Garden & Yard

Grass worth mowing, food worth growing and a yard you actually want to sit in.

The BRO Code. What to do, what not to do, and a few laughs on the way.

GuideWes DunbarNov 7, 20265 min

Mulch Goes Down After the Soil Warms, Not When You Get Excited

Three inches of the right stuff, laid at the right time, cuts your weeding and watering all summer. Laid too early, it does the opposite.

Your Mower Sat All Winter and Now It Has Opinions

From the Garden & Yard archive

Older stories

GuideRay OkonkwoSep 23, 20266 min

What Actually Adds Value to a Front Yard

GuideSam OrtizSep 23, 20266 min

Fast Crops That Keep a Kid in the Garden

GuideNina CastellanSep 23, 20266 min

Grow These Five Herbs on Your Windowsill, Skip the Rest

GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

A Fire Pit Patio You Can Actually Build in Two Days

GuideWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

How to Plant a Tree That Outlives You

GuideWes DunbarSep 23, 20265 min

Keeping Deer, Rabbits and Squirrels Out Without Poison

Garden & Yard on video

Worth an hour of your evening

From channels we rate. Plays on YouTube.

SimonSaysDIYApr 24

How To Build Raised Garden Beds

DIY with DaveMay 19

The Best Raised Garden Bed Option for you!

Urban FarmsteadApr 21

Creating a Garden Space That Will Last - Before building your raised garden beds

Beginner's Garden - Journey with JillApr 20

Beginner Gardening Raised Bed Do's & Don'ts

GardenaryMar 21

Vegetable Gardening for Beginners

Scott HeadMar 19

Absolute Beginner's Guide to Starting a Vegetable Garden || Black Gumbo

GrowVegJan 29

Planning a Vegetable Garden for Beginners: The 5 Golden Rules 🏆

Next Level GardeningApr 14

7 Beginner Raised Bed Garden Mistakes to Avoid

Jerra's GardenFeb 14

Top 10 Easy Vegetables to Grow for Beginner Gardeners

The Ripe Tomato FarmsFeb 28

The 15 Easiest Vegetables To Grow For Beginners

The Ripe Tomato FarmsMay 5

Top 7 Container Veggies For Beginners - Garden Quickie Episode 142

GrowVegMar 12

New Vegetable Garden: How To Get Started

Dig, Plant, Water, RepeatDec 6

Gardening for Beginners Series: Gardening Basics for Beginners

Epic GardeningJun 7

9 Plants You Should ALWAYS Grow

Huw RichardsFeb 19

Vegetable Gardening | Straight Talk for People Starting to Grow Food

Epic GardeningApr 27

9 Beginner Raised Bed Garden Mistakes to Avoid

Garden & Yard quizzes

Quiz yourself, then your friends

All quizzes

GuideWes DunbarOct 5, 20267 min

Build the Chicken Coop for the Raccoon, Not the Hen

A small backyard flock is a great idea. Just check your city code, wire the coop against what's hungry, and do the honest egg math first.

GuideWes DunbarOct 5, 20266 min

Buy the Skinny Fruit Tree and Pick Off the First Apples

The bare-root stick beats the big potted tree with fruit on it. Here's how to choose, space and raise fruit trees through the first three years.

Ask BRO

What should I wear to this?

Ask it

GuideSam OrtizOct 5, 20266 min

A Kid's Garden Needs a Win by Week Four

Tomatoes and pumpkins lose kids by July. Radishes, bush beans and one giant sunflower keep them coming back out the door.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

PartnerCoconut.com

6 min read

Water-Bath Canning Lives or Dies on the Acid

Jam, pickles and tomatoes are the safe starting point for home canning, but only if you get the acid right. Grandma's method won't cover it.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

GuideWes DunbarOct 5, 20267 min

Save Tomato and Bean Seed First and Leave the Squash Alone

Seed saving is easy with the right five crops and a jar of stinking tomato goo. Pick the wrong ones and next summer gets weird.

GuideNina CastellanOct 5, 20267 min

Your Rosemary Died Because You Treated It Like Basil

Four kitchen herbs, two completely different gardens. Split them up and you'll stop buying the plastic clamshell at the grocery store.

Dude.com — 16 AI advisers who listen, talk and are here with you

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GuideWes DunbarOct 5, 20267 min

Skip the Bucket and Grow Your Potatoes in a Bag

Bed, bag or bucket? One clearly wins, one is a trap, and the timing matters more than the container. What it costs and what goes wrong.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

GuideWes DunbarOct 5, 20267 min

Peppers Want Warm Feet, So Plant Them Later Than You Think

Most pepper plants fail before they're two weeks in the ground. The fix costs about ten dollars and a little patience.

GuideWes DunbarOct 5, 20267 min

Plant Paste Tomatoes If You Actually Want Sauce

Most homemade sauce fails in March, when you buy the wrong seeds. Pick the right variety and the timing, and one August afternoon fills your freezer.

Ask BRO

Rewrite my CV so it actually gets read

Ask it

GuideWes DunbarOct 5, 20266 min

Plant by Your Frost Date, Not Your Zone

Your zone tells you what survives winter. Your frost date tells you when to plant. Most first-year gardeners mix them up and lose a flat of tomatoes.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

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GuideWes DunbarOct 5, 20266 min

Your Soil Needs a Test and Compost, Not Another Bag of Fertilizer

Most yellow leaves aren't hungry plants. They're a soil problem nobody tested for. A cheap lab test and an inch of compost fix more than any bag will.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

GuideWes DunbarOct 5, 20267 min

Your First Raised Bed Costs More in Dirt Than in Wood

A 4x8 bed holds over a cubic yard of soil. Size it right, fill it with the right mix and plant things that'll actually win you a first season.

GuideWes DunbarOct 5, 20267 min

Start Your Seeds Later Than You Think and Closer to the Light

Most homegrown seedlings fail for two reasons: planted too early and grown too far from the bulb. Fix both and you'll beat the garden center.

Delicious.com — Nine thousand recipes and a plan for tonight

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GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20265 min

How to Pick Between a Push Mower, a Rider and a Zero Turn

Lot size, slope and your gate width decide this, not horsepower. Run the numbers before you spend $4,000 on the wrong machine.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next two weeks.

6 min

Put the Lawn to Bed Right Before the Ground Freezes

6 min

Start Seeds Indoors and Skip the Garden Center Six-Pack

Ask BRO

Give me something to do with my kids this weekend

Ask it

GuideDean ShawSep 23, 20265 min

Light Your Yard So It Looks Good and Nobody Tries the Door

Low-voltage lighting done right costs less than a decent grill, makes the house look twice as expensive, and quietly tells a stranger to keep walking.