifth-graders are stewards of a new hydroponic tower, where lettuce they’re growing was recently harvested for the lunchroom salad bar.

Janet Easter is experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions as she arranges a bouquet in her backyard, and she is unfazed.

“I’m having contractions, which is hilarious,” she says, stripping the leaves off a hydrangea in one swift stroke.