How To’s

Why Bother Sun-Mapping? Ask any gardener why tomatoes sulk or hydrangeas burn and you’ll hear the same refrain: “Wrong sun exposure.” Yet most of us plant by hunch—“This corner seems sunny”—and hope for the best. A weekend-long sun map turns guesswork into data, saving seasons of trial-and-error, wasted seedlings, and scorched leaves. I created my […]

Introduction Last spring I retired my shovels-from-the-ground veggie patch and built a single raised garden bed behind the garage. Three months later I was harvesting lettuce free of clay clods (and back pain). Below is the exact playbook I wish I’d had—blending Extension-office science with “I-just-made-this-mistake” confessions—so your first bed starts strong. Table of Contents

Introduction Summer afternoons, chirping birds, the crack of a bat against a whiffle ball—few things capture classic Americana like a casual game of backyard baseball. But you don’t need a manicured diamond or nine-player rosters to enjoy the sport at home. Whether you’re wrangling neighborhood kids, hosting an adults-only cookout, or looking for a family

Introduction Few things derail a summer barbecue faster than a swarm of whining mosquitoes. Beyond the annoyance, these pests carry West Nile, Zika and other viruses—so reducing their numbers is a health priority. The good news? By attacking every stage of the mosquito life cycle you can dramatically cut populations in as little as one

Introduction Nothing bonds friends and family quite like shared laughter under open skies. A thriving backyard social scene doesn’t need acres of land or a lavish budget; it needs intention, smart design, and a dash of creativity. In this guide, you’ll discover 20 crowd-pleasing concepts—from interactive food stations to immersive ambient tech—to help you throw

Introduction Few home upgrades deliver as much year-round joy as a thoughtfully designed patio. Whether you crave morning coffee in the sun, weekend barbecues, or a twinkling nighttime lounge, the right backyard patio ideas can turn even a modest yard into a personal resort. In this guide, you’ll find 25 actionable concepts—ranging from quick DIY

I grew up in the Gulf Coast, where humid evenings and mosquito welts go together like tea and sugar. When my partner and I bought our first home, we dreamed of sunset dinners on the patio—until the reality of ankle-biters sent us scurrying indoors by salad course. I tried all the gimmicks: tabletop zappers (loud),

I discovered the tell-tale orange freckles one spring morning while padding across the path to my raised beds. Overnight rain had splashed rusty water from a forgotten metal watering can onto the pale concrete pavers, and the stains seemed to laugh at my frantic scrub-brush attempts. After an hour of elbow grease and exactly zero

“If you dig it, they will come.” That was the promise my older brother made when he showed up on a humid Saturday with two shovels, a stack of cardboard, and a cooler of iced tea. By sundown we had what looked like an over-sized mud pie in the corner of the yard; four weeks

The first time I tried growing vegetables, I attacked my backyard like an archaeologist unearthing treasure—shovels, rototiller, the whole dusty spectacle. I ended up with sore shoulders, a patchwork of clumpy soil, and a bumper crop of buried weed seeds that sprouted faster than my lettuce. The next spring a seasoned gardener neighbor leaned over