How To Fix Your Home from Winter's Wreckage

Mold on the lawn. Shrubs broken from storms. Roofs ravaged by ice. After a season or record snowfalls and lengthy cold spells, homeowners are finding their houses and landscapes brutally battered.

In this WSJ story, you'll find a cheat sheet for spring cleanup - and a list of new tools out to make the job less taxing. (Make sure to click on the Tools graphic!)

Testing 4 "Easy" Less Messy Composters

Today we test "composters" in The Wall Street Journal -- looking at units that make the practice faster, less messy and even, mildly entertaining.

You'll find worms, a bearded dragon and Sputnik (or a close relative) making appearances in the video above.

And in the story, you'll find a 6-Step cheat sheet for composting -- and a glimpse at the future of "smart" trash cans. Plus, links and prices of the product we test.

Scotts New "Natural" Weed Killer In the Pipeline

A natural weed killer made from thistle fungus ... roach killer derived from soybean oil ... water-saving grass seed mixed with coconut fibers. These are some of the "natural" lawn and garden solutions in the works and on shelves from Scotts Miracle-Gro -- the world's largest player in this market.

Some critics say Scotts' roots in synthetic chemical solutions make its full-force entry into the natural market amount to too little, too late. Others cheer the arrival, saying a strong commitment to naturals by a monolith like Scotts could dramatically alter the face of the industry, and the environment and human health, for the better.

We discuss the opportunity here on CNBC and check out WSJ.com for two videos that give a sneak peak into Scotts' labs as well as a rare in-depth interview with its brash-talking CEO Jim Hagedorn at his Marysville, Ohio home where you can see the one bare spot in the grass chieftain's own lawn. (Note: we had to do a lot of "bleeping" during the interview.)

Testing "Natural" Pest Control Methods

This summer, I've been waging war against carpenter ants, wasps and cabbageworms by testing a new lineup of "natural" pest control products as chronicled in a recent Wall Street Journal story. Increasingly, well-known insecticide manufacturers, retailers and even professional pest-control services are rolling out solutions whose active ingredients are derived from materials like animals, plants, bacteria and minerals, many of them considered potentially safer to humans, pets and the environment than their synthetic-chemical counterparts.

Here's a list of common ingredients you'll find on the labels of natural products and the types of pests they target.