SHIFTING ROOTS

home, garden, food, and prairie lifestyle

  • About
    • Contact
    • Work With Me
    • Privacy Policy
  • Blog
  • Gardening
  • Recipes
  • Popular Posts
  • Courses

How to Design a Front Yard Raised Bed Vegetable Garden

February 8, 2019

Space is at a premium in urban centres, and you might not have enough space in your backyard to plant as many vegetables as you like. But have you ever thought of going out into your front yard?

In some neighbourhoods, the front yard space is even larger than the backyard space, and can easily help you double your available gardening space.

If you’re thinking of starting a front yard vegetable garden, check with your city or municipality that they are allowed, ask for a line locate from your power, energy, or cable company, and start dreaming up your new raised bed vegetable garden!

Here’s how I made over part of my front yard into a raised bed vegetable garden.

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase anything, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read more about it in my privacy policy.

The Before

Our front yard was pretty uninspiring, to say the least. In the previous year my husband constructed these cheap wooden raised beds for me because I could not fit in everything I wanted to plant in the backyard. I had even more plans to expand my vegetable garden, so the dried out potentillas had to go.

The potentillas were so overgrown and parts of them were even starting to rot. I’m sure they were beautiful in their time, but if I was going to keep them, they were in desperate need of a good pruning because they didn’t flower very much in the summer.

Ordering Soil and Mulch

I’m not sure why, but the thought of ordering soil and mulch from a landscaping company seemed really overwhelming to me. However, I knew that this was too big of a project to be dragging bags of the stuff from a big box store back and forth in my truck.

However, I went with a friend to one of the larger companies in the city and got it done!! I ordered 1 yard of pine mulch (the cheapest option) and 2 yards of soil with compost and peat already mixed in.

I assumed that because compost and peat was already mixed in, that I wouldn’t have to make any further amendments to my soil.

I was wrong.

While the vegetables in the new soil performed alright, there was a noticeable difference from the ones in the soil that I had been improving with compost and manure for 3 years.

Planting your first vegetable garden? Here’s the 10 easiest vegetables to grow, plus 6 tips I wish I would have known.

Though these piles may seem on the small side, it still took me around 9 hours of work to move everything with a wheelbarrow to where it needed to be. Since I don’t have a driveway, I had to get it all done in one day before any of my neighbours complained to the city.

If you are in this situation, check the city bylaws to see how long you as a homeowner can leave something like this out on a city street. In my city it’s 24 hours, but in some places it can be as short as 6 or as long as 48. If you need longer, you may have to apply for a permit.

The moral of the story? Schedule your delivery for a day when you know you have the entire day to deal with your soil and mulch!!

Creating My Raised Bed Vegetable Garden

Almost finished our front yard project. The two wooden raised beds in the front will be upgraded next year!

I filled up the raised garden beds with soil, surrounded the area with cardboard, and layered over a 4 inch layer of mulch.

Technically, I could have left the grass, but I wanted this project to be as maintenance free and neat looking as I possibly could. I don’t want to risk getting complaints from my neighbours because I am behind on the weeding.

The occasional weed will still come through your mulch. However, I can promise you that these weeds are super easy to pick–especially when you compare the amount of weeds you would have otherwise.

Looking for the next cool front yard landscaping ideas?  How about a front yard vegetable garden?!  Here's how I turned my yard with no curb appeal into a low maintenance raised bed garden.  It's a simple design for a small space that anyone can do! #frontyard #design #vegetablegarden

Another thing you should know about mulch is that you’ll have to replenish it every 2-3 years. Wooden mulch will decompose over time, making your formerly 4 inch layer not thick enough to suppress weeds. You can use cedar mulch instead if you don’t want to top up your mulch as often. However, cedar tends to be more expensive.

The Best Method of Planting Vegetables in a Small Space Garden

Once the project was done, I planted my new raised beds using the square foot gardening method and the seeding square. (You can also get it on Amazon here.)

If you’re used to traditional rows in a garden, it can seem very strange to switch to this way of planting a garden. But once you try it, you’ll be hooked! You’ll be able to plant more vegetables in the same space and keep down the weeds much easier.

In fact, I found that once I had done the initial major weeding in June, there was barely any weeds after that, and it was easy to simply pull out the few that did manage to come up.

If you need ideas on square foot gardening, I have these 4 free templates (that are colour co-ordinated with the seeding square) that you might enjoy. If you don’t want to use the seeding square, you can figure out the spacing by using Mel Bartholomew’s book. (But seriously, you’ll save so much time and headache with the Seeding Square!!)

Get 4 Free Square Foot Gardening Templates

Screen shot 2018 05 12 at 7.45.14 am

Start your square foot garden the easy way!

You'll get 4 4x4 plans for

  • Salad Garden
  • Beginner's Garden
  • Salsa Garden
  • Kid's Garden

Plus a short 3 day email course of how to get started with square foot gardening.

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit
Looking for the next cool front yard landscaping ideas?  How about a front yard vegetable garden?!  Here's how I turned my yard with no curb appeal into a low maintenance raised bed garden.  It's a simple design for a small space that anyone can do! #frontyard #design #vegetablegarden

In the bed on the right, should not have planted that pepper between the artichokes. I had never grown artichokes before, and had no concept of how tall they would actually get. (3-5 feet!) Needless to say, the pepper did not do well.

I also did not realize that butternut squash and watermelon would cross with each other. I was blessed with some lovely mutant squash. What do you get when you cross a butternut with a watermelon? A very weird squash that you really don’t want to eat!!

A Front Yard Vegetable Garden Builds Community

Overall, I was really happy with my front yard vegetable garden. It was easy to keep up with and I would often notice people who were walking by enjoying it.

Neighbours would often stop by to chat about the garden, and perfect strangers would stop their walk to ask me questions about the garden if I was outside working on it.

I was a bit nervous about possible theft come harvest time, but so far it has not been a problem.

Looking for the next cool front yard landscaping ideas?  How about a front yard vegetable garden?!  Here's how I turned my yard with no curb appeal into a low maintenance raised bed garden.  It's a simple design for a small space that anyone can do! #frontyard #design #vegetablegarden

In fact, my biggest problem was actually the birds that mercilessly picked at any lettuce, kale, beets, and swiss chard that I planted. Next year I will protect my plants with cloth until they are well established.

Looking for the next cool front yard landscaping ideas?  How about a front yard vegetable garden?!  Here's how I turned my yard with no curb appeal into a low maintenance raised bed garden.  It's a simple design for a small space that anyone can do! #frontyard #design #vegetablegarden

By late summer, the garden was very productive and my mutant butternut squash/watermelon vines had taken over. All in all, I’d say my front yard raised bed vegetable garden project was a huge success!

Recommended Resources

If you’re looking to plan your own front yard project, here are a few resources I recommend:

  • Mel Bartholomew’s 3rd Edition Square Foot Gardening Book.
  • The Seeding Square, on the product site, or on Amazon.
  • The Edible Front Yard Book by Ivette Soler
  • A Three-pack, 4×4 Raised Bed Garden Kit
  • Or this tiered wooden option
  • Or just a basic wooden raised bed.
Looking for the next cool front yard landscaping ideas?  How about a front yard vegetable garden?!  Here's how I turned my yard with no curb appeal into a low maintenance raised bed garden.  It's a simple design for a small space that anyone can do! #frontyard #design #vegetablegarden

P.S. If you’re a new gardener and looking for hold-your-hand-virtual gardening advice, my new online gardening course is for you!

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Curb Appeal, Gardening, Landscaping Tagged: front yard, landscaping, raised beds, raised vinyl beds, square foot gardening, vegetable garden, vegetable gardening

Cold-Climate Vegetable Gardening for the Complete Beginner

February 2, 2019

Do you want to start a vegetable garden, but literally have no clue? Do your eyes glaze over when you start to do your research but it gets too complicated? What are zones? How do you prep your soil? What should I plant? How do I keep it from dying?

You’ve come to the right place. In this post I’m going to give you a plan for making your own garden that has a good chance of success, all in simple language.


[Read more…]

11 Comments
Filed Under: Backyard Florist, Gardening, Projects Tagged: beginner, best plants for beginners, choosing plants, Garden, Gardening, hardiness zones, planting, plants, when to plant, zones

A Grain of Salt: What You Should Know Before Following Gardening Advice on the Internet

January 24, 2019

This post has been on my heart for awhile and I feel a little bit hypocritical writing it. Hey Kristen, you’re a garden blogger–you literally give gardening advice on the Internet for a living. But it comes with its challenges. And when I talk to new gardeners about what they should and shouldn’t do with their gardens, I’ve been realizing that they probably don’t know which advice is good, which is bad, and which could actually ruin their gardens.

Because let’s face it, I can give you all the advice in the world, but if you live somewhere substantially warmer than I do, not every single thing I’m going to say will apply to your situation. Or maybe different bugs are more common in your area than mine. Or I could try and follow the “what to plant guide in January” written by another blogger and laugh because everything here is covered in snow and nothing will survive in -30 weather.

So next time you’re trolling Pinterest looking for gardening and landscaping ideas, have these words of wisdom in your mind.

Before you follow that cool piece of gardening advice, tips and tricks, or some sort of hack, read this first and avoid heartache--especially if you're a beginner gardener planing your first garden. #gardening #advice #tips #tricks #ideas #beginner

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you purchase anything, I earn a small amount of money at no extra cost to you. You can read more about it in my privacy policy. Thanks for supporting Shifting Roots!

The Number 1 Rule of Gardening Advice: Where Does the Writer Live?

I love gardening magazines, but I also find them frustrating. They’ve shown me 50 pages of gorgeous ideas that I want to try RIGHT NOW, but all I can accomplish in my zone is maybe 5 pages worth. That’s because I live on the Canadian Prairies and the magazine I’m looking at is published in New York, and most of the authors live in the North Eastern United States.

Most of the plants they’re using won’t be hardy enough for my zone (zone 3, versus anywhere between zone 5 and 7). Any non-organic soil amendments they suggest might actually ruin my soil if I tried them here. And if they published a guide telling me exactly when to plant my plants and harvest them? Also wrong–because my growing season is at least a month (if not two) shorter than theirs.

Is the advice wrong? No. But most of it isn’t meant for my growing conditions.

So next time you’re looking at a magazine article or blog post, take a quick look at the “about me” section and see where in the world this author is from, and if the geographical location is similar to yours.

Exceptions to this rule: remedies for bugs and pests, tips on composting, crop rotation, how to grow a certain vegetable, general plant care.

Just because you’re in the same zone as another gardener, doesn’t mean you’ll have the same results.

This point feels like a sucker punch to the face. I live in Saskatoon, SK, which is zone 3. Some other locations that also are in zone three are areas of Northern BC, Alberta, Manitoba, Northern Ontario, Quebec, and areas around Wyoming in the mountains.

Guess what? We are all going to have different results.

Being in Saskatoon, I will have the most in common with readers around Edmonton, most areas of Saskatchewan, and most areas of Manitoba. Why? These areas are all on the Prairies.

But why didn’t I mention Calgary? Because Calgary gets chinooks, so their growing conditions are completely different from everyone else on the prairies–even though we’re in the same zone. In fact, someone even wrote a book about it.

P.S. You should also check out this one he wrote too, it’s one of my favourites.

Will 95% of the gardening advice work? Yes. But your results may be quite different because of daylight hours, soil conditions, and that year’s weather.

Your Soil Makes a Difference

One man’s invasive perennial is another man’s favourite flower that he or she would be happy to have all over their garden. Some of you have rich soil that plants go wild in. Others of you have terrible soil that will need many years of compost and manure for plants to grow well.

Nowhere are the consequences of this rule more keenly felt than in the comments section of my post, 28 Perennials You’ll Regret Planting.

All of my plant suggestions are based under the premise of what plants I think a brand new gardener would be frustrated with, or not willing to put in the work of weeding/removing in 3-5 years when the plant takes over everything. It’s also tinged with a little bit of frustration over having to remove over 400 ferns and countless bits of lily of the valley and bellflower from my current yard over the last 3 years.

But if you just skim through the pictures, you don’t know that. And you’ll probably get really annoyed with me in the comments. And if you didn’t read the disclaimer on how I live on the Canadian Prairies in zone 3, you probably also won’t understand that 1. Our soil (in a general sense) is pretty fertile right out of the gate. 2. Certain plants aren’t on the list because they would never survive the winter here 3. Some plants that are “well-behaved” here are a problem in other areas of the world because our cold winters keep them in check.

In fact, I had so many suggestions about plants that were a nuisance in other areas of the world, that I wrote a whole follow up post on the 50 perennials you’ll regret planting.

Learn the Basics of Gardening in Just a Few Minutes

Screen shot 2018 04 19 at 4.23.58 pm

Gardening doesn't have to be complicated. Learn the basics in minutes, get started with your first garden in a day or less, and start your lifetime gardening adventure.

Enter your name and email address to download the Quick Start Garden Guide. You'll also get a mini-email course and weekly gardening tips and advice.

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit

If you Love a Plant, Plant it.

I give suggestions on flowers and vegetable varieties that I think will work for a certain situation all the time. I also give suggestions about which ones I think you should avoid. Sometimes I tell you to avoid your favourite plant.

Don’t ever let some person on the Internet stop you from growing something you love! For this reason and all the other reasons stated in this post, you can plant what you want to plant.

One exception to this rule: If the plant shows up on your Province or State’s list of Invasive and Noxious Weeds. To find the list for your area, google [your Province or State] + the term Invasive Weeds.

One Man’s Weed is Another Man’s Salad

There are many gardeners on the Internet who hate weeds and need to see every last weed in their garden destroyed. There are others who embrace the weeds and use them in salads and tinctures. Neither of these people are monsters (or hippies). They are just people who see things a different way. If the blogger you’re reading doesn’t resonate with you, find another one who does.

Related: 6 Tips All New Gardeners Should Know

I tend to fall into the “all weeds must go” camp, but for the love of all that is good, please don’t spend money on dandelion seeds. If you want to grow dandelions, I will happily collect some seeds for you from my yard. (And yes, I have seen seed packets for dandelion seeds in the stores this year.)

Before those of you who embrace weeds get mad at me and start lecturing me on the bees, please know that I respect your decision to embrace the weeds. It’s just not my thing.

Chemicals, Organic, GMO, Safe Seeds, oh my. . . .

Want to make gardeners fight? Just mention the words chemicals, organic, GMO, or the Safe Seed Pledge and watch the tensions fly. And let’s not even talk about the R-word (Roundup) or the M-word (Monsanto). Where’s that meme of some guy eating popcorn when you need it?

If you want to find sites about strictly organic gardening, you can find them. If you want to find sites where they discuss chemical interventions you can find them too. Just play nice in the comments, okay?

I’m going to say one more thing on this topic. Whatever side of the fence you fall on, just consider reading a couple of articles from a reliable source that support the other side’s opinions. Just so you can see where their arguments are coming from.

In today’s world of curated feeds, it’s way too easy to confirm that your opinion is right, because all you ever see are articles written by people who have the same opinion as you.

All Shade is Not Created Equal

I feel like this is one of my gardening mantras. Anyway, as you’re scrolling through Pinterest, you’ll probably see some pins about vegetables that like the shade, or the best perennials or annuals to use in the shade. In fact, I might have even written one of them.

I feel you. A mostly shade-covered garden sucks and it can feel like there’s nothing you can plant. So an article saying that there is hope is just what your heart needs. But repeat it with me, “All Shade Is Not Created Equal!!”

First of all, there’s part sun, part shade, dappled shade, and full shade to sort out. Then is also depends (again!) on where you live.

If you’re in zone 3 like I am, I don’t care how much those articles on vegetables that love the shade say they love the shade–your vegetable garden is going to look super sad if it gets no sunlight or 3 hours or less. Does spinach and lettuce do better if it’s not pelted by the hot July sun? Yes. But it also can’t tolerate no sun whatsoever.

P.S. I also realize the people who write these articles know this, but I really feel the need to point this out for beginner gardeners who might not.

Finally, you might also see posts talking about the use of shade cloth so your vegetables don’t scorch. Solid advice if you live in the Southern United States. Totally unnecessary if you live where I do.

Weather Trumps All

Sometimes, you can do everything “right” and the weather simply won’t co-operate. It can just be a bad growing year, and there’s nothing you did wrong. There are some years where everyone in your area will have bad carrots, tomatoes, peas, or whatever plant happened to be the one that didn’t get the weather it needed to thrive.

It’s okay. Even market gardeners have bad years for certain vegetables.

So What Now?

It’s my hope that after reading this, you’ll have a better idea of what advice is good advice for you and your area. I’d also love to know if there’s anything you think I missed. Who knows, I might even have to write a part 2 if there’s enough stuff.

If you’ve read this and feel even more frustrated and confused, you need my online gardening course. It’s a no-nonsense virtual handhold through your first year of gardening and beyond, all in one place.

Check it out here:

1 Comment
Filed Under: Blogging, Gardening Tagged: gardening advice, gardening tips

6 Hardy Fruits You Can Grow From Seed

January 15, 2019

When you live in a colder climate, it’s easy to think that your fruit growing options are limited. Not so! These six hardy fruits can be grown from seed in Canada or any colder zone. You can start these fruits indoors, then set them outside in your garden or in pots and containers once all risk of frost has passed.

Looking for hardy fruit trees instead? I’ve compiled a list of 28 hardy fruit trees that you can grow in zone 2 and zone 3.

Just because you live in a cold climate doesn't mean your options for growing fruit are limited!  Here's a list of six easy fruits you can grow from seed in your garden or in pots and containers in your backyard. #growingfruit #melons #gardening #hardyfruit #Canada #zone3

Cantaloupe (Muskmelon)

Nothing compares to the taste of a garden fresh cantaloupe. They’re so good you’ll have trouble sharing!! I personally look for varieties with the shortest date to maturity possible, as my growing season is short.

If you want muskmelon all summer, try planting Minnesota Midget (65 days), Halona (75 days) and Sugar Cube (80 days).

Cucamelon

Cucamelons are making a comeback in popularity and are a fun must-try fruit for the home gardener. You can eat them raw, or use them in stir fries, pickling, and salsas. Grow them on a trellis for easy picking.

Ground Cherries

Ground cherries look like tomatillos, but taste like tropical fruit. Use them in baking, jams, or even salsa.

Learn the Basics of Gardening in Just a Few Minutes

Screen shot 2018 04 19 at 4.23.58 pm

Gardening doesn't have to be complicated. Learn the basics in minutes, get started with your first garden in a day or less, and start your lifetime gardening adventure.

Enter your name and email address to download the Quick Start Garden Guide. You'll also get a mini-email course and weekly gardening tips and advice.

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit

Honeydew

Honeydew seeds can be a little trickier to find in the seed catalogues, but they are well worth the effort. Try the Honey Mass Hybrid if you’re in a short season area.

Strawberries

Strawberries are usually sold as a root stock or started plant, but you can buy them from seed and start them yourself. Just don’t expect a lot of berries (if any) the year you start them.

If possible, choose a couple of different varieties so you’ll have an abundance of strawberries all summer. I like to have 3 varieties–an ever bearing variety that produces fruit all summer, and early one that produces sometime in June, and a later variety that produces in August.

Need some help starting your seeds from your window? Here’s how.

Watermelon

Watermelons are fun for kids (or those who like to overwater plants) to grow and are super delicious! Quetzali is a good almost seedless variety for small spaces, Sweet Beauty Hybrid will produce all summer, and Cream of Saskatchewan is a unique yellow heirloom variety that looks unique and tastes delicious.

That’s it! Know of any fruits from seed that grow in colder climates that I’ve missed? Let me know in the comments.

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Fruit Season, Gardening, Simple & Easy Tagged: cantaloupe, cucamelon, ground cherry, growing fruit, hardy fruits, honeydew, melons, seeds, strawberry, watermelon

The Best Pepper Varieties for Beginners

January 14, 2019

Peppers are what I consider one of the “vegetable gardening glory plants.”  Nobody really cares if you can grow nice beans or zucchini, but everyone will ooh and ah over your peppers and tomatoes.

Unfortunately, if you live in a colder climate like I do, peppers can be tricky to grow, unless you’re an advanced enough gardener that you have a greenhouse or you’ve got some experience under your belt.

I hate to admit it, but it took me 4 YEARS to finally grow a grocery-store-sized bell pepper.  And you can bet I bragged about that pepper to practically everyone I knew.

Pepper Growing Tips for Beginners

So what did I learn from that experience?

  • Location is everything.  Do not put your peppers by much larger vegetables where they will be shaded out.  You know the super hot and sheltered spot in your yard where practically nothing else grows?  Put your peppers there.  (But make sure you have good soil with a healthy dose of compost and manure added to it.)
  • Peppers can take their sweet time germinating.  If you’re starting them from seed for the first time, start them a tiny bit earlier than you think you need to.  If you have a heat mat for your seedlings, use it.
  • Not all pepper varieties are created equal.  In subsequent years, I’ve had much more success with different pepper varieties.

Here’s some of my favourites that I think beginner gardeners will have better success with.

The Easiest Peppers to Grow in Cold Climates (like zone 3)

Hungarian Wax Peppers

If you’ve never planted a pepper before in your life, start with Hungarian was peppers.  They’re super easy to grow, produce lots of fruit, and can handle your abuse.  When I had to abandon my garden this summer because of health issues, my Hungarian wax peppers still kept producing.

Does this mean you can plant them and forget them?  No.  But they’re not so delicate that missing one watering is the end of them.

Related: The 10 best vegetables for beginner gardeners

Hungarian Wax Peppers are such an easy vegetable to grow in the garden.  Perfect for beginners and a good idea in a container garden or small space #gardening #peppers #beginner #vegetable

Cayenne Peppers

Much like the Hungarian wax peppers, cayenne peppers are peppers that just keep on giving.  I like to harvest them when they are green and let them turn red in the house, so that I can get more peppers in my short growing season.

Carmen and Escamillo Peppers

I have not personally grown these–yet, but lots of my friends have and they’ve all raved about them.  I’ll be starting some seeds this winter and I’ll let you know how it goes.

Learn the Basics of Gardening in Just a Few Minutes

Screen shot 2018 04 19 at 4.23.58 pm

Gardening doesn't have to be complicated. Learn the basics in minutes, get started with your first garden in a day or less, and start your lifetime gardening adventure.

Enter your name and email address to download the Quick Start Garden Guide. You'll also get a mini-email course and weekly gardening tips and advice.

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit

What about Growing Peppers in a Warmer Climate?

For the last year I’ve felt really bad that I don’t have answers like this for all of my readers who live in much warmer climates than I do.  So I’ve hired another gardener who lives in South Carolina to write and consult for me occasionally so I can better serve you.  The following suggestions are based off of her advice.

First of all, if you live in a warmer climate, you’ll have a MUCH easier time growing peppers than I do.  In fact, you might even have to shade your peppers in the afternoon to avoid sunscald.

Smaller chili and cayenne hot peppers are easier to grow vegetables for beginner gardeners.  I'm going to plant some this spring in my vegetable garden. #peppers #gardening #vegetable

Here’s seven varieties that are better suited to beginners in warmer climates:

  • Jalapeño
  • Poblano
  • Anaheim Chiles
  • Orange Blaze Mini Pepper
  • Lamuyo

She also mentioned all of the pepper varieties up above that worked well for me in zone 3.

Whatever pepper you decide to grow, I wish you the best of luck in your gardening adventures!

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Gardening, Vegetables Tagged: beginner gardener, bell pepper, cayenne pepper, Garden, gardening tips, hot pepper, Hungarian wax pepper, Peppers

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 14
  • Next Page »

Grow roots with us

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Welcome!

Hi, I'm Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

P.S. First time gardener? You'll want to download the quick start gardening guide below!

Recent Posts

  • The Best Method for Making Tea-Dyed Easter Eggs
  • How to Design a Front Yard Raised Bed Vegetable Garden
  • Cold-Climate Vegetable Gardening for the Complete Beginner
  • A Grain of Salt: What You Should Know Before Following Gardening Advice on the Internet
  • Real-life design ideas for your small space garden

Welcome!

Hi, I’m Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Connect with Shifting Roots On. . .

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Find What You’re Looking For. . .

Learn the Basics of Gardening in Just a Few Minutes

Screen shot 2018 04 19 at 4.23.58 pm

Gardening doesn't have to be complicated. Learn the basics in minutes, get started with your first garden in a day or less, and start your lifetime gardening adventure.

Enter your name and email address to download the Quick Start Garden Guide. You'll also get a mini-email course and weekly gardening tips and advice.

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit
Load More…Follow on Instagram

Theme Design By Studio Mommy · Copyright © 2019