Home Help: Grow your own produce using leftover groceries

Tip of the week 

Grow your own food from leftovers

An easy and satisfying way to avoid making constant trips to the grocery store is to grow your own food. Fortunately, you won't even need to buy seeds to start growing these plants, just use your leftover food! Here are four examples from BobVila.com:

1. Potatoes. Cut a potato into about 2-inch chunks. Make sure each segment has at least one eye. Leave the sections out overnight to let them dry, this will keep them from rotting. In early spring, plant them about 8 inches deep in rich soil or compost. The sprouts will soon appear above the surface. Then, add another four inches of soil. Expect your first yield of potatoes by midsummer. 

2. Basil. "Use kitchen scissors or a sharp knife to clip a 2- to 3-inch sprig just below a leaf node (where new leaves are starting to grow). Pull off any larger leaves next to these new ones, and submerge the node in a jar of water. Place the jar in a sunny windowsill and change the water every other day. Within a week, you'll see roots emerge. Once those roots have grown about two inches, the herb is ready to plant outside or in a pot." 

3. Green onions. This one's easy. Simply place the roots (the bottom, white part) of your green onions in a jar of water and make sure it gets sun. Be sure to change the water every couple of days. Soon, shoots will start to emerge again. Cut what you need, as you need it, and let it regenerate.

4. Tomatoes. Save a few of the seeds from a good, juicy tomato by squeezing some pulp onto a paper towel. Leave the seeds to dry out for a week. Store them in an envelope until January, when you'll plant them in light potting soil and keep them moist in a sunny window. Move the plant out to the garden in spring and expect to harvest all summer.

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Gardening

What to keep in mind when a creating crop rotation plan 

When deciding on crop rotation, remember that different plant families have specific nutrient requirements and pest problems.

"Maximize nutrient efficiency and significantly reduce pest problems by planting different families in succession, in a given part of the garden," recommends BobVila.com. "A good crop rotation that promotes plant and soil health is: cabbage family > bean family > nightshade family > onion family > carrot family > squash family > spinach family > miscellaneous greens, herbs and/or small fruits." 

Be sure to take space into consideration when creating your rotation plan. "Seed and plant labels tell you the proper plant spacing for each crop. Large plants like watermelons, sweet corn and sweet potatoes are not simply interchangeable with small plants like onions, lettuce and carrots."

You should change the size of planting space to the way you will be using the crop. For example, just a couple cucumber plants will be enough for most families, however, you might need more if you plan on making pickles.

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Homebuying

Mortgage lenders raising the bar for borrowers

Buying a house or refinancing a mortgage is getting harder, even with interest rates near zero. Big mortgage lenders are raising the bar for borrowers, according to NBC News. JPMorgan Chase has adjusted its borrowing standards for mortgages, "requiring a credit score of at least 700 and a 20% down payment for most new mortgage originations." And Wells Fargo has raised the minimum credit score it requires for home equity lines to 720. 

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Decorating tip

To make your bedroom feel bigger, ditch the extra pillows 

They may be soft, but the mountains of pillows on your bed can make your bedroom feel cluttered.

Interior designer Jody Wallace recommends in Insider, "to keep your bed looking well-decorated but practical, you might want to stick with just three pillows since it will create a satisfying balance."

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