SHIFTING ROOTS

home, garden, food, and prairie lifestyle

Weeds vs Plants: Simple Tricks to Differentiate Between Weeds and Vegetables in the Garden

Your garden is in and your seeds are finally starting to poke above the ground. . . hurray!  But there’s also some other things growing in your garden, and frankly, you’re not sure which is which.  While I can’t possibly know every single weed in North America, I can give you some tips and things you can try before planting to help you figure out which plants are weeds, and which plants are those vegetables you worked so hard to grow.

Planting a vegetable garden for the first time? You'll need to know how to figure out what are weeds and what are plants. Whether you garden in raised beds, small spaces, or by rows, you need to know these beginner gardening tips! #weeds #vegetablegardening #gardening #planting #seedlings #beginnergardener #firsttimegardener

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How to Start a Garden: Especially if you’re in Zone 3 or Zone 2

How to Start a Garden

Are you new to gardening, and not sure how to start? This list of resources will help you pick the type of garden you want to start, and avoid some of the mistakes that new gardeners make.

I personally garden in zone 2/zone 3 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, with a short growing season of 90-110 days. While my advice should be general enough to work for most zones, it is best suited to those who live in a climate and growing zone similar to mine.

That said, there's advice on seed starting, traditional gardens, small space gardening, weeding, and the easiest vegetables and flowers to plant if you're just starting out.

10 Easy to Grow Vegetables for Beginners (Plus 5 You'll Want to Avoid)

Not sure what vegetables are the best for beginners? These 10 vegetables are easy to grow and will have the best chance of success.

Cold-Climate Vegetable Gardening for the Complete Beginner

This growing guide is for gardeners who are planting a traditional garden directly in the soil. Geared for zone 3, but most of the advice is general enough for all zones.

How To Start A Square Foot Garden

Welcome to the world of gardening in raised beds! Raised beds are the perfect solution for those who aren't blessed with good soil, don't have a lot of growing space, or need a solution that doesn't require them to bend so much.

Avoid These 8 Mistakes for a Better Vegetable Container Garden

Growing vegetables in containers is a bit different than tradiitonal gardening. Here's some of the ins and outs you should know so you have the best chance of success.

Free 10 Page Beginners Guide to Tomatoes

Tomaotes are the glory vegetable of the garden. Here's how to get good at growing them.

The Foolproof Way to Grow the Best Tomatoes--Even if You're a Beginner Gardener

Never struggle with growing beautiful tomatoes again! Here's my simple tricks to getting the best tomatoes easily.

The Best Pepper Varieties for Beginners

Peppers can be tricky to grow, but these varieties are more beginner-friendly.

Beginners Guide to Peonies: Growing Tips and Beautiful DIYs.

Everybody loves peonies!! Here's how to grow the prettiest ones and how to know if you're doing it right.

5 Easy Annual Flowers for Beginner Seed Savers

Save money on your seeds next year and learn to save seeds from these easy annual flowers.

DIY Seed Starting from Your Window

No seed starting equipment? No problem! Here's how to easily start your own seeds with just a south facing window.

Indoor Seed Starting Schedule for Easy Vegetables & Flowers

What seeds should you start when? Here's lists of some of the most common vegetables, flowers, and herbs, and when you should start them in relation to your last frost date.

How to Plan Your Garden: Purchasing, Seed Starting, and Planting

Take the stress out of garden planning with these tips.

Want to Seed Start But Have No Space? This DIY Seed Starting Rack for Your Window is the Answer!

A fun DIY that maximizes your seed starting potential of a window.

How to Build Beautiful Raised Beds for Square Foot Gardening

Here's how to make beautiful raised beds out of wood that will look good in your garden and wow your friends.

Create this Relaxing Garden Room Entirely with Container Gardening

Up your container gardening game with these tips, and create an oasis on your deck or patio.

6 Truths New Gardeners Need to Know

Gardening can be hard! Here's a few truths I've learned along the way.

Growing Roots Online Gardening Course

Ready to go from garden newb to confident gardener, all in one season? The Growing Roots Gardening Guide is the e-book for you! Comes with 6 bonuses to make sure you have the best possible chance of success.

Small Garden, Big Harvest

When you're short on space, but want to grow fresh food, here's how to maximize every inch of space.

Cut Flowers Made Simple

Grow the most beautiful, IG-worthy cut flowers in your garden easily. The e-book cuts through the confusion, and gives you plans and growing tips for growing the flowers you really want to grow.

10 Easiest Annual Cut Flowers to Grow From Seed and 2 to Avoid

New to growing flowers? Here's 10 cut flowers that you can easily succeed with.

10 Easy to Grow Vegetables for Beginners (Plus 5 You’ll Want to Avoid)

Planting your very first garden can be both exciting and scary.  You can’t wait to eat fresh vegetables you’ve grown yourself, but you soon realize that there’s so much about gardening you just don’t know.  Add in a few incidents with killing houseplants and it’s enough to make a beginner gardener throw in the trowel.

Don’t give up before you get started.  You can grow vegetables as a beginner and be successful at it too.  As long as you have a location with 6 or more hours of light a day, are willing to add some compost to your soil, and you water regularly, you can grow a vegetable garden this year.

I’ll show you the 10 easiest vegetables to grow, plus 3 I think you should avoid your first year.

P.S. All the vegetables you see in this post are ones I have personally grown in my own garden.

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Avoid These 8 Mistakes for a Better Vegetable Container Garden

This year I had visions of a beautiful container garden filled with vegetables on my back deck.  I would make it interesting by adding flowers to some of the pots and create a space that was both beautiful and edible.  However, my dreams and reality did not meet.  Here’s the mistakes I made and how you can learn from them.

Really quick gardening disclaimer: I garden in zone 3b in Saskatchewan, Canada, and as such, my gardening advice is best suited to the Canadian Prairies.  While I try to make my gardening tips applicable to as many locations as possible, it is impossible to be 100% relevant to every single zone in North America and beyond.  Thanks for understanding!

Second disclaimer: Nobody really wants to see pictures of practically dead plants.  The pictures here are of my pots when they last looked good, around the mid-point of the growing season.  They went downhill shortly after.

Do you dream of having a container vegetable garden on your patio, balcony, or other small space? Gardening in pots can be tricky for beginners--here's 8 mistakes you'll want to avoid. #gardening #containergardening #pots #vegetables #vegetablegardening #beginners #plantcare
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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.

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