One of the first hurdles to planting a garden is the land: often hard, rocky, compact, dusty, weedy, and dry. Tilling the soil — churning up the ground to mix the dirt and soil layers and soften up ...

Don't toss those lawn clippings after you mow! Use them for mulch, compost, and more. capecodphoto / Getty Images When it comes to cutting the lawn, many of us know that it’s a multi-step process. Not ...

Is it ever right to use your grass clippings as a garden mulch?? On the latest You Bet Your Garden, we’ll bend–but not break–the rules as Mike McGrath looks at the pros and cons of collecting those ...

Frequent mowing keeps clippings small, which prevents lawn smothering and speeds up decomposition for easier reuse. Use clippings in compost or mulch to enrich soil without risking weed spread.

Dear Roger: It's getting to be a pain to figure out what to do with my lawn clippings and trimmings off my shrubs. The rules keep changing for picking them up. I've decided to make compost. I plant ...

Erik Egan spreads grass mulch over the roots of freshly planted bamboo shoots. Really fresh grass clippings will rob plants of needed nutrients as they quickly decompose. Jay Drowns McClatchy Question ...

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. There's nothing quite like the sweet, earthy summertime smell of freshly cut grass. It's a scent so popular that it's found in scores of ...

I would like to improve the heavy clay soil in my vegetable garden. A friend suggested that I rototill several inches of sand to improve the drainage. Is that a good way to improve clay soil?

I can't promise you won't break a sweat, especially in hot, humid climates, but "no dig" gardening is much easier than dragging out the shovel to turn the soil and get your garden ready for planting.