Over the years, however, we’ve come to appreciate that the Couch Potato strategy isn’t always so easy to execute. That’s why we asked our index investing expert Dan Bortolotti to write the MoneySense Guide to the Perfect Portfolio. This new guide will help you navigate the process step by step, even if you’ve never invested on your own before.

Our guide starts by showing you how to set financial goals and determine how much risk you need to take to reach them. After that, it describes how to design a simple, low-cost, diversified portfolio that’s suited to your objectives. Then it takes you through the maze of investment funds and shows you how to pick the right ones. It explains how to open an account with a discount brokerage so you can build and maintain your portfolio on your own. Finally, it shares some wisdom about the most difficult part of investing: sticking to your plan when the media, market gurus, your brother-in-law and your own self-doubt are threatening to sabotage all your hard work. Along the way, we include personal stories from real Canadians who have succeeded with index funds, offering tips on what to do—and what to avoid.

The Couch Potato strategy, also called index investing or passive investing, is not new. Some of the world’s most respected financial thinkers—several of whom have Nobel Prizes on their mantels—have been recommending it for decades. If you’re not happy with the returns you are getting now with mutual funds or stocks, consider giving it a try. For $9.95—the cost of a single online trade—you can read about how to reduce your investing costs, lower your risk, boost your returns and build your wealth faster. You can order the MoneySense Guide to the Perfect Portfolio online here or pick it up today at top retailers, including Chapters, Indigo, Shopper’s Drug Mart, Walmart and Loblaws.

You may be asking yourself, “where am I? Is this heaven? I see moving graphics, interactive maps and commenting fields on every story!” No, of course you’re not in heaven, though I’ve heard God is a fantastic web designer. Ok, I’m getting off message. If you’re reading this, you’ve obviously discovered our brand new website. We’ve made a lot of great improvements, including easier navigation, commenting, more graphics and new blogs.  We’ll be rolling out more features, including more blogs, over the next weeks and months so the new MoneySense.ca should only improve.

A few things I’d like to point out about the new site:

Must Reads: Every day MoneySense’s editors scour the news and compile a list of what we think are personal finance stories that you have to read. Basically, we’re digging around for articles so you don’t have to. Come to our site, or bookmark the Must Reads page, so you can get the days finance news all in one place.

RSS feeds: If you use RSS readers, take advantage of our feeds. Every new story we post is pushed to the feeds, so there’s no reason for you to miss anything we write. You can RSS the whole website by clicking on the icon next to The Latest, or choose a specific category to follow. (Just go into a zone — for example Investing; click on the Subscribe to RSS icon and you’ll be able to follow all our investment-related posts.)

Comments: We want to hear from you. Tell us how much you like a story, or what we got wrong, or add your own thoughts to a discussion. Every story has a comment area at the bottom, and we encourage you to use it. We’re not going to sit back and simply read them either — we may want to share our thoughts on your thoughts. To start, why not tell us what you think of our new website by commenting on this post.

Twitter/Facebook: This doesn’t have to do with the new site exactly, but you can also stay on top of things via our Twitter feed and Facebook fan page. For Twitter, follow @moneysensemag; become a Facebook fan by clicking Facebook’s “become a fan” box on the right side of this (and every) page.

Anyway, enough chatter from me. Go look around. Make sure to read stories from our November issue and be sure to check out the Top 500 U.S. Stocks chart, our pension plans chart and our interactive “Where in the World Should You Invest” map.

Bryan (I’m MoneySense.ca’s senior editor and In the Money blogger by the way.)

1. THE DICK DAVIS DIVIDEND by Dick Davis ($35.99, Wiley): In 1982 Davis started the Dick Davis Digest, one of the largest investment newsletters in the U.S. Now he looks back at his decades in the market and reveals the investing game’s big secret—to do well, you should put most of your money in a basket of index funds. OUR TAKE: Okay, we think it’s rather comical that someone who made his money by peddling stock market tips is now a born-again advocate for indexing—but we couldn’t agree more with Davis’s surprising turnaround.

2. GET SMARTER by Seymour Schulich with Derek DeCloet ($29.95, Key Porter): Schulich, a self-made Canadian billionaire, wants to tell you the most valuable lessons he’s learned in his career. Among them: how to make a decision, how to choose a career, how to overcome setbacks. OUR TAKE: To his credit, Schulich doesn’t brag and doesn’t invent jargon. It’s also true that he doesn’t reveal anything too startling. But what shines through this book is his exuberant spirit—and a passion for the market that truly is inspiring.

3. JIM CRAMER’S STAY MAD FOR LIFE by James Cramer ($29.99, Simon & Schuster): Boo-yah! Cramer, the raving, hyperactive host of the Mad Money TV program, has become famous for touting hot stocks and lightning trades. Now he turns his attention to how you should go about building wealth for the long haul. OUR TAKE: You know all that stuff that Cramer spouts on his TV program? Well, forget it. Turns out that the core of your wealth-building strategy should be to save lots of money, invest it sensibly in a diversified portfolio and monitor it closely. Yep, that’s it. Sorry.

4. THE OPPOSABLE MIND by Roger Martin ($29.95, McGraw-Hill Ryerson): Martin, the dean of the Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto, believes business leaders have to practice “integrative thinking,” which means finding ways to combine the best of opposing ideas in order to create even better ideas. OUR TAKE: Well, um, sure. Martin’s message is hard to disagree with because it sprawls everywhere—to his way of thinking, any new idea that succeeds is automatically an example of integrative thinking. His book may inspire you; unfortunately, we doubt that it will illuminate you.

5. A DEMON OF OUR OWN DESIGN by Richard Bookstaber ($33.99, Wiley): Bookstaber earned a PhD in economics from MIT then went off to work on Wall Street in 1984 as one of the fi rst generation of quantitative traders, or “quants.” He and his pointy-headed peers were eager to use math and computers to engineer smarter investing strategies. But a funny thing happened on the way to perfection. The quants inadvertently helped to create the 1987 stock market crash, the hedge fund crisis of 1998, and the current credit crunch. OUR TAKE: Not a light read. But if you want to understand why fi nancial crises are so commonplace, pick up this book.

I like beaten-down stocks because I’m a contrarian and a value investor. I think that desperate situations such as Fairfax in 2002 are the ones that hold the potential for the biggest profits.

Most people, though, hesitate to wager a big chunk of their hard-earned money on distressed stocks—and for understandable reasons. One problem with investing in companies like Fairfax is that you may have to wait years to see a profit. Another problem with deep-value investing is that it’s not at all unusual to buy into a beaten-down firm, then watch it get even more beaten up. This can be deeply stressful.

A good way to sidestep these problems is to marry the frugality of value investing with the price action of momentum investing. You buy cheap stocks, but only after their prices have rebounded. By looking for stocks with a bit of price momentum, you are waiting for the market to signal that the worst is over for the firm.

To find stocks with both value and momentum, I started by looking for stocks trading at low price-to-sales ratios, because this is a strong indicator of fundamental value. From this group I then selected the stocks that had achieved the biggest price gains over the past year. Finally, I applied a bit of subjective judgment and picked six of what I consider the best investments. (You should, of course, do your own research before buying any of these stocks.)

The first on the list is my old friend Fairfax (FFH, $253.50). Widely considered a dog until recently, the Toronto property insurance company has shot up 71% in the last year. Like other property insurers, it benefited from the absence of any major hurricanes to dent its profits. In addition, Fairfax placed a big bet on a bust in the U.S. mortgage market and it appears to have made hundreds of millions of dollars this summer from that bet. Despite all the good news, Fairfax trades at only 1.5 times book value and at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of a mere 10. It has lots of room to move higher.

Martinrea International (MRE, $17) is the zippiest of the six stocks I selected. The auto-parts maker from Vaughan, Ont., has gained 127% since last year. The company has picked up several smaller auto-parts firms and has the capacity to buy even more companies in the distressed auto industry. Management boasts of the company’s strong balance sheet and robust cash flows.

I’m pleased to see Linamar (LNR, $25.65) pass the momentum test after suggesting it to MoneySense readers in the February/ March 2007 issue as part of my list of low price-to-book-value darlings. The autoparts firm from Guelph, Ont., has gained 85% since the start of the year. Much like Martinrea, Linamar has been an opportunistic buyer of other auto-parts companies. While Linamar is not as cheap as it was this spring, its prospects are still good.

Laurentian Bank (LB, $42.18) also made my list of low price-to-book-value darlings this past spring. It has gained 39% since the start of the year. As a long-time stockholder, I’m delighted with its move. But Laurentian remains the ugly duckling of the Canadian banking industry. Hobbled by a union, it continues to trade at a price-to-book value ratio of only 1.3, about half of what other Canadian banks fetch. I expect Laurentian to continue to grow its earnings and expect its stock price to go even higher.

Bombardier (BBD.B, $5.89) powered its way onto my momentum list this summer with a 76% gain since last year. Despite the advance, the Montreal aerospace manufacturer still sports a low price-tosales ratio of 0.7. I’ll admit to being a little cautious on Bombardier’s value pedigree as it only earned a dime per share last year. Also, its forward price-to-earnings ratio stands at 18, which is rather rich for my taste. But, based on recent gains, the market seems to be sniffing out a bargain at Bombardier.

I’ll round out the list with a smaller, more daring stock. Danier Leather (DL, $9.30) has gained 58% since last year and trades at a reasonable price-to-sales ratio of 0.4. The last few years have been difficult for the Toronto fashion retailer. Its U.S. expansion failed and management lost touch with the customers. But the company is turning itself around. It has closed underperforming stores and improved profits in recent quarters. As a stockholder I’m hoping that Danier will return to past levels of profitability.

Newson’s skyrocketing prices prove that some contemporary furniture is now every bit as collectible as Chippendale side tables or Queen Anne armoires. For the most part, however, furniture by prominent 20th- and 21st-century designers remains a relatively accessible field. Whether you have a few hundred dollars to spend or tens of thousands, you can acquire an acknowledged classic or a piece by an internationally renowned midcareer designer. If you’re lucky, or you’re gifted with a fine eye for design, you may even find furniture that, like Newson’s Lockheed Lounge, will one day be worth many times what you paid for it.

For a lot of 21st-century people, a love affair with modern design begins with an interest in the enduringly popular work of the most prominent design innovators of the mid-20th century, such as Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen. Seemingly immune to passing fads, many of these designs have remained in steady production for 50 years or more. Yet many are surprisingly affordable.

Take, for example, Charles Eames’s sumptuous moulded plywood and leather lounge and matching ottoman—still starring in reruns of Frasier as the most conspicuous furniture in Dr. Frasier Crane’s living room that isn’t plastered with duct tape. The Eames lounge and ottoman marked their 50th anniversary in 2006, and they’re still made by the original manufacturer, Herman Miller. To acquire an original set in good condition you’ll probably have to go through a dealer or an auction house, and pay around $5,000. If you’re more interested in the look of the piece than its historic provenance, you can buy a brand new Eames lounge and ottoman in stores or through online retailers for $3,500 to $4,500. There have been some changes in construction techniques and materials over the decades—for example, Herman Miller has substituted more readily available woods for rosewood, the increasingly rare species originally used for the lounge and ottoman’s moulded plywood shells—but essentially the new pieces look the same as their 50-year-old counterparts.

As with any purchase, the more you know about what you’re buying, the better. And there are lots of ways to start learning about modern furniture classics. Online sources for purchasing modern and contemporary furniture, such as Canada’s Gabriel Ross and its U.S. competitor Design Within Reach not only sell a huge range of current-production and reproduction classic designs, but also post designer biographies.

Another excellent resource—particularly for people who are primarily interested in collecting pieces by today’s top designers—is the website for Vancouver’s Inform Interiors, which provides links to the websites of dozens of leading furniture manufacturers, such as Italy’s Moroso and Holland’s Moooi. Or check out the Design Boom website to read up on today’s top international designers, such as Spanish-born, Milan-based Patricia Urquiola, or France’s Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.

If you’re serious about spotting a new Newson, visit design shows and keep an eye out for prototypes—the hand-tooled originals that are produced before a design can go into production—or for small-batch production items. A big reason that Newson’s Lockheed Lounges are worth a million today is that only 10 of them were ever made. While you’re extremely unlikely to wind up as fortunate as the early buyers of the Lockheed Lounges, you increase your chances of seeing your furniture appreciate in value if you concentrate on items that are one-of-a-kind or a few-of-a-kind.

Rachel Gotlieb, a design curator and co-author of Design in Canada, suggests that those in search of something unique should consider working with designers who also build their own furniture. For prices starting at a few thousand dollars, you can obtain locally made furniture, sized and finished to suit your specific requirements. Gotlieb is a fan of Speke Klein, a firm of designer-makers in Durham, Ont., and the Toronto store Made Design, which can put clients in touch with several accomplished young designer-makers.

Well over 100 years ago, the great British designer William Morris said, “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” That’s still good advice. Bruce Ferguson, a New York art curator, was at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York when he saw a prototype of a striking new lounge by Matthew Kroeker, a young Winnipeg-based designer. Ferguson asked Kroeker to name a price for his Splinter lounge and bought it for $2,500. Since then, a U.S. manufacturer has picked Splinter up for production, and earlier this year the lounge won an award at the enormous NeoCon furniture fair in Chicago. Those are good indications that Kroeker’s stock is rising and that Ferguson’s Splinter prototype may turn into a valuable acquisition, but Ferguson says the financial considerations are beside the point, really. “When I saw it, I loved it,” he recalls. And after living with the Splinter prototype he still loves it, which is ample reason to consider it a good investment.

That combination of size and style proved to be irresistible to John Manalo. “I didn’t want a minivan, but we needed something that was versatile and not thirsty on gas,” says the 42-year-old IT administrator at the University of Toronto. “There’s only my wife and our six-year-old son right now, but every now and then we have visitors and we are thinking about having another child down the road.”

The Manalo clan decided to buy the six-seater Mazda5, one of two new miniature minivans available in Canada. The alternate choice for anti-van families is the similarly styled Kia Rondo, which can seat five or seven passengers. Both vehicles are clamoring for the title of best compact minivan, so we let them slug it out in a side-by-side comparison.

MAZDA5 – $19,995 to $26,125: Introduced to Canadians two years ago, Mazda’s entry is the veteran in the field. An early recall hobbled this athletic wagon after its launch, but it has since proven to be a reliable family hauler. “This is the perfect car for a family of four,” says Mohamed Bouchama, executive director of the nonprofit Car Help Canada. “It’s good on fuel, it’s reliable and it’s not a bad price.”

Powered by the same 2.3-litre engine found in the sporty Mazda3 GT hatchback, the Mazda5 gets four-cylinder economy without feeling sluggish. It burns a modest 8.3 litres of regular fuel for every 100 km of highway driving or 11.2 litres of fuel per 100 km in the city.

What really sets this vehicle apart is its seating configuration. Open the sliding, minivan-style side doors and you’ll find bucket seats in the front and middle rows. The middle row is easy to step into, even for the booster-seat crowd, thanks to the low floor. A tall roof line offers welcome headroom for parents who have to lift in young ones and secure their seat belts. The third-row seats are accessed by a lever, which slides the second-row seats forward—a neat trick, although spending any time in the third row is best left to children because of the limited legroom.

When not in use, the third-row seats fold flat to create a generous cargo space. The second-row seats and even the front passenger seat can also perform the same fold-down trick, making the Mazda5 your best friend on those antiquing trips or visits to Home Depot. However, with all six seats in place there is only room in the trunk for a handful of grocery bags or a couple of small suitcases.

Though it may be dwarfed when parked beside full-sized minivans, the Mazda5 is still big on value. For prices starting at just under $20,000, you get standard features such as an AM/FM/CD player with steering-wheel-mounted audio controls, power doors and windows, keyless entry and an engine immobilizer. The GT model, starting at $22,895, adds fog lights, anti-theft alarm, larger 17-inch sport tires, power moonroof and, most importantly, side impact air bags and side curtain air bags for all passengers. A fourspeed automatic transmission and air conditioning are options costing an extra $2,100 on both the GS and GT models.

KIA RONDO – $19,995 to $25,995: The Mazda5 had no real rivals until this upstart burst onto to the scene for the 2007 model year. The Rondo is based on the mid-sized Hyundai Sonata platform and tops the Mazda5 in size, power and seating. In fact, the Rondo boasts more interior room than even some compact SUVs such as the Honda CR-V. However, nagging quality concerns and low resale value make this newcomer an uncertain bet, says Bouchama, the car expert. “Kia sells average cars with an above average warranty, but they depreciate like crazy,” he says. “If you buy the Kia you’d better plan to keep it for a long time.”

Two engine choices are available for the Rondo—a 2.4-litre, four-cylinder powerplant and the optional 2.7-litre V6. The four-cylinder engine is adequate for most uses, but anyone who plans on towing a trailer or carrying a full complement of passengers may want the bigger engine. Despite its heft and hauling ability, the Rondo still retains car-like manners, though it does feel bulkier than the Mazda5. Both engines offer comparable fuel economy to the Mazda5.

Inside the roomy cabin, a second-row bench accommodates up to three people, though the middle seat is tight for adults. Like the Mazda5, a single lever and a bit of muscle slide the second row forward so passengers can access the optional third row. But again, larger guests should not be assigned to the back row unless you are trying to dissuade them from coming along for the ride.

All Rondos come with standard air bags for the front and rear passengers, power doors and windows, ABS brakes, electronic stability control and an AM/FM/CD stereo. Upgrading to the EX four- or six-cylinder model adds a bunch of other features, including air conditioning, cruise control, car alarm, fog lights, roof rack, heated mirrors and heated seats. However, only the six-cylinder EX Premium and Luxury models offer the third row of seats. The V6 models, which start at $22,995, also add larger 17-inch alloy wheels, power moonroof, and leather seats.

CONCLUSION: Although the Rondo is shorter than the Mazda5, it does have more room for heads, legs and shoulders. And when it comes to cargo space, Kia claims to have double the room for your groceries and other gear. However, with its so-so reputation, rapid depreciation and the lack of a third row in all but the most expensive models, the Mazda5 overtakes the Rondo where it counts.

She was right. Once Grant was aboard ship and taking part in a MacMania cruise for fellow Apple Mac enthusiasts, he couldn’t get enough of the experience. “It was fabulous,” he says. “Imagine having lunch with one of the founders of the World Wide Web. How great is that?”

As Grant will tell you, cruise vacations are no longer just about playing shuffle board and pigging out at the buffet table. Themed cruises give all types of likeminded folk a chance to come aboard and share a common passion—whether that passion happens to be fitness or film, scuba diving or salsa, computers or cooking.

What happens if your spouse doesn’t share your interest? No problem. Cruise organizers go out of their way to ensure a wide range of activities are on offer. For instance, while Grant hunkered down with podcasting lessons and digital photo applications, Leong got physical with aerobics and yoga classes. In between their classes, they enjoyed the view from their cabin veranda and joined other couples in touring Key West, exploring Mayan ruins in Guatemala and viewing the cheetahs at the Belize Zoo.

Themed cruises come in two types—ones that take over most of the ship and are usually connected with the cruise line, and others that are privately organized and occupy just part of the ship. Food and wine cruises sponsored by Holland America Line (www.hollandamerica.com) and Food & Wine magazine are a good example of the first type. You and your fellow foodies watch while chefs work in specially equipped Culinary Arts Center facilities, complete with plasma screens and state-of-the-art appliances. You then practice hands-on culinary skills under the eyes of one of the ship’s executive chefs. “This program is fantastic,” says Toby Saltzman, a veteran cruiser and Toronto travel writer, who watched as a tentative student produced a restaurant-worthy rack of lamb. “You come away with excellent recipes and know-how.”

On the other hand, if you would rather hone your skills on a keyboard instead of a chopping board, a Geek Cruise might be just the thing for you. Neil Bauman, a former computer programmer in Palo Alto, Calif., runs cruises like MacMania, Photoshop Fling and Aperture Aura for digital camera junkies. Bauman books cabins, meeting rooms and some of the top people in the computer industry, but his events only occupy part of the ship.

Bauman got the idea for Geek Cruises when he took his family on their very first cruise in Alaska in 1998. They found they were sharing deck space with Trekkies on a Star Trek cruise. He’s since captained 37 geek weeks at sea on voyages to Hawaii, the Mexican Riviera, Alaska, the Mediterranean, the Baltic Sea and Central America Captain Neil, as he’s known at sea, is quick to emphasize that his techie participants are not an introverted lot. They break for round-robin dinners and shore explorations. “Yes, we love our Macs,” says Bauman. “But we’re an active, adventurous, full-of-spirit kind of group who are also addicted to life.” His next voyages include Aperture Aura en route to the Eastern Mediterranean, and Photoshop Fling to the Turks and Caicos and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

As for Grant, he and his wife have already booked their next cruise for November—the MacMania VII offering some 60 Mac-intense hours. This time, they’ll be sailing to the Panama Canal and Grant needs no convincing to pack his bags. “When my wife first mentioned a cruise, I thought I’d be locked up on a ship for a week,” said Grant. “But I discovered that I was a prisoner in Fantasyland!”

WHAT’S ON DECK

For fitness enthusiasts: The Mind/Body Cruise with Shape and Men’s Fitness magazines will get you in shape to get in shape with a week of aerobic workouts, sunset meditations and one-on-one consultations with nutritionists. The fitness fun takes place on Carnival Cruise Lines’ Conquest as it sails from Galveston, Tex., to the Caribbean, beginning Dec. 2. Your shipmates will include experts such as Jon Giswold of the Reebok Sports Club in New York City and Kent and Maria Burden, authors of Yin Yang Fitness. Prices start at $659 (U.S.) double occupancy if you quote fare code CSSH. For more, call 800-227-6482 or visit www.carnival.com.

For yoga fans: The Holistic Holiday at Sea will mend your body and soul with yoga, meditation, vegan and macrobiotic cooking. Organizers such as Sandy Pukel, author of the Greens and Grains on the Deep Blue Sea Cookbook, and speakers such as Deepak Chopra will participate in the search for enlightenment aboard Costa Cruise Lines’ Fortuna as it sails through the Caribbean beginning March 30; prices start at $1,195 (U.S.). For more, call 828-749-9537 or visit www.atasteofhealth.org.

For scuba divers or snorkellers: Some Caribbean voyages on Princess Cruises offer snorkeling and scuba instruction, as well as open-water dives. Complimentary snorkeling sessions for those 10 and up are part of the New Waves package, which costs $359 (U.S.) for certified scuba courses. Also offered are scuba refresher courses and underwater photography courses (888-919-9819 or www.newwaves.com.

For magazine junkies: A Most Civilized Literary Adventure allows you to swap mots justes with New Yorker magazine contributors including writer Adam Gopnik, film critic Anthony Lane and humorist Andy Borowitz as you sail from New York to Southampton, England, aboard Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2. You’ll have a full week to discuss the creative process with these literary luminaries during group conversations, lectures and readings. The ship departs Oct. 7, 2007; prices start from $1,349 (U.S.) (800 728-6273 or www.cunard.com.

Living without pesticides entailed some compromises. The Crammonds had to forgo grass in shady areas and cultivate low plants instead. They also had to do the hard work of replenishing their soil with mineral-filled compost and reseeding the grass several times. But after a couple of years their grass and plants were strong and hardy enough to sustain themselves with little watering or weeding—and absolutely no chemicals. “I sometimes let a few weeds overtake the lawn instead of digging out every single one,” says Gillian, “but a bit of clover or wood anemone in my lawn doesn’t really bother me.”

The Crammonds are part of a growing movement among gardeners to avoid chemical pesticides. Once regarded as the gardener’s best friend, pesticides are being viewed with increasing suspicion. These powerful chemicals leach into our water and wind up in our bodies, with effects that may be worse than we thought.

Numerous studies have implicated high pesticide levels in everything from cancer to Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine earlier this year announced findings that suggest a link between increased use of pesticides and higher levels of premature births. “As a neonatologist, I am seeing a growing number of birth defects, and preterm births, and I think we have to face up to the environmental causes,” said Dr. Paul Winchester, professor of clinical pediatrics at Indiana University. In response to such research, more than 65 communities across Canada have restricted the use of chemical pesticides.

So how do you grow a perfect green carpet of grass without chemicals? Rest assured, it is possible. “An organic lawn, properly put in and maintained, can look better than a chemically sprayed one,” says Carole Rubin, a gardening enthusiast in Garden Bay, B.C., and author of How to Get Your Lawn and Garden Off Drugs.

Most of the time and money involved in going green will come in the first couple of years, when you have to do the prep work necessary to create the conditions for a healthy lawn. “If you’re starting from scratch, the first two years of your organic lawn plan maybe more expensive because of the purchase of new soil and new compost,” says Paul Tukey, author of The Organic Lawn Care Manual. “But over time—starting in year three and four—you’ll save time and money.”

You can find a treasure trove of information at Safelawns.org, a website packed with tips on pesticide-free gardening. Here you can read about organic lawn care products, which are made from manure, bonemeal, blood meal and alfalfa. Unlike their chemical equivalents, these organic fertilizers don’t kill bugs or plants—instead, they encourage so-called good bugs. “Worms, bees, butterflies, ladybugs and birds are all good things for your garden and your soil,” says Tukey. “Worms aerate your soil, bees pollinate.”

You must be patient, though. Organic fertilizers require three to four weeks to have an effect, because they have to decompose before they can be used by plants. (In contrast, the nutrients in chemical fertilizers are already in inorganic form and so can immediately be used by the plants.) You also have to prepare your lawn. Here’s how do that.

Juice up your soil. You should celebrate spring by spreading sheep manure or compost on your grass. Then fertilize the soil with a natural fertilizer such as Myke’s Step 1 or Wegener’s Lawn Food.

Resist the temptation to use synthetic fertilizers. They give a one-time boost to your lawn, but do little for the health of the soil underneath. “Using synthetic fertilizers is like taking a vitamin C pill while living on a junk food diet,” says Karen Landman, an associate professor in environmental design and rural development at the University of Guelph.” It’s a quick fix. Whereas using an organic fertilizer is much like getting your vitamin C from an orange.”

Go for variety. Grasses vary in the type of climate they prefer, the amount of water they need, their resistance to pests, their tolerance to shade, and the degree of wear they can withstand. So rather than trying to plant just one type of grass, plant several. “A mix of grass species is good,” says Landman. “Some come up quicker, some slower, some adapt better to either sun or shade while some will tough it out in poor soils better than others. A good mix will guarantee you better results.”

Help your lawn breathe. The soil under your lawn becomes compacted over time. The denser soil makes it harder for grass roots to grow and reduces water absorption. You can fix the problem by renting an aerator from a local garden centre. It will punch holes in your soil to help insects and worms move through the soil. And yes, worms are good. They eat organic matter, such as leaves, and their castings fertilize the soil. If your lawn doesn’t have many worms, buy some at the garden centre and scatter them across your property. “The best thing you can do for your garden is to feed worms with compost,” says Landman. “Worms make for healthy soil and plants.”

Water sparingly. Once your grass or garden is planted, water deeply—about 45 minutes with the sprinkler—but only every week to 10 days. Do it in the early morning. Water added in the heat of the day will evaporate and watering late at night encourages lawn fungus.

Cut your grass high. Longer grass provides a cooler environment for your lawn, helping it retain water in the soil for a longer period of time. Setting your lawn mower at 7.5 cm (3 inches) and mowing your lawn when it reaches 11cm (4.5 inches) in height will encourage deep roots.

As well, let your grass clippings compost themselves into the turf. They add natural fertilizer to the soil. And don’t worry—grass doesn’t have to be cut every week. Every two to three weeks is better.

Get off grass. The most environmentally safe way to remove weeds is to get down on your knees and pull them out. If that doesn’t appeal, you may want to consider doing away with grass and using low plants such as ground cover instead. “I took out our grass lawn five years ago,” says Lorraine Johnson, a Toronto writer. Her backyard is now a woodland garden studded with 30 native trees. Her front yard is full of native shrubs, including fragrant sumac and high-bush cranberry. “I don’t water at all now that my seedlings are established,” says Johnson. “Both gardens are really low maintenance.”