For city dwellers or gardening novices who do only container gardening, you might wonder: Is it possible to reuse potting soil from last year for this year's new plants? The answer is yes, if you follow a few simple steps. Since old potting soil can be denser and less nutritious, mix in organic matter like compost and fertilizer into the mix. Even some peat moss can be added to help aerate the soil. Since it's impossible to know if disease from last year's plants may be in this year's old soil, choose hearty plants to grow in the recycled mix: Think herbs like rosemary, mint and chive and robust flowers like marigolds and geraniums.

It's important to clean fruits and vegetables -- organic or conventionally grown -- before you eat them. Just a quick rinse under running water helps clean away microorganisms that can make you sick, plus remove any residual chemicals or pesticides that may be on conventionally grown produce. But here's an important tip: Even if you plan on peeling fruits and vegetables, rinse them first. When you peel the skin away, you can spread bacteria and chemicals from the outside of the produce to the inside. A quick rinse prevents this type of cross-contamination from happening.

With backyard summer barbecues and picnics in full swing during the hot summer months, be sure that even the smallest food scraps from your meal are packed and taken with you. Even the tiniest bites of bread can become a tasty meal for birds. That bread can go stale and become moldy and harm animals surprisingly quickly after your festivities. Also, anything with chocolate -- brownies, candy bars and dessert toppings -- can be harmful to birds because chocolate contains the chemical theobromine, which is toxic to many animals.