SHIFTING ROOTS

home, garden, food, and prairie lifestyle

Oven Dried Oranges & Grapefruit

This year I’m really into natural, rustic Christmas decor–think lots of boughs of evergreen and cedar, pinecones, berries, and dried oranges and grapefruit. The other elements are easy, but drying oranges in the oven takes a bit of finesse.

Sure, it might seem simple, but when you dry orange slices without a dehydrator, you have to get the timing just so, otherwise they burn.

For those of you who like your content in video form, here’s a short video so you can watch the process. If you prefer to read, read on!

1. Pick Tired Looking Oranges

The whole process is actually a lot easier if you use older oranges and grapefruit to begin with. The fruit is drier inside, which makes the time in the oven faster. The outside skin is firmer, which makes it easier to cut. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with drying fresh oranges. The time in the oven will be longer.

2. Slice the Oranges as Thinly as Possible

Slice your oranges or grapefruit as thinly as your knife skills allow–around 1/4 inch or 5 millimetres. Keep them as even as possible. Use a mandolin if you own one for a much easier time slicing and less waste.

3. Arrange the Oranges on a Silicone Sheet or Parchment Paper

Arrange the oranges as tightly as possible on a silicone mat (set on a baking sheet, of course). Don’t worry if one or two oranges has to overlap ever so slightly to make everything fit, as the oranges with shrink with dehydrating in the oven.

4. Put in the Oven to Dehydrate

Here’s where things get dicey and the Internet has many opinions. I put my oranges in the oven at 225 Fahrenheit for a total of 2-3 hours. Wow Kristen, that’s a ridiculous range of time and not very helpful. I hear you.

The thicker and larger the slices, the longer the oven time. So for grapefruits and larger varieties of oranges, it will be 2 hours and 45 minutes to 3 hours. For smaller mandarin oranges, it will be more like 1 hours and 45 minutes to 2 hours.

The process also goes slower if you try to do two batches on the 3rd and 4th racks. This might not be the case if you have a convection oven, but I have the cheapest and most basic oven you can buy, so I don’t know.

Finally, some ovens tend to run hot and others run cool, so you’ll have to adjust your expectations based on how your oven tends to bake. If your oven tends to finish baking something in the least amount of time suggested on a recipe, you’ll want to check your oranges & grapefruits earlier.

Using dried oranges and grapefruits to create a wreath with natural greens.

5. Flip the Oranges around an Hour in

Easy enough.

6. Check the Oranges for Browning

The line between an underdone dried orange, a perfectly done dried orange, and a burnt crisp is surprisingly fine. I found that in my oven, in order to get a full tray of perfectly dried oranges that were crisp with no remaining juicy/leathery bits, I had to sacrifice at least 4 to getting too burnt.

Since I need to take pictures for this blog and burnt oranges are not appealing, I tended to take a tray out even if not every single orange was crisp. More on this later in the post.

After making a couple of batches, I learned the sweet spot was to watch for when the oranges started to get a very slight brown on them. At that point, most of them will be hard enough and completely dry, and you won’t lose any to burning. Even if some oranges are still tacky in spots–TAKE THEM OUT! Or watch them like a hawk. If you insist on keeping them in the oven, commit to checking on them every 10 minutes or risk having a lot of them burn.

Can I Use Dried Oranges that Aren’t Perfectly Dried?

I live in a pretty dry climate, so I’m willing to take the risk of not having perfectly done oranges, and am hoping that the tacky bits will air dry. However, if you live in a more humid climate, you might end up with mouldy oranges.

Don’t store any oranges that aren’t completely dry for next year. They will mould and should go into the compost instead. Any oranges that are completely dry should last for years.

What Do you Use Dried Oranges For?

I use dried oranges for Christmas ornaments, in garlands, and wreathes. They add a beautiful hit of colour to Christmas decor and look really striking paired with blue spruce.

If you’re looking for how to make all these decorations at a fraction of the cost of purchasing them at a boutique store, get your name on the list for the Natural Christmas Decor Masterclass. You can make simple and beautiful decor with foraged & natural items, that makes your friends drool with envy.

Sign up here and be the first to know when it drops!

How to Compost when its Freezing Outside

We all want to do our part and compost as much as we can. But how do you continue composting in winter, especially if you live in the freezing hinterland that is Canada? Does composting even work in winter? And what about when it’s minus 40?!?!

If you are looking for someone who understands what it’s like to try and continue composting during six long months of winter, you’ve come to the right place. I live in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, so I know what it’s like to trudge through 2 feet of snow to the compost bin.

By the end of this post, you’ll know how to winter compost, how it works, and what fellow Canadians do when the temperature is unreasonable.

If you’d rather watch than read, watch this video below on winter composting.. .

Can You Compost in Winter?

Yes, but it’s probably not what you think. Even though a large compost pile will create a substantial amount of heat, the average household compost pile will freeze during a Canadian winter.

Translation: Nothing is happening.

But don’t let that deter you. You can still put all of your household scraps on the compost pile all winter long. When the weather warms up in the spring, the decomposition process will start again and your pile will continue to make black gold.

Before I had a fancy compost bin, I threw my household compost straight on my garden area over the snow all winter long. Sure, it was a bit gross when the snow melted, but I just lightly worked it into the soil as soon as the ground was dry, and the bulk of it decomposed in around 2 weeks.

As long as you don’t throw in any bones or meat (and you shouldn’t be anyway!) rodents shouldn’t be a problem.

Related: Compostable Newsprint Pots

How do you take care of a compost bin in winter?

The secret? Do nothing, except add your kitchen scraps to it.

You don’t need to worry about having too many green items in it, because chances are, you loaded up your compost in the fall with lots of browns (leaves, garden waste, etc.) If you’re really worried, you can always turn your compost in the spring as soon as it thaws out.

You also don’t have to worry about mixing the compost in with the snow or scraping snow off, or anything like that. Just dump the kitchen scraps on the compost bin, and let Mother Nature do the work in the Spring. Done.

Want to see our compost bin out of pallets? Here’s how we made it.

But what about when it’s FREEZING!

I’ll admit, I don’t really want to trudge out to the compost bin in -40 either. In that case, you can keep a large plastic container just outside your door to dump all of your compostable items in. They’ll freeze, and when the temperature is slightly more reasonable, move that frozen block of future compost to the main composting area.

Some people do this method the entire winter, and never go to the main composting area. Whatever you decide is fine, as long as it eventually goes in the compost bin.

Can’t I just Compost Indoors?

Sure! I personally don’t, because I have toddlers, and things could get messy very fast if I’m not careful. If you can compost indoors, you have a couple of options.

The first: Grab a large plastic bin with a lid and store your compost in there. After every week, sprinkle the contents with a thin layer of peat moss or soil that you’ve either saved from your garden or purchased from a store. You’ll eventually have to empty it out, but you can go a lot longer between those times.

The second: Give more advanced techniques, like vermicomposting or bokashi composting a try. I personally haven’t tried them, so I won’t go into them, but they are two good ways to make your scraps into compost a lot faster.

Will you give winter composting a try? Any tips to add?

Frost Proof Flower Garden

frost proof your cut flower garden

Don't let a surprise early frost cut your cut flower season short. With this strategy, you can keep your flowers going until mid-October

Get the Strategy

Have you ever felt frustrated by the first frost?

You've worked hard all spring and summer to grow the most beautiful cut flower garden, creating and selling gorgeous floral creations. But then an early frost in the forecast threatens to cut everything short--both your flowers and your business. Worse yet, because of your short growing season, you've barely even enjoyed those dahlias.

So you try to cover all your warm season crops and race around the garden like a crazy person, draping sheets and salvaging whatever blooms you can. You work until all hours of the night by flashlight, hoping to protect your investment. Maybe it works--or maybe it doesn't. Now you're left with a ruined garden and ruined dreams. Your season and potential to sell bouquets was suddenly cut short, and there's nothing you can do about it. . . or is there?

While I can’t save these dahlias, I can give you a backup plan.  Wouldn’t it feel great knowing your flower growing season wouldn’t have to end early?  Wouldn’t it be great to take back some control over your cut flower business?  Imagine the confidence you’d feel, knowing you still have flowers to create with, at least until mid-October, even though you live in a short growing season.

What if you could Work with mother nature, instead of against her...

What if instead of wringing your hands that frost is going to destroy all your hard work, you could go into fall knowing you had a secret section of your cut flower garden, specifically grown to withstand all but the hardest frosts?  

That your cut flower business could keep going when everyone else is out of flowers?

What if you could actually enjoy those weeks of sunshine and beautiful weather after the first frost–still making bouquets instead of feeling bitter that all you have is dead flowers?

Introducing

The Frost Proof Flower Garden

Your secret weapon when frost hits early.  The Frost Proof Flower Garden is a combination of smart flower choices and strategic planting that will extend your blooms in short growing seasons and cold climates.

Here's what you'll get

  • An ebook full of the best cold tolerant flowers to grow, using different shapes and textures to make sure your bouquets look beautiful.
  • A done-for-you growing plan, so you know exactly what to plant with the correct spacing.
  • Suggestions for where to purchase the prettiest cut flower seeds that all the flower flower farmers grow.
  • Week by week seed starting guide--with starting times for both regular growing and our special frost free growing.

This could be your garden--and it doesn't have to die once the temperature dips

secure your strategy now

The Frost Free Flower Garden is on now for a special introductory price of only $12.  Canadians, use the code CANADA to account for the exchange.

Get Your Ebook

CAN CUT FLOWERS REALLY BE FROST FREE?

Yes, but with some limitations.  Some flowers will never be frost free–dahlias, zinnias, and cosmos will always die once the cold arrives, unless you cover them or heat them somehow.  

The flowers in the Frost Free Flower Garden can last from temperatures ranging from -2 to -10 degrees Celsius. 

While the plan can’t keep you in flowers should a surprise -20 day happen in October, the Frost Free Flower Garden will typically keep you in cut flowers past the first frost in September all the way until Canadian Thanksgiving (the middle of October).

When everyone else is mourning the loss of their flowers because of an earlier than usual frost, you’ll still be harvesting flowers for a few weeks longer.

And for you flower farmers out there–wouldn’t it feel amazing knowing your business doesn’t have to end unexpectedly?  That you can have some control over your bottom line with a reserve of gorgeous blooms, grown just for this occasion?

This is for you if...

  • You're a backyard gardener or flower farmer with a larger garden.
  • You live in place with a cold climate and short growing season, where the first frost can happen anywhere from August 27th to September 15th.
  • You want to extend the time you can grow and/or sell flowers
  • You're comfortable starting seeds. You won't find these flowers started for you in a nursery!!

This is not for you if...

  • You're not open to growing cut flowers that aren't currently as typically grown.
  • You're thankful when the first frost kills all your flowers
  • You live in a warmer climate, zone 6 or higher. However, if you do decide to purchase, I would LOVE to hear about your results and how long you can push your flower growing season.
  • You're a complete beginner to gardening. While it is possible to still be successful, this strategy is intended for intermediate to advanced gardeners.

Hey, I'm Kristen

I’m a zone 3 gardener out of Saskatoon, SK who is passionate about growing pretty flowers.  Where I live, we only have 90-110 days to grow flowers, and our season often gets cut short by surprise frosts in early September, and sometimes in late August.  

Every year I felt so frustrated when we had an early frost at the beginning of September, and then three completely gorgeous weeks of weather where growing flowers would have been possible–if only they hadn’t died from that first frost.

I created this system by observing some happy accidents in the garden.  During a particularly cold season, some flowers that would have never made it to the first frost did, and the seed for a new ebook was planted.  

I’m a former farm kid turned urban gardener and my mission is to make gardening as easy and accessible as possible for new gardeners.  Not everyone has “that friend who grows everything” and I want to be that person for you, through my e-books, social media, and blog, Shifting Roots.

When I’m not growing flowers, you can find me spending time with my husband and three kids, singing, playing piano, or baking up a storm.

Work with Mother Nature (instead of being at her mercy)

For the cost of a few seed packets, you can extend your flower season by a month! 

Canadians, use code CANADA to account for the exchange

Get your ebook

Frequently Asked Questions

The flowers in this ebook will withstand temperatures from -2 Celsius up to -10 Celsius.  Anything colder than that, and everything will die without being covered.

They might.  However, they will not bloom as continuously in September and October as they did in July and August.

You can try, but this ebook is intended for people with at least 3 years of gardening experience or more.  You need to be comfortable with seed starting and committed to planting everything at the correct times.

Maybe.  But it’s going to be more expensive and difficult to get the same results.

Yes!  Frost Proof Flower Garden is designed for you!  I also live where it’s cold, so I know your struggles.

This plan isn’t really created for you, however, I think it could still be successful in your zone with some modifications.  If you’re up for the challenge and want to give it a try, let me know how it goes!

Yes, but do you really want to be running outside to cover your flowers every single night the temperature drops?  And if you have a larger operation, there’s no way you can be covering everything without significant investment and manpower.

You need a spot that gets at least 8 hours of sun a day, and as much sun as possible in the fall months. You can plant as little or as much as you want, but the plan I’ve made is designed to fit in a small to medium sized backyard garden.

MAKE BEAUTIFUL BOUQUETS LIKE THESE FOR WEEKS AFTER THE CUT FLOWER SEASON IS TYPICALLY DONE.

Give customers (or yourself) the gift of unique, locally grown flowers that not everybody else is growing.

FROST PROOF YOUR FLOWERS

Get your copy today before another frost takes you by surprise and ruins your crops.

Yes Please!

© SHIFTINGROOTS  |  DESIGN BY BLUCHIC | TERMS

How to Propagate A Christmas Cactus

You have this adorable Christmas cactus, but then your inquisitive toddler gets into your plant and suddenly that houseplant got a haircut it didn’t need.

Sigh.

Don’t throw away those bits and pieces of Christmas cactus!! You can easily propagate them into new baby plants. Now to find a place where said toddler can’t reach them. . .

Before we get into how to propagate houseplants, a quick disclaimer. Yes, my Christmas cactus is actually a Thanksgiving Cactus. I’m just calling it that because that’s what the general public knows them as. Click here to read more about telling the difference.

Okay, on to making the best of toddler shenanigans–I mean, propagating my Thanksgiving cactus.

Find the Roots, if any

Chances are, your Thanksgiving cactus broke off between two leaf segments (called phylloclades, if you were wondering). If not, break off the broken segments, so that you’re left with a piece of plant that has its segments intact.

If you’re really lucky, those leaf segments might have a root starting to develop. And if that’s the case, plop it in some cactus soil and call it a day. If not, don’t worry, we’re going to encourage the plant to make some.

Place the Leaf Segments in Water

Grab a small glass or bowl and fill it with water. Put your Thanksgiving cactus clipping in the water, and wait anywhere from 2 weeks to a month and roots should develop. You don’t need to do anything special or add any fertilizers. Just be patient.

In these photos, my Thanksgiving Cactus had probably been in the water for 2 or 3 months, waiting for me to remember/find the time to actually put it in a pot. So don’t worry if your roots don’t look as thick or plentiful as in the photos. Once your cutting has a few roots (don’t stress about how many) it’s on to the next step.

Repot the Christmas Cactus

Next, find a small pot and put your clipping in cactus soil. Regular potting soil will do, but cactus soil is a lot better, and it’s not that hard to find. Thanksgiving cacti like to be a bit root bound, so it’s important not to plant it in a giant pot. Find a cool spot with low light for your cactus, and wait for it to grow and bloom!

To learn more about Christmas cacti, read this post next.

For more tips on how to care for your Christmas cactus, I made this video for you about why your Christmas cactus might not be blooming:

Plan the Perfect Garden

Get your free Garden Planner and worksheets and start creating the garden of your dreams.

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

How to Grow Dahlias in a Short Growing Season and Cold Climate

Dahlias are the queen of the cut flower growing world, but they can be tricky to grow and care for if you garden in a cold climate and short growing season. By the time they’ve grown and started blooming, the growing season is almost over and you might not even get to enjoy your blooms before the first frost.

I’ve been growing dahlias for cut flowers in zone 3–which means I only have between 90 and 110 days to work with every year. In this post I’ll share how to start your dahlias so you actually get to enjoy the blooms, how to care for them, and answer some of the most common dahlia growing questions.

Rainbow bouquet of dahlias held by a woman.

P.S. I’m also assuming that you’re wanting to grow dahlias for cut flowers, and not to put in pots. While you can grow cut flower dahlia varieties in pots, it’s better to grow them in the grown or in a raised bed.

Are dahlias easy to grow?

Yes and no. The actual growing once you put them in the ground is easy. The hard part comes when the season is over and it’s time to dig them up, divide them, and store them over the winter.

In a short growing season, the biggest challenge is to get enough blooms before the first frost comes. To combat this, I take all of my tubers out of storage in April and set them in front of a window or under a grow light. They don’t need to be watered or anything, but exposing them to light will help them to start growing.

You don’t HAVE to do this step (especially if you have a longer growing season), but it really does help. I’ve planted many a dahlia on the late side, only to be stuck with a cool summer and have only one or two blooms. Not fun!

A pail of freshly cut dahlias on a path in a dahlia garden.

Once all risk of frost has passed (usually a week or two after your last frost date), it’s time to plant the dahlia tubers in the ground. Dahlias prefer full sun, so plant them in an area that gets at least 8 hours a day. I have had success planting them in an area that only got 5-6 hours of direct sun a day, but I didn’t get as many blooms.

Plant them in well drained soil. The tubers can rot if they don’t get enough drainage. Water them regularly and fertilize with a water soluble fertilizer every two weeks. (Or sprinkle on a slow release fertilizer at the beginning of the season and forget about it.)

Once you start to get blooms, keep cutting them to encourage even more growth. Cut the stems as long as possible (even if you don’t need them that long) so that you don’t end up with a bunch of weird, short stems.

Pink dahlias grown in a field

Dahlias are very sensitive to frost, and will die if they freeze. Once your first frost hits, your dahlia season will be over, unless you cover them to try and extend the season.

Once they freeze, cut off the flower and dig out the tubers. Take off as much soil as possible, label them, and store them over the winter.

Where do you buy dahlia tubers?

There are many great places to get dahlia tubers from, it just depends what kinds of tubers you want. If you want the prettiest kinds that all the flower farmers grow, you’ll want to head to this post to get a list.

Rainbow bouquet of dahlias thrown over a woman's shoulder.

Can you leave dahlias in the ground over winter?

Unfortunately, no, unless you live in zone 8 or higher. In that case, cut them off, top them with a thick, dry mulch, and forget about them.

As for the rest of us, if you do not dig them out in the fall they will not come back in the spring. They will simply turn to mush and become compost for the soil. Frankly, dahlias are too pretty and too expensive to succumb to this fate!!

If you desperately want to try and tempt fate, maybe put a whole bale worth of straw over them? However, I’m really skeptical that that will work in a -40 winter. (If someone tried it and it actually worked, will you let me know in the comments!?!?)

Dahlia tuber after being dug up in the fall.

Broken, Shrivelled, and Dead Dahlia Tubers

No matter how well you try and store your dahlias over the winter, you will likely end up with some broken, shrivelled, mouldy, or dead dahlia tubers. Some can be salvaged, and others can’t.

Broken dahlia tubers are the best candidates for actually surviving. As long as they have an eye on them, they should bloom that year. If a tuber breaks, let it dry until it has a bit of a scab over the broken part, then try planting it in the spring.

Mouldy dahlias tubers are generally not worth planting, and will just eventually rot. Put all mouldy tubers into the compost.

Shrivelled dahlia tubers happen when the area you store them in is too warm. If the tuber feels papery and hollow, it has shrivelled too much and is dead. If is still has something to it, it can still possibly grow and thrive.

Get our easy beginner cut flower garden plan

    We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at anytime.
    Built with ConvertKit

    So that’s basically what you need to know to grow beautiful dahlias! Now head over to my post about overwintering dahlias, the best varieties to plant for cut flowers, and where to purchase dahlias.

    READY TO GROW YOUR OWN BEAUTIFUL CUT FLOWER GARDEN, WITHOUT THE HASSEL?

    I’ve taken all the guesswork out of creating a cut flower garden with my e-book, Cut Flowers Made Simple. It’s the perfect way for beginner and intermediate gardeners to start their own cut flower garden with or without seed starting.

    Click on the picture to find out more or get your copy.

    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. . .

    Privacy Policy