DO IT NOW

It's hard to think about cool crops during the heat of summer, but midsummer is actually a good time to plan your fall vegetable garden. Some crops can be planted now and still be harvested before the first frost, while other cold-tolerant veggies, such as kale, cabbage and Brussels sprouts, not only survive early frost but also taste better when grown in cool weather. For more information about planting vegetables in midsummer for fall harvest, visit www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/M1227.html.

CONTEST OF THE WEEK

Don and Betty may or may not reunite, but you can still enjoy the Draper's "Mad Men" sleek style in your home. To promote the fourth season of the Emmy winning series -- and not just for outstanding hairstyling -- AMC and mod home furnishings retailer Design Within Reach have teamed up for the Mad Men Your Living Room contest. The grand prize winner receives furniture and accessories to create a room inspired by AMC's "Mad Men." Included are DWR's Raleigh sofa and armchair, a Skagen coffee table and two nesting tables, a Strata rug and an AJ lamp designed by Arne Jacobsen. First prize is the first three seasons of "Mad Men" on DVD. Visit www.dwr.com/madmen for rules and to enter by Aug. 4. Vintage apparel is optional.

SEEN AND NOTED

Kid-friendly Nickelodeon characters are coming to a new furniture line from Lea Industries.

Nickelodeon Rooms offers bedroom furniture featuring motifs and characters from shows including "SpongeBob SquarePants," "Dora the Explorer" and "Go, Diego, Go!"

The line comprises three collections: Nick, aimed at ages 3 to 7; TweenNick, for ages 8 to 11; and TeenNick, for teens and beyond. In order to allow the furniture to age as the child ages, most pieces are designed so the cartoon graphics can be changed or removed or the panels containing them reversed.

To find retailers, go to www.nickelodeonrooms.com.

AKRON BEACON JOURNAL

CHECK IT OUT

Could your TV room use an upgrade? The Lane Home Entertainment Tour is coming to Becker Furniture World this weekend. The tour features an 18-wheel mobile showroom where visitors can experience the latest in home-theater seating and electronics. Couch-potatoes-in-training can visit the Nintendo Wii "Kid Zone," while moms and dads enter a contest to win free furniture. And loungers of all ages can have their photos taken in a recliner in front of a green screen set to a variety of background settings, including the Grand Canyon, a football game, a fashion runway or the beach. The showroom hours are 1-7 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Becker Furniture World, 13150 1st St. (Hwy. 10 N.), Becker, Minn.

NEXT WEEK

Urban neighbors transform a neglected vacant lot into a thriving community garden.

KIM PALMER, CONNIE NELSON, MARTHA BUNS