When I was a kid, I asked my dad why he didn’t grow sweet corn in his garden. He answered that you need a big garden to grow corn. Later, when I had my own garden, I proved you can grow corn in a smaller garden once you understand some basic requirements. How to Plant Corn All corn varieties, including sweet and ornamental corn, need the same things to thrive....
After a long winter of waiting for the spring flowers, it’s disappointing when a lilac doesn’t bloom. My sister called me last spring when her old lilac had just a few flowers on it and asked me to help her figure out why. Here I’ll explain why her lilac flowers didn’t bloom, and what you can do if this happens to you. Why Did My Lilacs Fail To Bloom? There are at least seven reasons why a lilac bush fails to bloom, or produces few blooms in the spring....
For decades I killed almost every houseplant I owned, either by kindness (overwatering) or neglect (no water at all). After all of that wilting, withering and eventually succumbing to the lack of proper hydration, I’m happy to say that I now know how to be a responsible houseplant parent. I reached out to expert Mary Vargo, an urban horticulture agent and master gardener coordinator with Clemson University Cooperative Extension, to help put together a houseplant watering resource that’s simple to use....
Having a home gym is a great way to maintain fitness and health. An important part of creating the perfect home gym is to incorporate home gym flooring that will support your workout and exercise needs. What is the Best Floor for a Home Gym? Well, that depends on what surface the flooring is going over and what kind of exercise equipment and routines you partake in. According to Men’s Health, it’s critical that all gym flooring surfaces are durable, have proper traction and have impact shock absorption....
Oliver Helbig/Via getty images What You Need To Know About Whole-House Humidifiers Whole-house humidifiers make dry, brutal winters far more comfortable indoors. Unfortunately, if you have a manual humidifier, the problems might outweigh the benefits. With manual humidifiers, you need to know the outdoor temperature hours in advance and adjust the humidity accordingly, every day. Few people actually do this. Most people just select a middle setting and never touch it again....
The Important Role of the Brake Booster The brake booster plays an important role in stopping a car equipped with disc brakes. Located under the hood, the device delivers additional force to the brakes and assists in stopping your vehicle. Without it, stopping distances would increase dramatically, putting the driver and passengers at greater risk of collision during an emergency stop. Inside the brake booster, two chambers, separated by a diaphragm, experience a similar drop in pressure as air rushing into the engine, through the air intake, creates a vacuum....
shutterstock/gpointstudio Whether you’re buying or selling a house, remember that the real estate agent you hire is there to negotiate for you, says Antoine Thompson, national executive director of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers. When challenges arise, “you want to have a good advo- cate working on your behalf.” Here are some services you should expect: When you sell Setting a fair price, and boosting value. Your agent should bring a deep understanding of the local market, including current economic conditions and new developments that could affect values, to help you set a reasonable price, Thompson says....
Centuries ago, when only a few blacksmiths produced wrought-iron fencing, it was a sign of wealth and status. But as more and more blacksmiths began producing it in the 1800s, wrought-iron fencing became more commonplace. Today, it isn’t as rare or prohibitively expensive as it once was. But it still looks expensive, and that’s a big part of its appeal. Most of today’s wrought-iron fencing, mainly made of steel or aluminum, comes from large factories....
Elizaveta Galitckaia/Shutterstock You’ve heard the advice since you were young — wash your hands to avoid getting sick. When you can’t wash your hands with soap and water, hand sanitizer is another way to keep them clean, even when we’re on the go. It can come in appealing scents, different textures and fun squeeze bottles. But are all hand sanitizers the same? Here’s what you need to know. Wash your hands immediately after touching these 10 items (you might be surprised by some of them!...
Anton Petrus/via getty images Nobody likes being stung by a wasp. Their presence during the summer causes some of us to run and hide. For others, a sting can be deadly. Read on to find out how to better your chances of avoiding run-ins with these pests. Emergence of the Queen In late March and into April, as the ground starts to thaw and the last flakes of the previous winter fade, a familiar pest begins to move about....
Family Handyman Every Woodworker’s Dream This 6-in. digital caliper guarantees accuracy when you need to measure and fit joints, check board thicknesses while planing, or set cutting depths. Regular metal calipers with etched-on hash marks are inaccurate and hard to read. And dial calipers are spendy. This one, which has a large, easy-to-read display, is not only incredibly accurate (to 1/1,000th of an inch), but also cheap! Call up either fractions of inches or decimals or metric with the push of a button....
Telltale Signs Your Mattress Is Failing It can be hard to tell what causes a poor night’s sleep. Sometimes you simply have too much on your mind. But there’s also a chance your old mattress is to blame. Mattresses typically last seven to 10 years. Toward the end of their useful life, they do break down and need to be replaced. On This Page You Wake Up In Pain A good mattress keeps your spine in proper alignment and cushions your pressure points while you sleep....
Last week, the Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that funds for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) have run out and that the program will no longer be accepting applications. “With the portal closed to most lenders, America’s banks will remain focused on helping borrowers still in the pipeline resolve SBA hold codes and other outstanding loan issues, so they can receive their PPP funds,” said Ian McKendry, spokesperson for the American Banking Association....
I am a keen DIY person, and I particularly hate to discard plywood that is surplus to a project, considering not only the wood, but also the oil products and energy used to make it, and the impact this may have on our environment. Often, using a surplus piece saves me the cost of buying a whole new sheet. The first photograph shows the ‘Before’ version of where I store my surplus plywood....
Family Handyman Try this brilliant spray foam tube cleaning trick We all do it, so don’t feel bad. You forget to clean the plastic tube and nozzle after using half a can of spray foam. Do you go to the store a month later when you need more foam? Nope! Just push a 12-gauge wire into the tube and shove out the dried foam in a single piece, then clean out the clogged nozzle with a toothpick or small finish nail....
It turns out that moving your plants to the porch (even if it’s covered) during the winter doesn’t exactly keep them alive and thriving. If you’re like me and struggling to upkeep plants that were green and budding during warmer months, then the Koksry Portable Walk-In Greenhouse is here to save the day (and your plants). The three-tier, walk-in portable greenhouse has eight shelves to save all your plants and herbs from getting covered in frost....
There are many types of roofs that top our homes, and the popularity of each varies from region to region. Here in the Northeast, we’re big fans of the modest gable roof. It’s practical and offers a classic design that’s easy to work with. But what exactly is a gable roof, and what makes them so practical? This guide will cover it all. What Is a Gable Roof? A gable roof has two sides that meet and form a ridge in the middle....
A beautiful fence gives a home character and curb appeal. Whether for aesthetics or functionality, putting up a fence may require more steps than you think. Homeowners need to consider some key questions: Will your municipality allow a fence? Are there underground utility lines? What about the slope of your property and what will the neighbors say? A successful fence installation takes careful planning and preparation before construction begins. The Survey If property lines are not marked already, hire a surveyor to make sure you’re not building a fence on your neighbor’s property....
H&C STUDIO / Getty Images Clover was a popular lawn cover choice until the tides turned in favor of traditional turf grass in the 1950s. However, clover grass has grown in popularity in recent years thanks to its many advantages over traditional grass. Here’s what to know about clover grass. What Is Clover Grass? Clover is a flowering plant with three small leaves. (Lucky four-leaf clover also exists, but it’s much less common than the three-leaf version....
Last spring, I ran into some neighbors at the local garden center who were shopping for tomato plants. The plant tags contained a lot of useful information, but they weren’t sure what all the codes after the variety name meant. I helped them sort out the codes, and they ended up with the best tomatoes they’d ever grown. What Is All That Info on Tomato Plant Tags? Whenever you buy a plant, check the tag, which usually includes the variety name and mature size....
