Step 1: Outline Garden Bed Once you’ve decided where to build a new garden bed, mark the plot’s perimeter with spray paint or a sprinkling of flour. Removing the top layer of sod speeds up the process so you could be planting a little sooner, but it’s not necessary. You can just start adding your layers right on top of the grass. Step 2: Build Your Layers Spread a layer of newspaper six sheets thick so that the entire outlined space is covered....

Deck posts must be plumb, so they must start with square ends. Check the bottom of each post with a speed square and cut it if necessary. Dip cut ends in a preservative before setting them in the anchors and let the preservative soak in overnight. To make the job go quickly, do everything in stages—first, square all the deck posts and set them in the anchors with a temporary brace....

Before you start slicing apples for pie, start with the right apple. Certain varieties, such as Braeburn, Golden Delicious, Jonagold (sweet), Cortland, Granny Smith, and Jonathan (tart), hold up best during cooking. (Want to make sure you choose the best apples for your pie? Learn about the different types of apples here.) Once you’ve got your fresh apples ready, proceed with the following steps for the easiest way to peel apples for your favorite apple pie recipe....

How to Treat Spruce Spider Mites Gardeners aren’t the only ones who like the dwarf Alberta spruce. Sadly, it’s also popular with spruce spider mites that attack in spring and fall, unlike regular spider mites, which are active in hot, dry weather. If your spruce has yellow speckles or brown needles at its base or near the trunk, spruce spider mites are most likely the culprits. To find out if spruce spider mites have moved in, shake a browning branch over a piece of white paper....

Set aside roughly an hour to frame an 8x8-foot wall. Additional footage will require more time. Before you begin, make sure you know how to measure, mark, crosscut, and drive nails. Prep for the project by installing the wall’s ceiling plate. Laying out the positions of the studs in a wall is a crucial step in construction. Get it right and installing drywall is easy; make a mistake and you’ll have problems....

The plant is considered lucky because of its association with the Chinese practice of feng shui—balancing yin and yang. Having a few stems of this dracaena in your home is said to increase chi, representing vital energy or life source. Here’s how to grow your own lucky bamboo and repot the cuttings to keep the good fortune coming. What Is Lucky Bamboo? Unlike true bamboos (which have roots in Asia), Dracaena sanderiana is native to Africa....

Best Storage Onion Varieties Properly stored, onions can last for months. The best storage onion varieties have a high sulfur content—they’ll really make you cry—and they have a strong flavor. Mild-flavored or sweet onion varieties will likely only keep for a few weeks. ‘Stuttgarter’, ‘Yellow Globe’, ‘Copra’, ‘Patterson’, ‘Redwing’, and ‘Ebenezer’ are a few storage varieties. Check with your local cooperative extension office to find out which varieties will grow best in your area....

Headroom, especially in a basement, may be at a premium. To make low flooring framing that will conserve headroom, lay pressure-treated 2x4s (sleepers) flat and cover them with 3/4-inch tongue-and-groove OSB underlayment or exterior plywood.

This type of preparation is for a door with two sets of boreholes and cross bores, one on top of the other, 5-1/2 inches from center to center. Both boreholes are 2-1/8 inches in diameter, with the cross bores measuring 1 inch in diameter. The back set measures between 2-3/8 and 2-3/4 inches from the edge of the door to the center of the cross bore. The thickness of the door should be between 1-3/8 and 1-3/4 inches....

1. Check the Forecast Larger pots should be fine if you’ll be gone for just two or three days, especially if rain is in the forecast. Give them a good soaking before you go. Set up a contingency plan for small pots that usually need daily watering, such as asking a neighbor or friend to stop by and give them a drink. You also could use a self-watering device that slowly delivers water from a reservoir....

How does kokedama work? You begin by mixing peat moss and bonsai soil, then slowly adding water until the compound adheres as a ball. This will be your base. Wrap the roots of a plant (we used a fern) in damp sphagnum moss, bind it in twine, and insert it into the soil ball. Finish it in sheet moss, with more twine to secure, and then spritz with water. Once your kokedama is finished, don’t feel limited to simply hanging it....

Editor’s Tip: Cutting blinds might void the warranty, so consider this before you begin. How to Cut Bamboo Blinds Learn how to cut bamboo blinds to fit the windows in your home. Below are the supplies you’ll need. Supplies Needed Bamboo blinds Painters tape Measuring tape Permanent marker or fabric marker Miter saw Straight edge E6000 permanent adhesive glue Cutting mat Utility knife How to Cut Bamboo Blinds That Are Too Wide This quick DIY project will fix bamboo blinds that are too wide for your window....

How to Make Decorative Clay Knots Supplies Needed Polymer clayKnifeBaking sheetOven Step-by-Step Directions Follow these simple how-to instructions to make your own set of polymer clay knot figurines. You should be able to complete this easy craft project in under an hour, but the shapes will need to bake and cool. Step 1: Prepare Clay To create these lasting knot decorations, we used inexpensive polymer clay. Polymer clay is easy to shape, durable, and once baked it won’t weaken or break....

Luckily, there’s an alternative, and you can easily make them at home. To make your own reusable paper towels, you’ll need a few kinds of fabric and basic sewing skills—we’ll walk you through the rest! No matter what you use them for, these reusable paper towels will quickly become your go-to tool in the kitchen. How to Make Reusable Paper Towels Supplies Needed 1 yard of flannel1 yard of waffle-woven cottonFusible interfacingPlastic snapsSnaps fastener toolThreadScissorsRulerFabric markerCutting matRotary cutterPinsIronSewing machine...

“We go way back,” interior designer Rebekah Zaveloff of KitchenLab Interiors says of her friend Lorie FitzGibbon. “We grew up together in Ohio. My mom owned a store that sold the latest fashions; Lorie’s mom was an art dealer. We were both heavily influenced by the style of the late ’70s and early ’80s—boho/hippy meets disco and glam.” So when Lorie and husband John built a new home in the Chicago suburbs, Lorie knew where to find her style muse....

This year, I’m creating a list of the can’t-miss items I plan on shopping for Prime Day. I’ve already spotted hundreds of discounts on the site, including electronics, kitchen appliances, and furniture. And while I could easily score deals on a new TV or pricey cookware, my sights are set on the home essentials I’ll need to enjoy hot summer days—including cooling bed sheets, outdoor string lights, and oscillating tower fans....

1. Plant a patio or bush tomato variety. Small tomato plants, known as patio or bush varieties, grow and fruit best in containers. Don’t be fooled by the size of a plant—a small tomato plant can still produce loads of fruit. Pot-friendly tomato varieties typically grow to a particular size, usually 1 to 3 feet tall, and then begin fruiting. There are many patio-type tomato varieties and dozens more coming onto the market every season....

Tip: Can’t find (or don’t want to splurge on) Champagne? Cava, Prosecco, or any sparkling wine all work well here. Tip: Feel free to make the cupcakes up to a month ahead and freeze until it’s time to celebrate. Our Complete Guide to Champagne Tip: This vegetable-rich Italian dinner is begging to be paired with anything from Chardonnay to Chianti.

Whether through a guide on how to shop for a home, tips on saving for and purchasing your dream house, or advice on whether buying a home is right for our readers, BHG has always supported homeownership. (We’ve even been part of the home buying experience through the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate division since 1978.) Homeownership rates have increased in the United States over the last 100 years, rising from a national rate of nearly 46% in 1920 to more than 65% in 2022, with some dips and peaks in the intervening years....