What Month Should You Sow Kale?

Does location still matter most? Should you remodel your home to suit your tastes, or for resale value? Are starter homes still a thing? We all have plenty of questions about the ever-changing world of real estate. In our Ask an Agentseries, we’re partnering with experts at Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate to answer your biggest questions about finding, buying, and selling a home.

After a long winter, it's exciting to look forward to pulling out summer furniture when the weather warms up. But it can be disappointing when you pull out your outdoor items and they've been ruined by a rough winter and poor storage.

Early autumn is a great time to enjoy the colour and beauty of late-flowering perennials, such as dahlias and asters, while also planning ahead for winter and spring. Borderline hardy plants benefit from protection in preparation for colder weather and tender potted plants like pelargoniums will need to be brought under cover if early frosts are forecast. Many spring-flowering bulbs can be planted over the next few weeks, and bare-root shrubs and trees ordered, ready to be planted in the garden from November onwards.

Mowing may be time consuming but is a critical part of maintaining a vigorous lawn. Healthy, well-managed grass not only looks better, but is more resilient to drought and other stresses. Proper mowing practices promote lush, dense turf by stimulating shoot and root growth. Lawn mowing encourages lateral shoot growth, resulting in a thicker lawn that is better able to combat weeds. These benefits are impacted by how often you mow the lawn. Mowing at regular intervals based on plant growth makes your ongoing maintenance faster and easier and ensures your lawn remains healthy and vibrant.

Header image: A greenhouse filled with petunias engineered to glow continuously by the biotech start-up Light Bio. Image credit: LIGHT BIO INC.

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Not only is high humidity uncomfortable for you, it can actually cause serious damage to your home. Especially in the dog days of summer and long bouts of rainfall, humidity levels have been rising at an alarming level.

If you have a large load of laundry you've been procrastinating on, I get it and let's be honest: we've all been there. But before you jump in, you may not realize some items that you should actually wash with cold water instead of hot water.

Imagine sleeping on a bed that is too small or large for you to feel cozy and just perfect. It’s the same for bulbs. Planting them at the right depth is like giving them a cozy bed, just like Goldilocks! We show you the right way to do it and why you should follow it!

It might seem like a no-brainer what you can pour down a drain, but not every liquid or viscous substance is suitable for household plumbing for a variety of reasons. Some can congeal in and clog up drains while others can damage the pipes, resulting in costly plumbing repairs and replacements.

If you have a fully operational garbage disposal in your kitchen sink, you’re likely in one of two groups. The first is comprised of conscientious individuals who know exactly what they should and should not toss down to prevent those blades from grinding to a halt.

Ready to tackle that big pile of laundry? Depending on what you're washing, you may want to think about running a hot water load. Many garments can be washed in hot water, laundry pros say, and below, Hyacinth Tucker, owner of The Laundry Basket LLC, highlights five types of items in particular that will benefit from this type of care.