Home and garden

Creating a great man cave takes some planning. There are some things you definitely won’t forget – like the biggest TV your space can handle – but there are also things you want to remember – like a pool table or kegorator.

Flower pots, they are not. But Stephen Procter’s large stoneware garden vessels, some as tall as 5 feet and incorporating 250 pounds of clay, are nevertheless functional pottery – even without the soil and the plants.

The cool weather of early spring is the perfect time to plant peas.

A century or two ago, spring cleaning was less of a tradition and more of a necessity. “In a time when people heated their houses with coal or wood, not only was there more dirt on everything after winter, there were limited options for cleaning things up,” says historian Susan Strasser, author of “Never Done: A History of American Housework.” (Vacuum cleaners and automatic clothes washers weren’t in common household use until the middle of the 20th century.)

You might be one of the countless homeowners frustrated with the annual or biannual task of cleaning and sealing your wood deck. I’m right there with you, as I have to deal with my wood dock and the stairs leading to it. It’s a wretched job that can span days. It’s no wonder you might be drawn to the composite decking displays at local home and garden shows.

Since adopting him in November 2022, I have loved sharing a home with my indoor cat, Mouse. I love how the bell on his collar announces his presence in a room, and how his cartoonish ears twitch as he watches the birds outside.

Planting season is upon us! The nurseries are filling up and our local garden clubs and programs are gearing up for their annual plant sales. Here are the biggest ones in the Spokane area over the next two months.

Boost your success, save money and reduce plastic waste when starting plants from seeds this year. The options are many, so you are sure to find one that works for you.

I’m in the final stages of writing a book that contains hundreds of hacks that you might want to incorporate into your home. I got lots of help from many of my newsletter subscribers, who shared some of their best ideas. It’s been a fun project.

For the last couple of summers, my neighbor and I have been dealing with a pocket gopher invasion that is getting closer to our joint fruit orchard. Their familiar mounds kept appearing around the tree roots. Big mounds.

I wanted to build a first-class home. Small enough to be cozy, but big enough to raise a family. I needed an ideal location, near a wooded area, with a natural supermarket nearby. And the design should be simple, crafted entirely out of wood. While I was worried about the cost, I needn’t have been. I finished building mine for about $5 in materials in an afternoon.

Wood is a true gift from God. We tend not to think of trees as an agricultural crop like tomatoes, wheat or corn, but in many cases they’re not much different.

Dare I say we are having an early spring this year?

The humble toothbrush can help with a whole lot more than just your dental hygiene. When it comes to scrubbing clean some of the toughest-to-reach spots around the home, experts say it’s often an ideal cleaning tool. In most cases, even your old one will do.

When one thinks of spring, what colors come to mind? Perhaps pink, yellow and of course blue. Blue is not only one of the most popular colors, it can also be an ideal color for spring. Looking for ways to utilize blue into your spring décor? Here are some tips. Use tints tints, tones and shades of blue. It is OK to mix -- for example, to pair light blue and indigo. Integrate blue accents ...

Mid-March is the perfect time to start warm season vegetables indoors. Plants like tomato, eggplant and peppers started now will be ready to plant out at the end of May when we are less likely to get a frost. There is still time to start cool season vegetables like cabbage, onions, cauliflower and broccoli but don’t wait too long as these crops need cooler spring weather to grow properly.

Two days before writing this column, I saved an Ohio homeowner $30,000. He had stumbled across my website, and he saw that I consult with readers on the phone. Water was ponding against his house foundation, and he was considering signing a contract with a waterproofing company for the above amount.

A few weeks ago, I shared a true story with you about my failed asphalt shingle roof. If you remember, it had a 30-year warranty, and after just 12 years it began to experience catastrophic failure. Looking back now, I shared the wrong photograph with you. I showed you a picture of my daughter’s new roof with copper strips on it. I should have shown you the photo of the Tilton, New Hampshire, post office roof. That photo accompanies this column.

Last week’s opening of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s help centers for victims of the Gray and Oregon Road fires should be a reminder to all of us that fire season is just around the corner.