I have a friend who feels guilty picking tomatoes off his own plants. He thinks he's robbing the plant of something that it's worked hard to produce. Who's HE to take that tomato? I told him, he's the plant's landlord and the tomato is rent. He bought that specific plant and gave it a great home. He gave it food and water. He protected it from insects, diseases, animals and bad weather. That plant owes him some tomatoes. I also told him I don't think a thank you card from the tomato plant is out of the question either. All the plants in my yard are paying customers. Some pay in flowers, some pay in tomatoes, others in the shade they give. There's a reason each of them was planted. I'm a good landlord. I take care of everyone's needs. I even give some leeway when things go wrong, and help struggling plants out. It's a win/win situation. I'm still waiting for a thank you card though.