Growing a vegetable garden is an ideal way to get fresh, healthy produce while saving money on grocery bills. However, not everyone has a sunny backyard garden patch. The good news is that certain vegetables grow nicely in the shade, actually thriving in low-light conditions and cooler temperatures.

Flying household pests become nuisances when they buzz about, land on your food or possibly bite or sting. Some of these pests even begin multiplying rapidly in your home during various seasons, making an unknown problem into an infestation in what seems like no time. Identifying these pests require

Water lilies are a variety of aquatic plants that thrive in freshwater in tropical, subtropical and temperate zones. Typically, water lilies grown in home ponds and water gardens possess 3- to 4-inch lobed leaves that float on the water's surface and send up shoots with yellow or white flowers. Wate

Petunias have a reputation of requiring little maintenance to ensure an abundance of blooms from spring to autumn. However, if your petunias are dying in the planter, a wide array of causes, from inadequate care to disease, can be the culprits.

All gardeners battle weeds on their turf. Herbicides successfully keep offenders at bay, but should be used only at specific times in areas harboring edible produce.

Even though they require a bit more preparation, some gardeners choose to grow the pole variety green beans simply because they will produce longer than the bush variety green beans. The main requirement of pole beans is they need some sort of support to climb on as they grow. Structures can vary fr

Cattails add an attractive element to lakes and ponds, but if allowed to spread unabated, they will completely take over the setting. Cattails spread rapidly via seeds (found in the tail) and through rhizomes that multiply in the earth. Because cattail rhizomes are about double the size of an averag

Growing vines in a greenhouse is a great way to get vines started to be transplanted outside, or have a lush fruit-bearing vine without the pest problems typically endured by growers of outdoor vines. Choosing to grow a vine in your greenhouse means selecting a species that does well in greenhouse c

The strong limbs of an oak tree stand up to strong wind and ice storms.oak image by Vaida from Fotolia.comHigh quality trees can add thousands of dollars to the value of a home. They also provide cooling shade that helps save on utility bills. The best trees to grow in a front yard are...

Canna lilies are great flowers that prefer full sun but do well in partial shade as well. The beautiful, tropical-looking flowers come in (mostly) three different shades: red, yellow and orange. The leaves can also be a combination of green, purple or a mix of both. The flowers add great color to an

House plants can bring a sensory circus into your home: beautiful colors and enticing scents, as well as a touch of the beauty of the outdoors. If you keep plants in your home, however, you run the risk of attracting insects. The University of Nebraska at Lincoln says that the most common houseplant

Spanish moss (tillandsia usneoides) grows in lacy pale green tendrils waving from the branches of trees. It isn't a moss at all; it's related to the the pineapple. Dan Gill, horticulturist at Louisiana State University, describes Spanish moss as a flowering epiphytic plant in the Bromeliad family. H

The SX-80 can remove solder from both surface-mount pads and through-hole joints.computer board image by Ivan Polushkin from Fotolia.comPace, the SX-80 manufacturer, no longer makes the SX-80 model desoldering iron. A newer version, the SX-90, has replaced it. However, desoldering tips...

No two soils are alike. Testing to find out what kind of soil you have is easy. There are three main types of soil, sandy, loam and clay, with infinite combinations of those soils present. To determine the type of soil you have, squeeze a moist, one-inch ball of soil in your hand. Sandy soil will

Oleander is a beautiful ornamental shrub that is a member of the dogbane family. The oleander is an evergreen, so it will stay lovely year-round. Typically grown in warmer climates, it can be an indoor plant also, where its colorful blooms can be savored. Proper sunlight and the right type of soil a

The Piedmont plateau and mountain regions of North Carolina are ideal locations for growing grapes because of their soil conditions, precipitation patterns and temperatures. Many varieties of grapes used to make wine, some of which are native to the region, thrive in these areas. A number of success

Yellow needles on a pine tree can be caused by a variety of things and not always a sign that a tree is unhealthy. Although the tree may look bad, underneath the yellow could be a healthy tree or one that is damaged or diseased. A little detective work is required to determine what is causing the ne

Liriope, which also goes by the name lilyturf, is an ornamental grass that some homeowners also plant as a lawn. The blades reach a height of 16 inches if not mowed, and light-purple flowers develop in the late summer and fall. The plants require little care after planting and are very heat tolerant