DIY Life

Gardening by moonlight? No, it's not those times when night has long since fallen and you're planting your flat of pink impatiens by flashlight because you promised yourself you'd get it done today. (Yes, that was me a couple weeks ago.) Moonlight planting is actually the science of planting at very specific times according to the moon's phases.

Moonlight planting, its practitioners say, maximizes growth with a minimum of water waste. Here's how moonlight is thought to affects plants: Just as the tides change with the phases of the moon, so do the water levels inside plants and in the surface of the soil itself. If you plant when those water levels are at their highest, plants may grow faster and stronger.

So how do you know what to plant and when? Easy. Consult a moonlight planting schedule, such as this handy 2008 veggie planting table provided by The Old Farmer's Almanac.

Skeptical? Want to read more? UK newspaper, the Observer, reported on a 2007 moonlight planting experiment being carried out at eco-friendly Nymans Garden in West Sussex.

City dwellers and those who want to compost year-round can still compost food items, however. You just need some little critters to help the process along. I'm talking about composting with worms.

Worms? Really?

When you provide worms with an appropriate home, they'll work their way through your food scraps and create a dark, rich, moist material that your garden will love. I'll talk more about what types of worms to use and how to build a home for them after the break.

Is all of this spring rain getting to you? If you have a three-year-old, you are probably outside in it everyday like I am, enjoying projects like making a rain gauge ruler and a rain book. But if your older, slightly more rational children prefer to stay indoors on torrential days, you might like making a rain stick with them.

What is a rain stick, you ask? It is simply a long tube filled with various noisemakers that make the tube sound like a rainstorm when tipped end over end. It has been used in different cultures -- invented in Chile -- to attempt to make the rains come.

This is an easy project that leaves the creativity window wide open, so every rain stick really comes out a unique expression of each creator. You'll need a mailing tube, some dried rice and peas, plastic drinking cups to cover the ends of the tube, aluminum foil and the odds and ends of art supplies, staplers, etc.

After this past week here in New England, I can't imagine talk of a drought. The creek that runs through our backyard is a raging river and I don't remember what the sun looks like.

Yet the rain inspires me to write about some fun rain projects you can do around your yard and with your kids to pass the time on rainy days.

Since we have gotten so much rain, I thought it would be fun to measure the amount of rainfall that has graced us. It is so easy to make a rain gauge ruler, from an old olive or peanut butter jar and this printable rain ruler. You can graph the daily rainfall with your kids -- or your science-minded husband! -- and make it something to look forward to on rainy days.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Kyodo America Industries Co. LTD has issued a voluntary recall of about 530 LawnBott lawn mowers. The lawn mowers pose a laceration hazard to consumers if the mower is lifted from the ground while the cutting blades are still rotating. Kyodo America has received one report of a consumer receiving minor lacerations when the lawn mower was lifted from the ground.

Manufactured in Italy and sold by Kyodo America dealers from January 2006 through December 2007 for between $1,750 and $2,750, this recall is for robotic lawn mowers with "Evolution" or Deluxe" printed on the side of the red, green or blue mower. Please check the CPSC press release for more information on the recalled lawn mowers.

Kyodo America has directly contacted consumers who have registered their mower. Consumers who have not registered their lawn mower can contact Kyodo at (877) 465-9636 to schedule a free repair. For more information, visit their website at www.lawnbott.com.

Spring is here and so are the April showers. The leaves are budding on the trees and the grass is starting to green. It is finally time to get the kids out of the house and take them on a nature walk.

Children are natural-born explorers, and it is such a joy to see their little faces light up when they find a unique rock or leaf. When you take them on their hunt for treasures this spring, take along a nature can for them to put their treasures in.

Megan informs us how to take an empty oatmeal container and glue fabric to it, decorate the container, and then add a strap so our little nature buddies can easily tote it around.

We are almost done with our oatmeal container and will definitely recycle it into a nature can for my daughter. She loves to walk around our yard and collect cool rocks, leaves and sticks. It will be a fun way to teach her about all the wonderful things the great outdoors has to offer, right under her little feet.

[via: Craft]

When I do laundry, I have to do a careful inspection of my son's pockets. Among other various items -- such as Pokemon cards, Hot Wheels cars, and erasers -- I'm bound to find a collection of pebbles and rocks that he's found outside.

My parents really hit a home run last Christmas when they bought my boy a rock tumbler. We ran the tumbler with the enclosed rocks, grit, and polish just as recommended. We had great results (my son even made a ring for me using one of the stones). But the refills were somewhat expensive and, frankly, I thought it took some of the fun out of it.

So, instead of ordering the supplies, we've done several cycles with our own materials. My son has a great time hunting for small stones that might polish up well. It's so much more interesting and educational than ordering a bag of pre-sorted stones. I'll discuss what we use for smoothing and polishing after the break.

Last night, as I sat working at my computer, I heard a noise that sounded like a cross between a cricket and a squirrel. It didn't register immediately, but then suddenly, alarm bells went off. I knew exactly what makes that noise -- a bat.

I peeked out my home office door. There on the floor, slightly trapped under the basement door, was a bat. It looked right at me, opened its mouth, and squealed. I squealed back and slammed the office door. Luckily, my husband's pretty handy with a coffee can, or I might have been stuck in the office all night.

The safest way to get a bat out of your home is to close off the room it's in and open the windows. Barring that, you can cover it with a coffee can or similar container and gently slide a magazine underneath, then take the animal outdoors.

After the break, I'll discuss how to keep them from getting in in the first place.

Why study earthworms? They may not be pretty, but earthworms have an important role in creating healthy soil that supports life everywhere.

Kids are fascinated by living creatures, and they have a lot to learn from worms. They can learn about their unique form of locomotion, or that earthworms have a highly developed digestive system that creates healthy soil out of decomposing materials. Possibly most important of all, kids can learn that all creatures have a role in a functioning ecosystem, including the lowly worm.

An earthworm habitat is not only fun to make, it's an easy way to observe worm behavior up close. Because this project requires the handling of live creatures, an important first lesson is how to respect life while also studying it. Worms need to be handled gently. They also need a safe environment while in captivity, including food and moisture. When the project is finished, they should be carefully returned to the safety of a shady spot of soil.

Ready to get started? Check out the gallery below!

My two sons love ants. Like most children, and the lucky adults who still manage to see real wonder in things, they find these tiny insects fascinating. They enjoy learning about the ant colony's structure, talking about their incredible strength, and the perfect efficiencies in their work.

You don't have to stand over that sand hill on your driveway to study ants in their environment. The best way to watch ants in a controlled way is to make your own ant farm. You'll need the following materials:

• 1 quart or larger clear glass jar
• 1 8 – 10 inch pie plate
• 1 2 inch deep pan, larger than the pie pan, to hold water
• Soil
• Pencil
• String
• Water
• Ants

After the break I'll explain some important considerations in creating the ant farm.

Spring has sprung, and for that I am thrilled beyond words. Like Anna, though, I detest bugs swarming around me, ruining a good outside moment.

Anna's fly trap is a good start, but if the flies, mosquitoes and ticks still want a piece of you, making your own all-natural insect repellent with essential oils is easy to do.

You may have on hand many essential oils that will work, and after the break we will discuss those and give some recipes that are bug-specific, but we'll also learn about some essential oils that are proven to deter mosquitoes better than DEET.

I am so excited that spring finally came yesterday. I spent most of the day outside picking up aluminum cans that were blown all over the yard, and my daughter, husband and I played in the dirt, soaking up the sun of a glorious 70 degree Sunday. I should have cleaned the grill, and cooked outside.

Now is the time to save money on the electric bill and start cooking outdoors. Even cooking with a grill can cost a ton of money, especially if you do it on a weekly basis. Ecobites has a wonderful alternative for us, featuring an article with instructions showing us how to make a solar cooker.

The solar cooker was made out of recycled plywood and recycled aluminum; items that were readily accessible, could soak up solar rays, and give a high enough temperature to safely cook food. Almost anything would work though, like the cardboard oven shown in the picture. Happy cooking!

I would not recommend gluing aluminum foil to a cooking surface. The chances of the glue leaking through to the food and contaminating it are too great. Try to find some other shiny reflective surface to cook with, or just don't glue the aluminum foil to the surface. To avoid injury to your eyes, wear sunglasses, and do not look right at the cooking surface. As always, safety is the number one priority for a DIY project.

Are you trying to decide what to do with that empty flower garden this season? Why not consider creating a certified wildlife habitat? Drawing wildlife to your backyard can be fun, relaxing, and an excellent educational opportunity for kids and adults alike.

The National Wildlife Foundation has created a program to help homeowners create habitat areas out of native, appropriate foods, plants, and shelters. Unlike sticking a bird feeder in your backyard, which is not always safe for birds, a wildlife habitat provides food and shelter in a natural setting.

Animals are naturally drawn to your yard because it provides them a safe place to eat, breed, and to protect themselves from weather and predators. For instance, a toad house is a great way encourage a healthy toad population, while nesting boxes will draw in certain kinds of birds.

Since you should be storing your winter clothes right about now, you may be thinking about non-toxic alternatives to moth balls. If you aren't you should be. Not only can accidental ingestion make a person or pet very sick, but just inhaling the vapors can cause a health hazard.

It is really easy to make your own moth repellent sachets, and they actually smell good. No harmful vapors, no toxins, just herbs, spices, and wood chips.

You'll need cheesecloth or muslin bags, and any combination of the following dried herbs:

• lavender buds
• cedar chips
• cloves
• rosemary
• mint
• thyme
• cinnamon sticks
• eucalyptus
• peppercorns
• dried lemon peel

Tip Nuts has some specific recipes for combining these herbs into sachets to repel moths. However, it is really easy just to take a bit of your favorites from the list, fill a muslin bag (or some cheesecloth tied with a pretty ribbon) and place among your winter clothes.

If you want to make them extra pretty, see Anna's post on repurposing vintage tablecloths into lovely sachets.

The sky was kind enough to open up and dump about 8 inches of snow on my pretty brown lawn Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Just when I thought Spring had truly arrived and it was time to start thinking about planting flowers, Old Man Winter had to get in a final laugh. My only consolation with the snowfall is that the nasty flies went dormant again.

When the flies come out with sunshine and warm weather, I'll be ready for them, thanks to an awesome article on Ecobites. The article teaches us how to take a plastic bottle and cut it so that the top 1/3 of the bottle can be inverted into the bottom 1/3 of the plastic bottle.

Place some raw meat and a little water into the bottom of the bottle, invert the top half of the bottle, and tape the two halves together. Whatever bait you use to trap the flies, make sure that you put the bait in first, otherwise you aren't likely to catch many flies if you try to shove the bait through the small hole after you tape the bottle parts together.

I am rubbing my hands together in anticipation, considering I have quite a few plastic bottles hanging around. Why am I so eager to make bottle fly traps? Well, I cannot describe to you how much I hate flies, and am very eager to see them eliminated from my home and yard.