Who would have thought getting dirt under your fingernails would ever be considered one of the hottest trends going? According to Doug Jimerson, garden core director for Better Homes and Gardens, “growing your own fruits, veggies and herbs is something Americans are doing in record numbers this season.”

“It’s cheaper to grow your own produce than buy it – one $3 tomato plant will yield pounds of produce all season long,” Jimerson says. “Plus, the produce you grow just tastes better than even your grocer’s best. And while it’s healthy to eat and grow your own, gardening is rapidly gaining popularity as a great way to get some exercise, relieve stress and spend healthful family bonding time.”

Eating foods grown in your own backyard means you won’t be contributing to the carbon footprint left behind by the “food miles” it takes to bring imported produce to your local grocers – so you’re helping the environment, too.

Growing vegetables is easier than you think. Plan it properly, and you can enjoy a healthy, homegrown harvest from the fruits of your labor – without having to spend hours tending it.

Gardening 101

Sunshine is sustenance – Vegetables need at least six hours of full sun per day. The easiest thing to do is to place your garden in full sunlight. Make sure it’s easily accessible for watering; if the garden is too far from your house it could get neglected. Check the last frost date in your region and wait until threat of frost is past before you begin planting.

No yard necessary – Gardening doesn’t require a lot of room – although if you have the space and time to go large, go for it!. Many popular vegetables and herbs grow just fine in containers, making them a great option for those with limited space. For smaller yards, raised beds are an easy, low-maintenance option. If your garden is going right into the ground, just turn the earth with a shovel, toss out roots and rocks, mix in a soil amendment for healthy soil, and plant.

Water relief – Water regularly, but avoid doing so during the heat of the day when evaporation will diminish the effectiveness of irrigation. Water to wet the soil about 8 inches deep, but don’t over-water.

Feed your food – All edible plants draw nutrients from the ground, and can quickly exhaust the soil without the help of a fertilizer. Always follow label directions.

Growing for it

Now that you’ve got an idea of the basics, it’s time to pick your plants.

Start with transplants – seedlings are way easier to get growing than seeds, so you’ll save loads of time and enjoy improved success. Fortunately, national purveyors like Bonnie Plants make it easy to find hardy, high-quality, regionally appropriate plants at your local garden retailers. Bonnie offers time-tested vegetable and herb favorites, as well as new varieties, in eco-friendly, biodegradable pots that not only reduce plastic waste in landfills, they reduce transplant shock. Simply tear off the bottom of the pot and set the whole thing – plant in pot – directly into the ground. Be sure to pay close attention to plant tags, they’re packed with facts and details to help you successfully grow your plants.

Here are some favorites to consider for your garden:

* Tomatoes – The most popular, most-grown vegetable, tomatoes are always a best bet. Disease-resistant Bonnie Original is a hardy, flavorful addition to any backyard garden. For containers or small spots, try Sweet n’ Neat, a prolific plant that sets fruit in grape-like clusters.

* Basil – The perfect complement to tomatoes, basil works well in gardens and containers. New Greek Columnar Basil is particularly bountiful, as it grows high, leafs out densely and rarely flowers. The flavor blends traditional basil with spicy overtones of cinnamon, allspice and cloves.

* Bell peppers – Versatile, flavorful and nutritious, bell peppers are great raw snacks and make an awesome ingredient for a variety of cuisines. Harvest peppers when they’re green or red when the vitamin levels are higher.

* Eggplant – Black Beauty is the quintessential eggplant with a deep purple, glossy skin and meaty texture, and thrives in hot weather. White-skinned varieties like Cloud Nine offer a sweeter, bitter-free flesh.

* Mints – Easy-to-grow mints are available in traditional spearmint and peppermint and in more exotic flavors like Bonnie Plant’s new apple mint, orange mint and even chocolate mint, which has a flavor that echoes the classic Girl Scout cookie.

Hefty harvest – The general rule: If it looks good enough to eat, it probably is. With many vegetables, the more you pick, the more the plant will produce. For more gardening tips, ideas and advice, visit www.bonnieplants.com.

Fresh, healthy eggs. Natural fertilizer and pest control. A chance to teach your kids the value of growing their own food. These are just some of the reasons backyard chickens have moved from a novelty to a mainstream trend.

Whether you’re a home chef, a gardener or a parent who believes in providing enriching experiences for your children, this spring might be the perfect time to consider jumping on the backyard chicken bandwagon. It’s lucky that chicken coop and feed resources have made it easier than ever to get started.

If you’re thinking of adding a coop to your backyard living space this year, here are some tips to consider.

Choose your chickens

Chickens come in many different shapes, sizes, colors and temperaments. When making your choice, research the breed’s history and characteristics, making sure to find out how much space they’ll require. The type of egg that is produced, including color of the shell, also depends on the breed. Araucana hens, for example, produce pastel eggs that resemble Easter eggs, while White Leghorns are known for their high production.

Once you’ve chosen the breed, consider whether you’d prefer to hatch your own chicks or purchase day-old chicks from a reputable hatchery or local feed store. Keep in mind that most hens do not begin laying until they are 18 weeks old.

And since roosters are not necessary for egg production, you don’t have to worry about roosters crowing at dawn. You can just order hens.

Establish a (legal) living area

As chicken ownership continues to grow, more cities and suburbs are permitting coops in urban and suburban residences. But before you buy chicks, check with your city’s zoning regulations to be sure your coop complies with local ordinances.

Now, it’s time to build (or buy) a home for your new feathered family members. Chicken coops can be as simple or complex as owners want them to be. Some families turn old sheds or dog kennels into chicken coops, while others choose to build elaborate homes fit for the most discriminating bird. You can also buy a kit to get started.

However you acquire a chicken coop, there are a number of features it should have:
* Easy to clean
* Protection from the weather and predators, inside and out
* Good ventilation
* Adequate drainage
* Indoor nests for egg laying
* Room to roam – chickens should be able to spread their wings and move around in the coop
* Continuous access to clean water

Chicken feed: the ingredients for success

While space is vital to a chicken’s health, nutrition is vital to successful egg production. Using packaged feed with a mix of natural ingredients is a convenient way for owners to provide chicks the nutrition they need for future laying. Feeds such as Purina Start & Grow SunFresh Recipe are backed by years of research, proven to help chicks grow into healthy hens. That expertise, combined with a network of educated feed retailers, helps families keep their backyard flocks in tip-top shape.

While a formulated feed will make up the majority of a chicken’s diet, chickens can also be your clean-up crew by eating table scraps-provided that scraps make up no more than 10 percent of their diet. Leftover vegetables, meat and non-citrus fruits are all good to feed.

Now you know some of the basics of raising backyard chickens and the benefits they can bring to your family life. By adding chickens to your home, you gain nutritional food that is enjoyed by the entire family without making a trip to the grocery store.

For more information on backyard chickens, including a free guidebook offering more detailed instructions, visit www.Facebook.com/PurinaPoultry or visit your local Purina dealer.

Shorter days, dropping temperatures and dealing with snow and ice can give many people a serious case of the winter doldrums. Most of us won’t be able to fight winter blues with a tropical getaway or a spa weekend. But there is an easy, convenient way to give yourself an emotional boost during the winter, and do something good for nature at the same time: feed wild birds.

More than 65 million Americans have tried bird feeding, according to a recent Census Report. Bird feeding is an easy and enjoyable hobby for people of any age, ability and skill level. Whether you’re new to bird feeding or a seasoned pro, here are some tips to help you enjoy a successful, mutually beneficial relationship with your backyard birds this winter:

Figuring out feeders
The type of feeder you use is important. To attract the greatest number of species, you’ll need to provide different types of feeders and feed choices. Hopper and platform designs are always popular, but whatever feeders you use during winter should have a few features in common:

* A wide cover over feeding ports, perches and dispensing trays will help prevent feed from being buried by snowfall. The cover should extend several inches over the feeder edge to ensure protection from all but the worst storms.

* Place feeders in sheltered locations out of severe winds. Placing feeders close to the house, or using window feeders, both offers the birds more shelter and gets them closer for great viewing. You can also place feeders near protective cover like hedges.

* Bigger is better for winter feeding. Large capacity feeders mean you’ll have to brave winter weather less frequently to refill them.

Keep ‘em clean
Birds appreciate cleanliness when it comes to their feeders. Because natural food sources are scarce in winter, your feeders will attract hungry birds. It’s important to clean them regularly to keep them free of mold, mildew and other unhealthy conditions that could foster disease.

Backyard with benefits
Here’s some steps to make your backyard even more beneficial to birds:

* Consider adding a heated bird bath. Birds have difficulty finding fresh water in the winter.

* Leave bird houses and nesting boxes in place through winter to act as shelter for roosting birds.

* Choose bird-friendly landscaping that includes sheltering evergreen plants, and plants that provide fruit for a natural winter food source.

Give birds a boost with food high in fat, nutrition and energy
With insects and fruit harder to find naturally during winter months, most birds will thrive on seeds. Suet, solid fat rendered from beef, venison or vegetables, is also good for birds, and provides much needed concentrated energy. Serving suet used to be a messy affair, but bird feed producers like Cole’s Wild Bird Products have made the task much easier for the server and even more beneficial for birds. Cole’s offers several mess-free ways to serve suet:

* Suet Kibbles are high potency and offer birds the berry flavors they love. Cole’s formulation also incorporates dried insects for increased stamina. Serve it in a sunflower feeder or mix with your favorite seed to attract warblers, woodpeckers, bluebirds and nuthatches.

* Suet Nuts combines nourishing peanuts and berry suet.

* Suet Pearls feature sunflower meats buried within energy-packed suet. You can serve them separately or mix with seed.

Your seed choices should be high-quality and tailored to provide birds with the biggest energy bonanza possible. Sunflower is a great seed option for winter because it’s rich in oil, which attracts birds and provides them with plenty of energy. Cole’s Oil Sunflower is the highest-grade black oil sunflower seed, it’s over 99 percent pure and cleaned four times to ensure you get more seed and fewer sticks.

Peanuts are another high-energy option. Choose hulled varieties that are whole – and more nutritious than peanut pieces. They’re especially attractive to titmice, nuthatches, wrens and woodpeckers.

Once you’ve invested in good seed and the right feeders, don’t overlook the importance of storing it properly. Store in airtight containers in an area of your home where the seed won’t be exposed to extreme temperatures. Never store seed outside as this can attract pests and predators.

This winter, boost backyard birds’ energy levels and serve up the right seed in the right feeder. You’ll enjoy winter bird-watching and the birds will benefit from the extra energy. Be patient, it may take a few weeks before the birds discover newly placed feeders. While you wait, be sure to keep the feeders full. Eventually, the birds will come. For more information on Cole’s Feed visit www.coleswildbird.com.

Snow typically starts falling across the U.S. in November, according to the National Weather Service. In 2010 more than one-third of the country was covered with powdery flakes by Thanksgiving. It’s during this time people flock to the store to pick up shovels and snow blowers. Yet, one of the most versatile snow safety tools consumers have in their winter arsenal is ice melt.

It’s easy to believe that all melters are the same, but much like you use one cleaning product for the bathtub and another for the countertop, you should also use specialty melters designed specifically for your environmental and safety needs. Choosing the wrong melter can not only waste time and money, it can cause unnecessary harm to sidewalks, driveways, pets and vegetation. Getting educated about how ice melt works and how to select the right one can be instrumental in having a fun and safe season.

Facts about freezing

Although many people believe ice melters damage concrete, the true culprit is the temperature. When ice melts naturally, it turns into liquid which runs down into the pores, or small holes, in concrete. When this liquid refreezes, it expands (similar to water in an ice cube tray that freezes) which may push apart the concrete and cause damage. The more times the temperature goes above and below freezing, the more times ice melts and freezes, leading to a greater risk of damage to concrete.

If protecting concrete is your number one safety priority this season, try Morton Safe-T-Plus. It contains hydroxyl ethyl cellulose (HEC for short) which actually helps form a protective seal to prevent melted ice from seeping into concrete pores, which can prevent costly damage to concrete walkways, driveways and steps.

Protect people, plants and pets

“Many consumers mistakenly believe all ice melt products are salt-free because sodium isn’t listed as an ingredient. The truth is, any chloride is actually a form of salt,” says Sara Matuszak, brand manager at Morton Salt. Sodium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride and calcium chloride are all common ice melt ingredients which can be irritating to pets’ paws. For pet parents, Morton Safe-T-Pet provides a salt- and chloride-free solution that’s veterinarian-recommended to be safer for pet paws, skin and eyes than traditional melting salt.

Not one size fits all

Even in America’s snow belt, average monthly temperatures don’t typically fall below zero degrees Fahrenheit. A recent ice melt study from Michigan Technological University, a leading authority on snow removal and melter testing, found using only extreme temperature melters like calcium chloride was not necessary in most conditions. For smart melting, experts recommend having two types of melters on hand, one for normal winter conditions and one for extreme temperature drops.

In normal winter temperatures (5 F and above), an “everyday” melter that contains milder ingredients like urea and potassium chloride are best. These melters clear ice and snow but are safer for plants, pets and people than traditional melting salt. For the few occasions when temperatures drop drastically (below zero F) use an “extreme” melter that contains calcium chloride. These products can be less safe than the milder ingredients listed above, but they can be necessary to keep driveways and walkways clear and safe in extreme conditions.

No matter whether you expect to see one inch of snow this season or 100, read the label before you buy and seek out products with third-party performance validation to ensure the ice melt you bring home is up for the job. For more information, visit www.mortonmelters.com.