You can't turn around these days without hearing about organic food and healthy living. But if you've been to the grocery store lately, you know how expensive an all-natural diet can be. You understand the benefits, but you just can't afford the pesticide free tomatoes and organically grown strawberries. So what can you do to make sure you live a long and healthy life and still have money left in your bank account? Why don't you just grow your own fruits and vegetables in the backyard? But which plants should you grow? And what kind of soil should you use? Is fertilizer as taboo as pesticides are, or are they OK? The list goes on.

Maybe it's not food you're after. Maybe you just want to have the prettiest yard in the neighborhood; the envy of all of your neighbors. You want to grow colorful flowers, lush, green plants and maybe even plant a new tree or two. But where do you start? What kind of plants and flowers will your yard sustain? How much care do you need to give? Should you use fertilizer? How often should you water? There are so many questions.

And maybe you don't want to do much at all. Maybe you just want to have the bare minimum in your yard so you don't embarrass yourself. Just some green grass, a bush that's trimmed and maybe pine straw laid down in the beds. Whatever you're looking for to fill in your front and back yard, let HowStuffWorks guide you through the steps you should take to getting your dream yard. Whether you want a lush oasis of plants or a simple, easy to maintain yard, the HowStuffWorks Gardening Channel can help you get started on the path to nature nirvana.