Last updated: October 18, 2026
This page explains how Better Home Garden chooses topics and researches, writes, checks and updates its content.
Our purpose
We publish guides about home gardening, soil, plants, watering and lawn care for home gardeners growing vegetables, flowers and lawns in their own yards. Our guides focus on practical, climate-aware guidance on planning a garden, preparing soil, growing plants and caring for a lawn.
How we choose topics
We cover the questions our readers need answered to make a decision or finish a task. Each topic gets one main guide, so we do not publish several near-identical pages on the same question.
How we research
- We base our guides on university cooperative extension publications, the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for pesticide and water-use guidance, and product labels and manufacturer instructions.
- We separate facts, estimates and opinion. Facts and figures link to their source; estimates state their assumptions; opinions are labeled as our view.
- Where a guide covers safety, we link to the official source rather than restating it as our own advice, and we place warnings where readers will see them.
Research-based and hands-on content
Most of our guides are research-based: they compare published specifications, manuals and official guidance. If an article is based on our own hands-on use of a product, it says so and describes what we did. We never present research as personal experience.
What we do not do
- We do not invent test results, scores, star ratings, statistics, testimonials or reviews.
- We do not promise results, savings or performance that a source does not support.
- We do not publish hand-typed prices or “deal” claims, because they go out of date quickly.
- We do not accept payment, free products in exchange for coverage, or sponsored placements in our guides.
Safety-sensitive topics
Always read and follow the label on fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides; the label is the law in the U.S. Some garden plants are toxic to children and pets. Contact 811 before digging, and check with your local cooperative extension office for advice specific to your climate and soil.
Affiliate relationships
We earn commissions from some links, as explained in our Affiliate Disclosure. Commissions never decide which products we include or how we describe them, and articles with affiliate links say so before the first link.
Updates and corrections
We review guides when products, specifications, rules or official guidance change, and we show the date a guide was last updated. Errors are handled as described in our Corrections Policy.