Gear

What to buy, what to skip, and what the cheaper one actually costs you.

The BRO Gear GuideBuy once, fix it, pass it down: a cost-per-use calculator, a warranty decoder and a repairability checklist.Judge it before you buy

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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.

StoryHistoryDean Shaw4 Oct 20267 min

The Wright Brothers Flew for Five Years Before the World Believed It

Kitty Hawk was the easy part. The hard part was the cow pasture, the newspapers that yawned, and the years they chose not to fly at all.

Ask BRO

Build me a revision plan that I will actually stick to

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GuideTradesDean Shaw3 Oct 20266 min

Read a tape measure in one glance, sixteenths and all

Stop counting little lines from the inch mark. Read off the landmarks, call it like the crew does, and quit wasting lumber.

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

PartnerDelicious.com

GuideGarden & YardNina Castellan5 Oct 20266 min

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

How many days a week are you actually training?

StoryHistoryMarcus Vale4 Oct 20266 min

The Railway Canada Couldn't Afford and Built Anyway

A young country promised a train to the Pacific, nearly went broke keeping its word, and finished five years early. Not everyone was thanked.

GuideHomeWes Dunbar3 Oct 20267 min

Caulk a tub and a window so nobody can tell you did it

A pro-looking caulk line has almost nothing to do with a steady hand. It comes down to what you do before the gun ever comes out.

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

PartnerCoconut.com

GuideGarden & YardWes Dunbar5 Oct 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.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

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

StoryHistoryMarcus Vale3 Oct 20267 min

The Pony Express Went Broke Delivering the Mail on Time

For eighteen months, kids on fast horses beat the clock across 1,900 miles of open country. The company lost a fortune doing it. The ride was worth it.

GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseWes Dunbar3 Oct 20267 min

Fire Without Matches Is a Tinder Problem, Not a Spark Problem

A ferro rod, a bow drill and a 9-volt battery will all make fire. Only one should be your plan, and none of them work without the boring part.

Ask BRO

What should I wear to this?

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GuideGarden & YardNina Castellan5 Oct 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.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

PartnerGermProof.com

StoryHistoryDean Shaw3 Oct 20266 min

Wash Day, the Iceman and the Lamp Chimney Nobody Misses

Three machines took apart the American week your great-grandmother lived. The real story of how they got into the kitchen is better than the myth.

Poll

How often do you see your closest friends?

GuideSkillsCal Brennan3 Oct 20267 min

Four emergencies, and the instinct that makes each one worse

Bleeding, burns, choking and sprains each come with one obvious move that's wrong. Learn the right one now, while nobody's hurt.

GuideGarden & YardWes Dunbar5 Oct 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.

PartnerWhackAWoke.com

StoryHistoryDean Shaw3 Oct 20266 min

The Can Came Almost Fifty Years Before the Can Opener

The zipper, the lawnmower and the can opener all took two men: one with the idea and a second, stubborn one who made it actually work.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

GuideCountry BroDean Shaw3 Oct 20267 min

Set up the block so your worst swing hits wood, not your shin

Most splitting injuries are decided before the maul leaves the ground. Get the block, the stance and the wedge right, and a bad swing costs you nothing.

GuideGarden & YardWes Dunbar5 Oct 20267 min