SHIFTING ROOTS

home, garden, food, and prairie lifestyle

20+ Gift Ideas for the Gardener in Your Life this Christmas

Finding a gift for the gardener in your life can be challenging.  Sure, tools or gardening gloves are the obvious choice, but they will probably only be appreciated by the most serious of gardeners. I’ve come up with some pretty and practical suggestions for beginners and advanced gardener’s alike, as well as a few options for kids who love tagging along in the garden.

Bonus!  Most of these gifts are $30 or less!!

It can be tricky to find good gift ideas for gardeners that aren't just ho-hum gardening gloves! This gift guide has over 20 stylish and practical ideas for women, men, and kids, along with lots of cheap ideas for those on a budget. Perfect for Christmas and holiday 2018! #christmas #giftguide #giftideas

This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you purchase something.  You can learn more about it in my Privacy Policy.  Thanks for supporting Shifting Roots!

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Stop Killing Your Succulents and Do This Instead

We’ve all picked up a cute little succulent from the garden centre or grocery store, only to have it die a horrible death a few months later.  How could this happen?  Succulents are supposed to be easy!!

While succulents don’t require as much maintenance as other plants, they’re not fool-proof.  Here’s what you need to know to keep yours alive and thriving over the winter months.

Are your succulents constantly dying indoors in containers or terrariums? Here's how to care for them instead, plus some tips for propagating tired looking succulents into beautiful decor. #succulents #indoorgardening

Disclaimer: I garden in zone 3b on the Canadian Prairies.  While I make every effort to make my advice as applicable to as many people as possible, growing conditions in your area might be vastly different.  However, I love to hear from readers in other areas, so let us know in the comments if there’s a different way to keep succulents alive where you live!

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Fall and Winter Gardening in Zone 3: What you can Realistically Expect

Do you scroll Pinterest and see all these wonderful posts about starting a fall garden?  I know I do, and I get so jealous of all my gardening friends in warmer climates.  Unfortunately, if you live in zone 3, you can not plant a garden in September and harvest it in the winter.  (Hello week of -40 sometime in January or February!!)

I wanted to write this post because if you don’t know anything about zone 3 and are just reading gardening magazines and blogs from warmer zones, you might get the impression that you can somehow grow vegetables and flowers year round.  And while it is possible to grow vegetables in the winter with a huge greenhouse, lights, and heaters, most home gardeners don’t have those kind of resources or the money to pay a hefty heating & electricity bill all winter.

But, there are a few things you can do that you might not have thought about.

Want to start a fall or winter garden in zone 3? I'll help you manage your expectations and give you tips on what you can do with annual and perennial flowers, seeds and seed saving, vegetables, and more. #gardening #fall #winter #beginners #tips #ideas #seeds #perennials #annuals #flowers #vegetables

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Ten Fall Garden Chores to Do Now For an Easier Spring

The garden has been planted and most of your vegetables have been harvested. . .now what?  Usually I procrastinate in the garden until the first snow falls and it’s too late to do anything.  Not this year.  These are the seven chores I’ll be doing for a better garden next year.

Fall is here but gardening doesn’t stop as soon as Autumn begins!! Here's some good tips for beginners on what do with vegetables, perennial flowers, and annual flowers now, so that you’ll have an easier Spring. Less work in the garden? Yes please! #gardening #tips #beginners #fall #autumn #garden #vegetables #perennials #cucumber #chores #tasks

Disclaimer: I personally garden in USDA hardiness zone 2/3 and my advice is geared to that zone.  I’ve provided some tips for warmer climates where possible.  If there is something I’ve missed for your growing zone, please share it with us in the comments.

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How to Prepare Your Strawberries for the Winter

It’s another one of those rites of passage of learning to garden–killing the strawberries you so desperately wanted to save. Everybody loves strawberries, but nobody likes it when the strawberry plants they invested in last Spring die a slow and horrible death over the cold Canadian Winter.  Not that I’m bitter about the time it happened to me, or anything.

Here’s how you (and your strawberries) can avoid this terrible fate.

Disclaimer time: I garden in in zone 3b in the Canadian Prairies and thus my advice is best suited to that region, and also highly applicable to zones 2 and 4.  I realize that readers from many warmer zones read my stuff, so I’ve tried to account for your situation where possible.   I love comments from those who live in other places!  Your knowledge of different zones helps lots of people become better gardeners. . .which is probably why you’re here in the first place.

Second disclaimer, as of writing this post I’m 19 weeks pregnant and. . . hormonal, shall we say?  As I’m re-reading this I realize it might come off as really angry, but it’s meant to be funny.  I hope it’s funny.

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