How-To Projects

These projects offer ideas and inspiration.

Vertical Herb Planter How to Build a Vertical Herb Planter

Love the taste of fresh herbs? This vertical herb planter lets you grow them all in one convenient place – right outside your door! With removable shelves that can be easily left off for taller growing spaces, this simple project … Continue reading →

Strawberry Pyramid Feature How to Build a Strawberry Pyramid

Celebrate strawberry season by building this simple, elegant strawberry pyramid in an afternoon. Cut the lumber yourself if you have some woodworking experience or make it easy by having the boards pre-cut at your local home improvement store. Next, be … Continue reading →

keith-poche-raised-bed-feature Keith Poche’s Raised Bed Planter

When the fish aren’t biting, why not bite into a homegrown tomato instead? That’s Elite Series pro fisherman Keith Poche’s philosophy. When he’s not traveling across the country for fishing tournaments, Keith enjoys spending time outdoors in the garden. Keith … Continue reading →

Use lavender blooms in homemade bath salts. How to Make Bath Salts with Lavender and Rosemary

The soothing scents of rosemary and lavender enliven our gardens and kitchens, but the usefulness of these and other aromatic herbs doesn’t stop there. Handmade soaps, scrubs, and salts bring herbs into your bath as well, with soothingly satisfying results. … Continue reading →

make-rowcover-hoop-house-feature Make a Row-Cover Hoop House

Many leafy spring and fall crops are frost tolerant into the 20s, but if you’re dealing with lower temperatures, you need to give them little extra warmth under the protection of a row cover. Depending on their thickness, these blankets … Continue reading →

How to make a straw bale bed feature How to Make a Straw Bale Bed

You can create a temporary raised bed using convenient, affordable straw bales. This is not the same as growing plants in a bale, which is very popular, but it is a way to use the bales to contain soil to … Continue reading →

how-to-build-super-easy-raised-bed-feature How to Build a Super Easy Raised Bed

Make this 4- by 8-foot easy raised bed from 3 8-foot boards that you can have cut to size at the store. One 8-foot board needs to be cut into 2 4-foot sections. (To reduce the size to a 4- by … Continue reading →

make-cucumber-trellis-feature Make a Cucumber Tent Trellis

A tent-shaped trellis makes a great support for cucumbers. Create your own cucumber tent trellis using farm-ready welded steel panels. One panel costs about $25 and will make 2 or 3 trellises. Step 1. Purchase a steel utility panel, available in … Continue reading →

How We Built Our Big 8 x 24 Raised Bed (video)

Our 8- by 24-foot raised display bed is built to last. We built it in front of our home office in Union Springs where we can watch Bonnie plants grow day in and day out. However, when we’re crazy-busy in … Continue reading →

Grow a Strawberry Fountain feature Grow a Strawberry Fountain

This strawberry fountain project is an easy way to grow strawberries without a lot of space. It keeps berries clean and easy to harvest. It’s an alternative to the popular strawberry jar containers. The key is keeping it watered because … Continue reading →