Home & Garden

Stagecraft: When the curtain rises on your home

The moment you put your house on the market, you must let go — literally.Know the commemorative plate collection or antique cuckoo clock you cherish? Pack them up and store them away, along with anything else prized and personal you may have on display. > Article

Looking to sell? Think marketing, start at home

Say you really need someone to buy your house. You recognize that the market going into this spring selling season is tough, credit is tight, and it's unlikely that anything short of giving the place away will attract a lot of prospects. > Article

Planting a small-scale paradise

The tiny dooryard of a townhouse. The back porch of a six-flat. A balcony on the 12th floor. > Article

Rookie gardening mistakes, and why they aren't the end of the world

SO YOU ...Had your seedlings die. It was probably "damping off," a fungus disease fostered by too-wet soil. > Article

Gas, electric or push: a look at lawnmower options

Love it or loathe it, lawn care season is upon us.And after decades of making lawnmowers bigger, more powerful and easier to push, manufacturers now are touting self-powered mowers and electric models just big enough to get the job done. > Article

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And the plots thicken: Taking the mystery (and fear) out of first-time growing

Zig-zagging her cart past the wall of compost manure, around the few brave pots empty and shivering out in the late winter sunlight, Andrea Versenyi arrived, at last, at the root of her night-rousing visions: row upon row of bright, shiny seed packets. > Article

The scent of heaven in your yard

"This volume began back when I was a boy of 6 or 7 and oft visited my grandmother's home in Gladwin, Michigan. > Article

Why not try planting potatoes?

Raising potatoes might seem slightly mysterious to a first-time back-yard gardener. > Article

Helpful hints for maximizing limited space

“Small Room Decorating,” published by Country Almanac, is for regular people — folks who don’t live in 6,000-square-foot homes and don’t have $15,000 to spend on an area rug. > Article

Stormproofing: When offense is your defense

Effective storm proofing borrows a page from football: Offense is the best defense.A little well-timed prevention goes a long way toward reducing weather-related damage. > Article

Built-in cabinets and cases solve storage and display problems

Built-ins are not only beautiful and functional, they personalize a home. Constructed to fit the odd nooks and crannies of a residence, they provide customized storage for the owners' interests. > Article