Uses for yogurt

This seems like a good time to mention that yogurt is good for preventing or minimizing most kinds of food poisoning. With the major exception of botulism (which must have medical attention), most kinds of food poisoning involve bacteria that cause stomach pain and loose bowels. Some also cause vomiting. Yogurt contains "good" bacteria that populate your digestive tract, and compete with bad bacteria. They also compete with yeast, preventing yeast from growing out of control and keeping yeast at a healthy level.

Weed control, non-toxic

If you want to control weeds without using poisons, consider a food byproduct that prevents seeds from germinating: corn gluten meal. It has to be applied before the seeds sprout to work, but that's a shortcoming worth working with in exchange for a non-toxic lawn.

Building blocks for the kids

A good way to save on building blocks for the kids is to get them for free. Yeah, that's right, free. Next time you're at a building supply store, go to the area where they cut lumber, and see if they have any ends ready to be thrown away. Take them home and sand them well, and if you want you can add a layer of non-lead paint. They're sturdy and big, and they're in sizes your child probably doesn't already have in the standard kids' set.

Planting tomatoes

A few tidbits about growing tomatoes, the favorite garden food in the United States...

If you plant starts, you will get a longer fruiting season but will pay more than if you start from seed. Bury your starts fairly deep. The more stem you get under the dirt, the more of it will become root, giving your plant a deep root system to sustain a bigger, more productive plant.

For best variety and longer growing season, plant more than one kind of tomato. Grape tomatoes are very sweet and fun to eat right off the vine, and beefsteak tomatoes will give you lots of "flesh" for cooking. Other varieties can be pretty, have unique flavors, or have earlier fruiting season. Experiment.

Tomatoes need support. A good steel cage will hold up much better than a cheap wire cage, and if you plan to grow tomatoes summer after summer, it's worth the investment. Also good is a trellis, or even a length of fence.

Don't plant tomatoes and potatoes together, because they are closely related and can share pests or diseases.

For real fun, plant onion, cilantro, and chili peppers also, and make your own garden salsa!