Developing a Drought-Tolerant Front Yard Design My initial front yard design inspiration came from the garden at a local art museum. Filled with native plants but still lush, that garden showed me that low-water plants aren’t all dry and desertlike. That’s the vision I kept in mind as I designed our front yard makeover. In January 2016, I took my first class on low-water landscaping (hosted for free by the city), one of many courses I wound up taking that year....

Home staging involves bringing in furniture, art, and accessories to make your home look its best and help buyers imagine a future in the home you currently own. Done correctly, home staging can transform a space from outdated and lived-in to new and trendy, and if you stage your home from the start, you have a good chance of selling it quickly—and at a decent price. “The greatest buzz about a home and the greatest first impression comes when it’s first listed,” says Tina Stratton, relationship manager at Michigan-based Impact Home Staging Experts....

Turkey Math: As a general rule, plan on 1 pound of turkey per person. If you like leftovers, make it 1½ to 2 pounds per person. Therefore, a 30-pound turkey can serve up to 30 people (but realistically, more like 15 to 20 if you want leftovers, and you probably do!). First, Defrost Your Turkey Plan ahead. Before you can roast your 30-pound turkey, you must defrost it. It will take at least 7 days to thaw such a large turkey completely (turkeys injected with a solution of water, salt, and/or spices take even longer—another day or so)....

But when you move on to frosting cakes, you might wonder how much frosting is needed to ensure that layered cake or sheet cake is covered properly. Having enough frosting is key to creating beautifully decorated cakes. Unless you’re going for the naked cake look (which is also totally beautiful!), it is no fun to break out the ingredients to make another batch of buttercream frosting if you run out during the process....

A retaining wall must provide a way to release the water that builds up in the slope behind it. Without a pressure-relief system, the weight of the water in the soil would crack or even buckle the wall. Weep holes, which are lengths of ¾-inch pipe inserted along the top of the first course, escort some of the water out. The other part of the system is a plastic drainpipe covered with gravel....

While just about any type of plant can be grown hydroponically, the technique is most often used for growing vegetables or herbs. Benefits of hydroponics include larger harvests, faster growth, and less trouble with pests, disease, or outdoor growing conditions. If you’d like to try this soil-free method of gardening, you can purchase one of the many hydroponic kits for home use or create one yourself. Here are the basics of hydroponic gardening....

Start with the wisdom of an old stoneworker’s adage: “One stone over two, two stones over one.” In other words, stagger the seams of your rock wall, and if you’re using fieldstone, take another bit of classic advice: “Pick stones that nest.” That means choosing rocks with contours that hug each other as closely as possible where they meet. Make sure to check local regulations before you begin, confirming that your plans comply....

Use rot-resistant wood for trellis construction, such as cedar or pressure-treated pine, to make your garden trellis durable. Use exterior-grade stain or primer and paint to protect your wooden trellis. Painting before you assemble pieces may spare you brushwork later but may require touch-ups where screws have been inserted. Plant vining annuals, perennials, or shrubs at the structure’s base. Morning glory, black-eyed Susan vine, and sweet peas are particularly easy to grow and striking when grown on garden trellis panels against a lackluster wall....

Step 1: Cut Down the Center Place the pork loin fat side down on a large cutting board (Freshware Bamboo Cutting Board, Walmart). Use a long, sharp knife to cut lengthwise down the center of the meat. Don’t cut all the way through—it’s critical to leave about ½ inch uncut along the bottom to hold both sides of the loin together. Step 2: Butterfly the Left Side Place your knife at the base of the V you just created, so that the blade is perpendicular to your first cut....

However, popcorn ceilings have some drawbacks. The delicate material crumbles easily, making cleaning the textured surface a dusty mess. And because of its texture, the material is a magnet for dirt, dust, cobwebs, pollen, smoke, and even mildew, meaning these types of ceilings need to be cleaned more frequently than flat-surfaced ceilings. This guide will help you address two ways of cleaning a popcorn ceiling—dusting and stain removal—as well as provide guidelines for doing so safely and (relatively!...

Learning how to clean porch screens starts with your vacuum, but you’ll likely need to break out the garden hose and some soapy water if your screens are especially dirty. Plan to give your porch screens a good deep cleaning at the beginning and end of the outdoor season (typically in the spring and fall) and spot-clean as needed. You might also want to clean the rest of your outdoor spaces while you’re at it....

How to Choose and Store Fennel With its wispy fronds and bulbous base, fennel looks like a feather-topped, potbellied cousin to celery. But its flavor is remarkably different. The white bulb and bright green fronds have a gentle, slightly sweet anise flavor. The stalks are tough, so they’re not usually eaten. In many regions, fennel is available year round; however, its peak season is October through April.Look for crisp, clean bulbs without brown spots or blemishes....

Of course, homes don’t come with this number stamped across their sides, and in fact, not all real estate listings have an accurate square footage listed. Read on to learn how to find or calculate the square footage of your home and what that means for potential resale. Finding Your Square Footage Your home’s square footage can be easily found in a few different places—no measuring required—if you know where to look....

How to Care for a Fiddle-Leaf Fig Fiddle-leaf figs became the must-have houseplant in the mid-2010s, because the tree is big, dramatic, and can instantly enhance a dull room. “They’re still fan-favorites, but they tend to require a bit more extra care,” says Mast. The fiddle-leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) is a tropical plant native to rainforests in central and western Africa. In nature, a fiddle-leaf fig ($249, Bloomscape) can grow up to 50 feet tall, but don’t worry—your houseplant won’t break through your ceiling....

Dwarf fruit trees: Mature to about 8–10 feet tall and wide. Produce an abundance of fruit in a minimal amount of space. Semidwarf fruit trees: Mature to about 12–15 feet tall and wide. Produce maximum fruit yield per square foot. Most fruit can be harvested while standing on the ground. Standard fruit trees: Mature to at least 18 feet tall and wide (some fruit types are smaller). Standard-size fruit trees function as both shade trees and fruit producers in the landscape....

How Do Mushrooms Grow? Mushrooms grow from spores (not seeds) that are so tiny you can’t see individual spores with the naked eye. Rather than soil, these spores rely on substances like sawdust, grain, straw, or wood chips for nourishment. A blend of the spores and these nutrient sources is called spawn. Mushroom spawn acts a bit like the starter you need to make sourdough bread. Buy It: Oyster Mushroom Mycelium Plug Spawn ($25, Etsy) The spawn supports the growth of mushrooms’ tiny, white, threadlike bodies, called mycelium....

How to Plant Potatoes Potatoes love the sun, so plant your potato patch in a spot with full sun (where the plants will get at least six hours of sunlight each day) for the best results. Potatoes are planted with pieces of tubers called seed potatoes. Plant seed potatoes in spring around the time of the last expected frost. Buy It: Marketside Organic Gold Potatoes ($5, Walmart) Small potatoes can be planted whole, but larger potatoes (bigger than a golf ball) should be quartered with a clean knife ($95, Williams Sonoma) before planting....

What You Need Pry barUtility knifeTape ruleCircular saw or handsawOne pair sawhorsesClampsHammerJamb sawNail setLaminate flooring (glueless installation)Underlayment (one roll covers approximately 100 square feet)Installation kitFinishing nails Step 1: Acclimate the Flooring Flooring should sit in the room for at least 48 hours prior to installation, giving it time to expand or contract in relation to the room’s temperature and humidity. This prevents buckling and other problems after installation. Ultimate guide to laminate flooring...

Read on to learn how to light a gas grill and your next blue ribbon barbecue dinner will be mere minutes away. Plus, discover how to light a gas grill with a lighter if the gas grill won’t light as usual. How to Light a Gas Grill Your grill’s instruction manual should walk you through how to light a propane grill. But here’s a general guide for lighting a gas grill no matter what model you own....

Editor’s Tip: A few days before you begin any digging project, call 811 or visit call811.com. A locator service will come and mark the position of underground utility lines in the work area.