It's gardening season! That means it's time to think about how to make your garden grow. Most people are throwing out the best stuff money can't buy ... kitchen scraps. Those banana peels magically transform into rich, vital compost that will have your plants thriving -- with the help of time and a little worm poop, of course.

Think it's not for you? Hold on there, sister. In this episode of Mom-Ed: Green Living on CafeMom Studios YouTube Channel, you'll get the 411 on how to make composting work.

If you want to test out your green thumb but don't have a lot of ground space, check out this inventive container garden Linsey and her family made out of wooden wine boxes for their patio in downtown Houston. I love their creativity in crafting a working garden for their urban lifestyle by re-purposing a common item and making it function inside their space. 

See a few more images of this clever little garden project below:

There are few times that theft is ever a laughing matter. We work hard for our money, and so to have someone come and snatch what's rightfully ours is both maddening and unfair. That's why we have laws to punish thieves. A recent case of theft, however, is almost too funny to be punished. Almost.

It happened in England earlier this month. Steve Woolnough, 54, went out of his house one day with no indication that anything was awry. Only what he saw outside his very door -- or more accurately, what he didn't see -- was enough to stun any homeowner.

I don't know about you, but I am starting to get some serious spring fever. We may have several weeks of winter left, but that hasn't stopped me from scouting out ways to welcome the sunshine. Here are five easy things you can do to encourage an early spring at your house.

Spring fever tip #1: Now is a lovely time to force some flowering bulbs like pristine paperwhites. These flowers bloom quickly and will last long enough to give you that extra boost until things start blossoming again outside. Buy a kit, or try this tutorial.

The horticultural world was rocked the other day -- nearly brought to its knees -- when it was discovered that Madonna hates hydrangeas. This sin was apparently akin to hating puppies and rainbows. Actually, I think the thing that bugged people the most was that she was ungracious and rude about it, but the fact remains that many of us were left scratching our heads at the idea that anyone could hate such a delicate bloom.

Well, Madge don’t care. The heart wants what it wants, and hers wants roses. So if you’re a real fan, you’ll get it right next time, sucka!

She says so herself on a funny little video released by her official YouTube channel. Wanna see? Go on, you know you do.

Listen, in some ways I can understand being given a flower and thinking, “Ech, I hate this thing.” Seriously, if a guy ever gave me carnations, I think I’d just burst into tears.
 
But I’d do that on the inside, as they say. I’d get a bad taste in my mouth, but that mouth would still bend its way into a smiley shape, and I would graciously thank the person and hope like hell that he couldn’t tell I was disappointed. This is because I was raised with this crazy thing called “manners.”
 
The bottom line with the Madonna-loathes-hydrangeas flap making the Internet rounds is this: How do you hate hydrangeas? They’re pretty much the best flower ever. I now have to question every home and design decision the Material Girl has ever made.

The East Coast may be in the middle of the floodpocalypse, but the South is still suffering through some of the worst drought conditions on record.

Even when there’s no shortage, saving water is just good policy. As a child, I used to watch my dad shave. Rather than running the water over his razor to rinse it, he would fill the sink with water and swish the razor through at top speed. He said that serving in the Navy taught him how precious water is. 

“Why don’tcha save some for the fish,” he’d mutter, if I was letting the tap run too long.

We could all stand to preserve a few drops this summer. Here are some tips for saving water at home. Some are strange, some are easy, and some will save you buckets of cash on your water bill, for reals.

I love my darn iPhone. Every time I try to quit it, I find myself in need of its services – as a Filofax, a research tool, a camera. So when it comes to home and garden help, it’s seems like it would be a natural fit.

The trouble with apps (many of which are also available for the Android and BlackBerry, if you swing that way) is they’re only as good as their makers, and people who are skilled at coding and designing apps aren’t necessarily the same people who have a deep and meaningful knowledge of vegetable gardening. On the other hand, coders do tend to know about making things look nice, so ...

Here are some apps I find most useful for all things home and garden. Have you got more to add to the list?