5/9/10

If you're new to gardening, consider choosing high-yield vegetables that don't need a lot of space, time or care to thrive. Tomatoes, beans, lettuce, peppers, zucchini, herbs and carrots are some of the easiest to grow. Growing your own vegetables can also be a money-saver, too. For just a few dollars in seeds, you can save hundreds of dollars in produce costs. But that's beside the point: Your own harvest will also just taste so much better.

5/8/10

Transform a random collection of bottles and jars into elegant containers perfect for flower arranging. Wash and dry old jam jars, wine bottles and spaghetti sauce containers and remove all the labels. Then paint them with two or three light coats of white latex paint (use leftover paint if you have it) to give it the look of ceramic. Fill with water and arrange with flowers.

5/7/10

If you're having a problem with deer and other wild animals invading your garden, give this smelly tip a try: Place an old sneaker in your garden. Wild animals are inherently afraid of human beings and will flee at our scent, so a smelly gym sneaker should keep them far, far away.