Bluebirds are slugging it out with tree swallows over the season's lease on a particular nestbox, and robins are flying by with beak-fuls of grass, back and forth and back again to the same spot. Everybody's nesting -- but what's the best building material, and to a bird, what's the definition of prime real estate? Ellen Blackstone of BirdNote teaches us about the diversity of nests -- including crazy, fascinating adaptations like birds who dig burrows in the earth, or dare to lay eggs right on the ground!

best crabapples: your questions answered

It's crabapple time in my garden, and I'd love to add even more of these multi-season stars. But which crabapple among the many hundreds is "the one"? Lately you've asked me a whole range of such questions: What's the best variety for jelly, the one with longest-lasting fruit, and more. In this new story and podcast, I answered (along with your other questions, such as how deep to build a raised bed).

the vegetable garden top 8

There's a lot going on in the vegetable garden right now, so I wanted to be sure to put helpful stories from the archives right at your fingertips:

• How to grow carrots
• No, it's not time to harvest your garlic! 
• 9 things I learned about sweet potatoes
• Growing white potatoes
• Melon tricks from an expert
• Why I plant a year's worth of parsley
• Dealing with cabbage worms on brassicas
• And, yes: tomatoes!