Top 10 Rules for Growing Veggies and Fruits

Find the sun. Most vegetables want six hours of direct sun a day — and more if they can get it. Exceptions include lettuce and radishes, which can get by with less.

Start small. If you're beginning your first garden, help yourself avoid the feeling of being overwhelmed with weeding and general maintenance. You can grow a surprising amount of food in a bed just 10-foot square.

Build up your soil. The foundation of a healthy, productive garden is a rich, well-draining, crumbly soil that has good tilth. Liberally add organic matter such as finished compost, bagged humus and straw.



Time your crops. Soil temperatures matter as much as air temperature when you're planting. Even peas, which are spring crops that are resistant to light frost once they're growing, won't germinate when the soil is below 39 degrees.

Be ready to supply cover if a late frost hits. Here, early-spring veggies grow under plastic.

Mulch, mulch, mulch. You wouldn't think twice about mulching your ornamental beds, so do the same with your veggie and fruit plantings. Keeping a layer of organic mulch over this radicchio's shallow roots helps conserve moisture and suppress weeds.

Anticipate animals pests. To a raccoon these young corn plants mean dinner in the making, once the ears are fully developed. Talk to your neighbors and try to learn what pests to expect in your area. With the right kind of fencing, you can deter raccoons, rabbits, groundhogs, deer, dogs and other unwelcome visitors.

Mingle your plants. Too much of the same kind of plant in a grouping sends "eat here" messages to bad bugs. Here, squash, peppers and beans share the space.

Stay on top of the harvest. Pick produce when it's ready. Removing beans as they mature allows more of the plant's energy to go into supporting the later fruit that forms.

You don't have to hide your vegetable garden. Where you can, find a way to integrate your fruit and veggie garden with an area of your yard where you tend to hang out. When the crops are close at hand, you're much more likely to pluck off a bad bug or give a thirsty plant a drink.

How to Care for a New Tree

Step 1: Evaluate the Yard


Learn the mature size of the tree before you get started planting. It's one of the most common mistakes gardeners make, and the result is a tree that runs into power lines or that grows too big for its space and needs to be pruned every year. Too much pruning leads to stubs and stubs lead to rot and the rot leads to the death of some vertical limbs. Make sure you know the conditions your tree needs to grow so it can thrive. For example, a tree that needs a lot of moisture will not do well in a dry climate. Determine what you want the tree to do for your landscape. Different trees offer different things from the wow factor of cool bark to the shade from a standard maple. Choose between deciduous and evergreen. This is especially important if you are planting for privacy. You don't want to be surprised when your tree selection turns barren each winter. Different is good! Don't plant the same tree that everybody else in the neighborhood has. Not only is planting the same tree boring but it can also lead to trouble. For example, Dutch Elm Disease has wiped out trees in neighborhood after neighborhood over the last 50 years. When one tree gets sick they all get sick.

Step 2: Follow These Tree-Buying Guidelines

Trees will generally be the most expensive plants on your landscape shopping list. To get your money's worth, buy a good, healthy tree. Check out the leaves. You want a tree with healthy foliage. A few insect-damaged leaves is not a problem, and if you find a tree with some yellowing leaves, that's not a problem either as long as it's limited to about 10-percent of the foliage. Check the leaves for chlorosis, lack of vigor or a lack of new growth. Next, check the trunk of the tree. It should be straight. The bark should be unblemished. Cracks or soft spots can indicate frost or fungal damage. Check the rootball. If it's a balled and burlapped tree, dig down below the soil line to determine the depth it grew in the nursery and check for any girdling rope or wire that can "strangle" a tree. If it's in a container, shake the container gently to see if it's well-rooted.

Step 3: Plant the Tree

You can dig a hole yourself or use an auger. An auger is a machine that has a big motor and a big drill that goes into the ground. If you have a lot of trees or a big hole to dig, an auger, even though it cost $200 or so to rent for a day, is a real time saver. First, cut the container before putting the tree in the hole. Then, don't be afraid to roll the tree on its side to make planting easier. Then, gently lower the tree into the hole and watch to make sure it's centered and not crooked. If you can, get a couple people to help if you're planting a bigger tree. It's important to remember to grab the trunk not the limbs. Don't rush the process. Get the tree right before adding any more soil. After the tree is in the ground, make sure to build a berm around the tree. The raised area of soil directs rainwater down to the root system of the tree where it really needs it for the first year or so. A berm is a narrow ledge typically at the top or bottom of a slope — a mound of earth or sand. Finally, add mulch. Mulch conserves moisture in the soil. A new tree needs a lot of moisture in order to establish itself. A berm also keeps lawnmowers from rolling into the trunk of the tree and damaging that plant you just put in the ground.

Step 4: Water the Tree

There are several tools to help water a tree. A tree ring drips water right around the trunk of the tree, right down to the root ball. It's really easy to use with a water hose. If you don't have a water hose nearby, you might want to use something different this is called a tree gator. A tree gator is just a big bag that is filled full of water and drips down to the root system of the tree. It holds about 14 gallons of water. You fill it up every couple of days and it waters the tree very nicely.

How to Install Track Lighting in a Bathroom

Step 1: Install the Mounting Bracket and Track


Attach the mounting bracket to the ceiling, then snap the track into the bracket.

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Step 2: Measure, Then Install the Screw Anchors

Measure out from the wall to make sure both sides of the track are equal distance from the wall.

Mark the support holes with a pencil.

Drill holes on the marks with a 1/2" spade bit.

Install screw anchors into the holes.

Step 3: Install the Lights

Swing the track into position, then tap the anchors into place with a hammer and tighten.

Slide and snap the lights onto the track

How to Build a Raised Vegetable Bed

Step 1: Determine the Location


Most veggies require a lot of sunshine to produce a good harvest, so select a location for the raised bed that receives at least eight hours of direct sun. Choose a level, well-draining site and near a water source.

Step 2: Build the Frame

Place the 4 1" x 12" boards so that the ends meet to form a square box. Mark the locations of the four corners of the box, move aside the lumber and dig 1'-deep holes for the 4" x 4" posts. Place a post in each hole and backfill the soil. Firmly press the soil around each post to stabilize it. Then replace the 1" x 12" boards into the square box shape and attach them to the posts with screws or nails.

Step 3: Loosen the Soil

Using a shovel or spading fork, dig and turn the soil inside the frame to a depth of about 12." This depth is required, not because the vegetables' roots will grow that deeply, but to allow water from rainfall or irrigation to drain properly through the soil.

Step 4: Fill the Frame with Soil Amendments

Thoroughly mix the topsoil and soil amendments, such as humus, sand and manure, together inside the frame and rake it smooth. This mixture containing rich soil, nutrients and sand in a loose configuration provides good drainage. This is critical since good drainage produces healthy roots and, in turn, results in full-bodied plants and tasty veggies.

Step 5: Plant the Veggies

Select an assortment of cool- or warm-season veggies in the appropriate time of the year. Lay them out in the raised bed according to their spacing requirements. Use a trowel to dig a hole big enough to accommodate each rootball, place the plant carefully in the hole and backfill with soil. Water plants thoroughly. Place stakes around the veggies that need them. Add a two- to three-inch layer of mulch around the base of the plants.

Install an Under-Sink Water Purifier

Step 1: Disconnect the Water Supply


Below the sink, shut off the cold-water supply to the faucet. Use an adjustable wrench to disconnect and remove the tubing that connects the faucet and supply valve.



Step 2: Connect the Water Filter

The filter is installed between the cold-water supply and the faucet, in the space where the rigid line was removed. Flexible supply-lines are usually included in the filter kit. Use one to connect the water supply to the filter inlet, and the other to connect the faucet tubing to the filter outlet (Image 1).

Wrap all male fittings with Teflon tape to ensure a watertight seal (Image 2).

Compression fittings, also included in the kit, are used to connect the flexible supply lines. Each fitting includes a compression nut, sleeve and ferrule (Image 3). When making a connection, seat the plastic (or brass) ferrule into the male receptacle and hand-tighten the nut. If water leaks from the fitting when you turn on the supply valve, use a wrench to tighten the nut an additional quarter turn.

Connect the flexible supply line from the water filter inlet to the home’s cold water supply (Image 4).

Connect the flex-line from the water filter outlet to the kitchen faucet tubing (Image 5).

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Step 3: Install the Water Filter

Mount the canister to the back wall of the cabinet beneath the sink (Image 1). Make sure the canister is mounted high enough to allow sufficient clearance to remove the canister body when it's time to change the filter (Image 2).

Check and follow the manufacturer's instructions on the recommended frequency for changing the filter

How to Install Laminate Flooring

Step 1: Stack the Laminate Flooring Before Installation


Temperature and humidity can affect flooring planks. Acclimate the flooring in the house for 48 hours before installation. Stack the laminate flooring being used flat on the floor. Remove any plastic wrapping from the boxes and leave air space around each box to allow air to freely circulate around them. Have about 10 percent more flooring than the square feet of area of the room since you'll waste just a little when cutting some pieces.

Step 2: Clean the Subfloor, Remove Base Molding

Clean the subfloor to make sure it's free of any dirt and debris. If installing on top of a new concrete floor wait until the floor is fully cured. Using a pry bar and hammer, carefully remove all base molding (if necessary) and place it out of the way.

Step 3: Install the Vapor Barrier

Start by laying out the vapor barrier one row at a time from the longest wall of the room. When joining two sheets of barrier together, follow the manufacturer's directions. Some manufacturers will have you overlap the vapor barrier and some will have you butt each row against the previous one.

Step 4: Trim the Door Jambs

Lay a piece of flooring flat on the subfloor and up against the door jambs. Use it as a guide to mark the jambs so that the new flooring can slide underneath the jamb. Use a “flat” saw or a coping saw to cut the jambs, making sure to cut parallel to the subfloor. This will give the floor and jamb a nice finished look without having to remove the entire jamb.

Step 5: Install the First Row

For the best appearance, lay planks parallel to the longest wall. Install the first plank with the groove toward the wall. Place 1/2" spacers against the wall and push the first plank up against them. These spaces create an expansion gap so that the floor can "breathe" (expand and contract) and not warp or buckle. This gap will be covered later with base molding. The spacers also allow the floor to have a firm base to install against. Place the spacers about every 12 inches along the wall and at the end of each plank against adjoining walls.

Step 6: Install the Flooring

For each plank, match tongue to groove and tap it into place using a scrap piece of flooring to protect the planks. Make sure the pieces fit snugly together and that there are no gaps along the length of the planks. While installing subsequent rows, stagger the joints of the flooring. When starting a new row, offset it six to eight inches so the joints at the ends of planks are not lined up row to row (which can weaken the floor and create a too-uniform look).

Step 7: Install the Last Plank

The last plank will need to be trimmed to fit. To mark the plank to the correct width place a plank directly over the next to last plank and place another on top of that and slide the top plank until it sits evenly against spacers against the wall. Draw a line along the plank below the top plank along the edge of the top plank. This will mark the width of the gap between the next to the last plank and the wall. Rip cut the plank along this line and install.

Step 8: Install Thresholds and Base Molding

Install any thresholds between the end of the flooring and any open doors where the flooring ends. Thresholds come in different styles to accommodate the kind and height of the flooring the new laminate floor butts up against. Remove the spacers and install base molding to cover the expansion gap.

How to Grow Strawberries

Step 1: Purchase the Plants


There are two main types of strawberry plants: June-bearing and ever-bearing. The first produces one large crop of berries in early summer. The second produces a crop in early summer and then continues to bear fruit sporadically until frost. Strawberries are typically grown from bare-root plants.

Step 2: Prepare the Site

Strawberries grow best in sunny spots with fertile, well-drained soil. Work a generous amount of compost into the garden bed before planting. Using a hoe, form raised rows in the garden spaced about 4' apart.

Step 3: Plant the Strawberries

In early spring, dig small holes every 24" in the rows. Keep the roots in water to avoid drying out during the planting process. Place the strawberry plants in the holes and fan out the roots. Make sure the crown, the portion between the leaves and the roots, is even with the soil surface. Gently firm the soil around the roots, backfill with soil, and water well.

Step 4: Pinch the Blooms

Pinch off any blooms that form during the first growing season. This allows the plant to focus its energy on developing runners. A runner is a shoot that grows out from the main plant and develops into a second plant. This creates a thick, vigorous row of strawberry plants.

Step 5: Cultivate the Strawberries

Give the strawberries 1" to 1-1/2" of water per week. During the first summer, fertilize the strawberries twice using 10-10-10 fertilizer. It is essential to keep the berry patch well weeded. Add a generous layer of mulch to control weeds and conserve moisture.

Step 6: Protect the Plants

To protect the berries from birds, cover the plants with bird netting as soon as the berries start to form. In cold climates, add a thick layer of winter mulch in late fall to protect the plants from freeze damage. In early spring, pull back the mulch from the plants.

Step 7: Harvest the Strawberries

Different strawberry varieties ripen to different colors. The best test is the taste test. If the berries are sweet and juicy, they are ready to pick. For the best quality, pick berries in the morning and refrigerate them as soon as possible.