Whether you're a new homeowner needing that first lawnmower, in the market for an earth-friendly option (traditional gas-powered mowers pollute four times as much as car engines), or reluctantly re-embracing yard work to trim your budget, a few advancements in lawn mower technology make it worth considering a non-gas-powered model.

There are three alternatives available today: Electric, battery-operated and "push" reel mowers.

Electric Slide
Electric mowers don't have any fuel issues and start buttons eliminate that back-wrenching springtime tug-of-war to get a gas mower purring. They're best for smaller yards without a lot of complicated landscaping to entangle the cord. Though a cord can be cumbersome, it does provide a consistent power source to finish the job.

There's something special about a big tree: a massive trunk, a shadow that fills the yard, leaf dump of near-biblical proportions each fall. A tree like this is where forts are built, knees are scraped while climbing, and allowances are earned while raking. It's what you look at fall mornings while sipping your coffee, admiring the bright foliage. Properly placed, it will keep your whole house a few degrees cooler in the summer with its shade. If you're in the market for a giant tree, the Rogue Valley Gardener has a few suggestions that'll do well in Southern Oregon's Zone 8 climate. Next >

Did you know that there is a free source of mulch and fertilizer, likely nearby, and almost limitless this time of year? It's true, and a lot of people consider this wonderful commodity to be a pain. So they bag it up and leave it near the street. This fabulous garden commodity is is fall leaves, and we recommend you gather yours and use them in your garden. Dry leaves are good for a few things.

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Composting
Chopped-up leaf matter is perfect for your compost pile. Compost requires a mixture of greens (fresh stuff like kitchen scraps and grass or garden clippings) and brown (dead leaves, compostable newspaper or brown paper bags). Green provides nitrogen, brown provides carbon. Compost piles need 2 to 4 times more brown than green, so keeping your bagged dry leaves to use throughout the year in your compost pile is a good choice.

While I think the adage "Failing to plan is planning to fail" might be a smidge overstated, the concept rings true, especially for the novice gardener. You find something that is built to last or is functioning smoothly, and behind it, there's a well-laid plan: a blueprint for a building, a budget and financial plan for a wealthy couple, pages of detailed written music for a complicated symphony. Drive past a gorgeous, thriving garden, and you can bet that there was a plan before there was a garden.

You can make such a plan and acquire for yourself said admirable garden, and it's not really that tricky. New gardeners, competent gardeners and people who are looking for a new perspective on a longtime piece of property can all benefit from a garden plan. If you are beginning to whine to yourself that you have a black thumb and can't grow anything, it may be time to take our "black thumb diagnostic test" and find out how to cure your appendage of its disease.

This landscape plan won't win any beauty pageants, but it does plot out the important features of the lot.

The first step in making a plan is pulling up a map of your lot. I like to use Bing Maps for this because I've found they have clearer pictures and more views of my lot, but you can also use Google Maps. If you have an official map of your property lines in relation to your neighbors and the street, that will be a big help in this project. If you use Bing, make sure you're using "Bing Classic" so you can use the satellite and and bird's eye views of your property. (In the bottom right corner of the map, I clicked "Use Bing Classic.") Type in your address and hit "search." When a map of your neighborhood pops up, click the "Aerial" button at the top of the map and zoom in on your lot. Once you get over the initial shock of realizing that your big toe is visible from space, you can take a look at how your property is laid out.

This is a good time to find a big piece of paper or cardboard to plot your layout on. If you need to, cut it to be roughly the same shape as your lot. Mine is square, so I used a large square piece of cardboard. Bigger is better in this case, because it will allow you to be detailed as you make a plan. Don't forget to plot in cardinal directions. Next, draw the permanent features of your lot. You can print out a copy of the map and draw a grid on the printout to help get the proportions and distances right. This doesn't have to be scientifically perfect, but accuracy helps. Make sure you use pencil for this step!

On your plan, draw:

1. Your house. Don't forget porches and overhangs or steps
2. Outbuildings, like a pool house, tool shed, or detached garage
3. Driveways, sidewalks, patios, decks
4. Fences