If you want a flower to evoke a memory, choose a scented one. Marigolds, with their distinctive scent, always remind me of being a kid and helping my dad sow seeds for marigolds and other annual flowers in our garden. Types of Marigolds There are several types easily grown from seed. All are in the plant genus Tagetes. On This Page French marigolds French marigolds, Tagetes patula, are smaller plants with fern-like foliage....
I’ve had some of the best compost bins over the years. As someone who’s passionate about composting leaves, garden waste and kitchen scraps, one thing I haven’t quite mastered is aeration. All that organic material gets really heavy and can be a total chore to routinely aerate. What Is the Vivosun Compost Bin? The Vivosun is a double-chambered device for batch-style composting that significantly benefits your garden. One side cooks materials, while the other begins the composting process by breaking down fresh organic material....
We recently got to try out the Ooni Fyra Portable Wood-Fired Pizza Oven. Though all Ooni models are portable, the Fyra, priced at $249, is their entry-level pizza oven. It works with wood pellets, while other Ooni models are powered by gas, wood or charcoal. Basic Features of the Ooni Fyra Wood pellet fuel; Ooni pellets were included in our order, but any food-safe hardwood pellets will work At 22 lbs....
Construction risks are often overlooked by the workers as well as employers. However, they are very dangerous as some of these can cause life-threatening accidents. So, it’s important to mitigate the safety hazards at the construction site. urbans/Shutterstock Be Cautious In and Around Your Work Zone You always need to be on your toes around the construction site. To ensure safety at a construction site, your top priority should be protecting yourself and the others from any possible accidents....
All cats play, and kittens play most of all — with or without a cat toy. One of the top complaints I hear as a certified animal behavior consultant involves dangerous cat play aggression. That happens primarily with kittens during peak play periods, up to sixteen weeks of age. Rough cat play with biting and clawing injures ankles and could even damage your property. As kittens matures, the intensity of play drops off....
Perhaps I’m a tinkerer at heart. I may also be a bit frugal. But whenever something mechanical I own needs a repair, I try to do it myself. If it’s a big job like replacing the rear differential in my truck. I don’t have the time, space or confidence to tackle it. But for smaller issues with my bicycle, lawn mower, snowblower, boat, motorcycle or family vehicles, I try to fix them myself....
Nikolay Litov/Shutterstock Finding a spider in your car can be an uncomfortable experience. When it continues to happen, it becomes an alarming reality. The last thing you want is to make your driving experience a frightening one, which is why you should tackle the problem immediately. Arachnids in your vehicle can make you never want to drive again, but getting rid of them is actually quite easy! First, you’ll want to identify where the spiders are coming from....
If you’ve spent any time patching and repainting drywall, you’ve probably struggled to remove wall anchors. Also called drywall screw anchors, these tapered plastic plugs are extremely useful for hanging something heavy from drywall without relying on an underlying wooden stud. Trouble is, they’re often difficult to remove when you decide to move that framed picture, shelf or other heavy object. That likely motivated the creator of this TikTok video to use a corkscrew to try and remove a wall anchor....
The pandemic and surging inflation in the U.S. have drastically impacted the housing market. Building material costs have skyrocketed, nearly half a million construction jobs need to be filled to meet demand, and a new Redfin report detailed that new home sales are being cancelled at alarming rates. In June, approximately 60,000 home-purchase agreements in the U.S, or 14.9%, fell through before being finalized, according to Redfin. That rate is up from 12....
What is a Clawfoot Tub Clawfoot tubs, as the name suggests, are freestanding bathtubs with four legs. The legs or pegs in each corner feature varied styles and looks. The exact origin of clawfoot tubs isn’t clear, but they’ve been around for centuries. On This Page “In the early 19th century, clawfoot bathtubs were a mark of social standing and luxury, placed in private baths in wealthy homes where servants could fill them with water and have enough space around the sides to help a person bathe,” according to modernbathroom....
The drain bladder is one of the greatest unsung heroes of every plumber’s arsenal. They’re capable of clearing the most stubborn drain clogs, even after all other methods have failed. Along with being highly effective, they’re also inexpensive and easy to use plumbing products. Read on to discover why you should consider a drain bladder for your next clog before resorting to more difficult methods — or calling a plumber....
As common household pests go, ants can try a homeowner’s patience. A survey conducted by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) found that ant infestations are on the rise across the country, making ants America’s number one nuisance bug. Get rid of these foraging insects using eco-friendly remedies made from household items found in your pantry or at the supermarket. White Vinegar A recipe for ant-controlling success? Three parts vinegar and one part water....
When the Stelfoxes bought their new home it had everything they hoped for … inside. But the backyard was a large, flat rectangle of grass that some might have considered bland or boring. “I was looking for a place to relax and find some shade; it gets a little hot in the afternoon in Florida,” Robert told Family Handyman. “I wanted a place to have coffee in the morning and a party in the evening....
Supersized puffs of hydrangea blooms and a dash of hocus-pocus with color-changing petals make this one of the most sought-after flowering shrubs for home landscaping. A University of Tennessee Extension Service study estimates more than 10 million hydrangea plants are sold each year, accounting for more than 13 percent of U.S. shrub sales. How to Plant and Grow Hydrangea If you’re ready to jump on the hydrangea bandwagon, these tips will help ensure success....
Every time I split open an avocado and throw out the pit, I think, “I’m wasting a perfectly good opportunity to grow an avocado tree again.” Sometimes, though, I take the seed and at least get it to sprout. It’s easier to do than you might think! How to Grow an Avocado Tree Depending on where you live, you can easily grow an avocado tree (Persea americana) from seed, or purchase a container-grown plant and grow it in a pot....
How to Get Dents Out of Wood Dents in wood surfaces can be annoying. But fret not, they can be fixed! Here’s how to remove dents in wood: Simply soak a washcloth in water and ring it out a bit so it’s not sopping wet. Put the damp washcloth on the affected area. The water will wick through the wood, and that’s fine. Now, with your iron on its highest setting, place it on the damp washcloth over the affected area, and make small movements back and forth and in circles....
We’ve all experienced screeching windshield wiper blades while driving, especially folks that live regions with cold winter months. When it’s not really raining or snowing, but water and gunk is kicked up from the road by the vehicles in front of you, the moving parts don’t have much lubrication to keep them quiet. To eliminate this noisy issue, first clean your windshield wiper blades with a bit of soap and water and then coat the moving parts with some spray silicone lubricant....
This FH series introduces readers to a few of the women who make up 11 percent of the construction workforce in the U. S., spotlighting stories of their careers in the field. Know someone we should feature? Email us here. When she was a kid, Celia Reyes remembers watching her dad do thermite welding for the Union Pacific Railroad. She thought it looked really cool, like a volcano. But it wasn’t until she was in her 20s that she decided to try out welding for herself....
There are many types of wild violet species, some native and others European and Asian invaders, but all grow primarily in the northern regions of the U.S. You can recognize these flowering perennials by their early spring blossoms and heart-shaped, waxy leaves. Most commonly the five-petaled flowers are deep purple, but they can also be white, speckled or yellow. “This tenacious little plant might be considered a bothersome weed by some,” says expert gardener Em Shipman of KidsGardening....
JohnnyGreig/Getty Images The big brains and clever devs over at Google are at it again, and this time they’re taking on the DIY community. Area 120, Google’s experimental projects lab, recently launched Tangi (pronounced TAN-gee), a social video sharing app focused on creativity and DIY projects. “Tangi is where creative people can get new ideas and connect with other passionate people like them,” according to Area 120. “The name is inspired by the words TeAch aNd GIve and ‘tangible’—things you can make....
