Testing Ideas, Tips & Guides

Tested by Jason Reeves

Sometimes, the healthiest-looking seeds may not sprout, wasting your time. However, if you use these tips, you will know quickly if the seed is viable for germination and save a lot of waiting time!

Homegrown tomatoes taste heavenly when they are sweet with a hint of tart, acidic flavor. If you want to grow the same, there is a science behind it. And what is it, find out below!

So you’ve hit the jackpot at the thrift store and found the vintage sofa of your dreams at a deep discount. But then you spot something that could turn this scene into a nightmare—an ugly stain on the fabric that looks at least half as old as the furniture itself. With a bit of patience and the right cleaning technique, there’s an excellent chance you can remove the stain, revive the fabric, and enjoy your “new” furniture for years to come. Below, we're sharing six foolproof ways to remove stains from thrifted store finds.

BHG/Andrea Araiza

Marty Baldwin

Andy Lyons

A wormery is a great way of recycling kitchen and small amounts of garden waste, using worms to turn this  material into nutrient-rich natural compost. A sump within the wormery also holds any excess liquid produced during this process and this can be used to feed your plants too. Simply drain it with the tap, every few days, dilute it to a 1:10 ratio of water and you have a nitrogen-heavy liquid feed ready to use. Wormery composting worms are different species to the earthworms you see in your garden, which aren’t suitable, and are known as brandlings, red, manure or tiger worms. They live inside the waste in the wormery bin and thanks to big appetites and a fast metabolism, quickly break down food waste likeegg shells, vegetable peelings and tea bags and turn them into compost for your garden. For help getting started our helpful step-by-step guide explains how to set up a wormery

You can’t even begin to garden without the proper preparation of your soil. Well-maintained, aerated soil is necessary for your plants to be as strong and as healthy as possible. However, this is often quite a daunting task, requiring soil to be rejuvenated through loosening and turning over. Forks make this easy – they’re one of the simplest but most effective tools in the garden. Not only are they great for cultivating and getting areas of soil ready for planting & sowing, they’re also designed to easily lift and transplant plants. There are several different types of forks, and most people’s go-to is a digging fork. However, these forks can be unwieldy, and ill suited to smaller areas of the garden like borders. They can also be a  little too clumsy for more delicate tasks like transplanting plants and harvesting from raised beds. Border forks offer an easy alternative. A  little smaller and narrower than digging forks, they’re great for getting into tight spots without compromising on strength or efficiency. They offer a finesse that makes them great for weeding, or lifting clumps of perennials from cramped borders. Their lightness also helps if you have mobility issues, or if you lack strength and stamina. A good border fork turns all of the above from a backbreaker into a breeze. It should be indispensable; a lifetime companion in the garden.

When and How to Fertilize Persimmons

How does one get a lobster high? In a tiny, lobster-sized hotbox, obviously. Or, in scientific terms, a sealed exposure chamber. 

This current strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI, more commonly known as bird flu) is causing problems. It’s been detected in nearly 97 million birds in commercial or backyard flocks, with another 9,500 wild birds confirmed infected. In birds, it can cause coughing and breathing trouble, swelling and, ultimately, death. 

From novices to experts, all gardeners need a trusty spade and they’re often the first tool that gardeners will buy when starting out. These staples of the shed are invaluable and can help with dozens of jobs around the garden. Digging spades are the most common style of spade and are the go-to spade for beginners but there are also several other styles and models of spades, which are designed with particular jobs in mind.

We really love the creative cheese recipes taking the world by storm. But many of these viral videos lean on the sweet side (for instance, air-fried Oreos, peanut butter cups, and crème brûlée), so having a savory option like the beloved whipped feta is a nice break. When we made and tested the recipe, it just took one bite, and we were hooked.

Carson Downing

Adapted from Rodale’s All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, pages 541-550, with permission from Rodale Institute

Jason Donnelly

The TikTok algorithm knows me pretty well by now—my FYP unlocks new fears daily, one of them being bristles from a grill brush getting lodged in my gums (I saw a video where it happened, okay?)

LPM Restaurant & Bar

Mealybugs can affect all types of crops, ornamentals, and houseplants, including succulents and cacti. Outdoors, mealybugs have natural predators to keep their numbers in check. But indoors in your nice, cozy house, their numbers can increase quickly.

On Sunday after Park Yoga I took part in the national 'Waterblitz' weekend and tested the chemical water quality of a couple of locations in Chippenham. Here I'm assessing Hardenhuish Brook at my invertebrate sampling location for nitrate and phosphate levels by using a simple kit which takes just a few minutes to use — so different to the days when I used to do this in a lab! I've just looked at my results on the website and I'm pleased to see that my little corner of the world has good ecological status — yesterday morning at least! This matches the invertebrate results obtained so far, though I'm a

If you're designing a room in your home that doesn't receive much natural light, by no means is all hope lost. There are several creative ways to brighten up a dark room that don't require much time or money and will make a lasting impact, according to the interior designers we spoke with.

This story is part of our ongoing PFAS series, The PFAS Problem: Demystifying ‘Forever Chemicals’

Show your green-fingered father figures how much they mean to you with our Fathers’ Day gardening gift guide. To help them create the garden of their dreams we’ve picked out some of our favourite  expert-tested, Best Buy winning gardening tools, and added some gardening themed treats. From beer to planters and pizza ovens to seeds, there’s something for everyone.

BHG / Sonia Bozzo

Last month, the EPA passed its first-ever legally enforceable drinking water standards on a handful of PFAS—a group of chemicals used to make non-stick coatings and products that resist heat, oil, water and more. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are toxic chemicals and are often referred to as “forever chemicals” because of their tendency to not break down.

In previous coverage, we’ve told you about PFAS—per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances that don’t readily break down and can accumulate in humans, causing serious health problems.

How to Grow and Care for ‘Bosc’ Pears Pyrus communis ‘Bosc’

Reasons and Fixes for Hollow Zucchini

Around 6.5 tons of [mostly] plastic-wrapped dog poop winds up in landfills in the United States every year. As most cities see it, that’s the only safe option.

Tested by Mark Dwyer

A city garden by Luciano Giubbilei, where an interesting mix of shapes and textures is provided by the foliage of a multi-stemmed Acer palmatum, a wisteria and a mound of Euphorbia mellifera.

Brie Passano

May is National Hypertension Awareness Month and American Stroke Month, two conditions that are intricately linked to cardiovascular health. While many fad diets tend to come and go, one dietary pattern has stood the test of time and remains one of our world’s healthiest.

From Left: Sara Lee. Neilson Barnard / Staff / Getty Images.

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