Since ancient times, man has struggled to protect his crops from avian intruders. While a pumpkin-headed scarecrow may be an agricultural anachronism, it’s also a proven security system. In the spirit of Halloween, PM examined some upgrades on the old classic.

Most breakthrough innovations make their greatest contributions when they become products people can buy. Here, Popular Mechanics awards the top 10 most brilliant gadgets, tools and toys that you can buy in 2009. (Published in the November 2009 issue)

Harmful microorganisms are lying dormant in lawns across America. For any homeowner, it’s a constant battle to keep fungi at bay. This photo gallery shows how to spot—and fight—disease on your lawn.

Bamboo has come into vogue as a sustainable resource. But until now, almost all of the bamboo in products sold here has come from overseas. That could change soon, as new planting techniques lead to millions of new acres of bamboo in the American South.

We've sifted through hundreds of products to bring you the innovations that lighten your home's impact on the planet in a measurable, meaningful way, like DeepRoot's Silva Cell technology. (Published in the April 2009 issue)

Bypass hand pruners, designed to cut branches less than 1 inch wide, often snip more than stems. They slice rope, twine and even chicken wire—or at least, the ones in our test did. Unfair? Maybe—but the results were revealing. (Published in the May 2009 issue)

As the leaves begin to fall, the excitement and wonder of watching them change color fades fast. If you're facing a similar dilemma, consider one of the eight leaf busters shown here.

Garden owners can try everything from fences to motion-activated sprinklers with little effect. If deer are starving, they'll eat almost anything, but under normal circumstances the critters are surprisingly choosy.

At times, the hassle of keeping your lawn green is enough to make you consider AstroTurf, but don’t despair: PM’s DIY Guy is on the case with his new weekly Top 5.

For typical homeowners, it makes sense to fire up one of today’s powerful and convenient chippers and process the branches into nutrient-releasing scraps that can hold in moisture and block weeds. Here's where the chips fell after three days of tests. (Published in the April 2008 issue)

You can try to sever this overgrowth with a string trimmer, but a better idea is to equip the trimmer with a retrofit head or buy one of the new breed of lightweight and compact edgers. New machines are half the size of a traditional vertical-wheel edger. (Published in the June 2007 issue)

(Published in the April 2007 issue)

While the new lawn mowers were gentle on the testers, we didn't return the favor. After giving the self-propelled mowers a thorough pounding, here's what we learned in the review process. (Published in the April 2007 issue)

If you're tired of dragging that old lawn sprinkler around every few days, you may want to consider installing your own underground sprinkler system. Here's how to install an in-ground sprinkler system from start to finish. (Published in the July 2006 issue)

The quick guide to building a stone-lined, fit-anywhere, good-looking backyard pond. >> If you've always wanted a backyard pond, you're not alone. Hundreds of thousands of homeowners already have them and thousands more are installing them every year. Why all the fuss over a water-filled hole? Well,... (Published in the June 2006 issue)