SHIFTING ROOTS

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Ten Fall Garden Chores to Do Now For an Easier Spring

October 1, 2019

Buy Soil and Mulch for Next Year

If your local garden centre has any dirt or mulch left, now is the time to get it on sale.  Don’t worry if you can’t put it in your garden just yet.  Those bags will keep until spring.

I find it helpful to store a bag of dirt, fertilizer, and my small pots downstairs so they are ready when it’s time to start my seeds in the spring.  No trekking outside to the garden shed in minus 40 for this girl!!  Not that I’ve done that before, or anything.

Trim Down Perennial Plants

If you’re short on time, you can save this chore for spring.  At the very least, pull out all of the plants in your pots and add them to your compost pile.

Related: How to Harvest and Store Onions

Mark Perennial Locations & Take Pictures

There is nothing worse in your gardening life than planting something new, only to realize its inches away from an established plant that’s going to overshadow it.  This is especially important if you’ve moved into a new home with an established yard.

Related: Gardener’s Worst Nightmares: 28 Perennials You’ll Regret Planting

Take in Bulbs for Overwintering

Dahlias, calla lilies, and gladiolas all need to come inside for the winter.  Unless you’re in USDA hardiness zone 8 or higher.

To store, dig up the bulbs and remove all dirt.  store them in a cool, dry place like a basement or crawl space.  Anywhere that won’t get below zero degrees.  Check your bulbs periodically over the winter and throw away any that are starting to rot.

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.  Who wouldn't want to enjoy these gladiolus bulbs again?  #gardening #tips #beginners #fall #autumn #garden #vegetables #perennials#chores #tasks #gladiolus #bulbs

Transplant Perennials and Plant Spring Bulbs

Now is the time to transplant peonies, astilbes, bleeding hearts, Irises, day lilies, lily of the valley, and asiatic lilies.  All of these flowers can be transplanted in spring, but you’ll have a better first year of establishment if you do it in the fall.

Make sure your newly transplanted perennial gets lots of water until the snow falls.

Head over to your local garden centre for spring bulbs like daffodils, hyacinth, tulips, and allium.  Planting in spring is too late because these bulbs need the cool winter to flower..  For zones 9 and 10, you may need to dig up these bulbs and store them in a fridge over the winter.

Related: 53 Most Loved Perennials You Need to Plant

Cover Tender Shrubs

I live in a climate where no one wraps their shrubs for the winter.  However, I know in other parts of North America this is standard practice.  Here’s an old but good video showing how to wrap trees:

Winterize Your Strawberries

Strawberries are hardy to zone 2, but they require some extra care and attention in the fall to make sure they return in the Spring. Here’s what to do to make sure your strawberries don’t die.

Harvest tender vegetables before the first frost

Tomatoes, pumpkins, squash, and peppers all need to be picked before the first frost, even if they are not ripe.  Check the weather forecast daily.  Some years I’ve had to harvest everything as early as September 3rd, and this year I was able to wait until September 19th.  (The average first frost is September 15th in my area.)

Here’s a handy chart for Canadian and American frost dates.

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#chores #tasks

If the daily low gets to just above freezing and you live in the country or are worried about the temperature dipping lower than expected, you can cover your plants with old sheets.

P.S. Root vegetables are just fine in the ground during a frost.  In fact, carrots taste better after the first hard frost, so leave them in the ground without regret!

P.P.S.  For whatever reason, potatoes don’t follow this rule.  If you leave them in the ground during a killing frost, the taste will change and they’ll go mushy.  Go figure.

Related: How to Harvest and Process Fresh Pumpkin

Don't leave your tomatoes out in the cold! Pick them before the first frost or cover with sheets.Click To Tweet

Make Your Own Compost

I’m not talking about your compost bin.  Although if you have one, that is an excellent start.  Collect all of the leaves you rake up and leave them outside in garbage bags over the winter.  When spring comes, spread them out over your garden and rototill them in for an excellent compost.

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.  I'm going to collect some of these sunflower seeds for my seed saving.  #gardening #tips #beginners #fall #autumn #garden #vegetables #perennials#chores #tasks #seeds #sunflower

Collect Annual Seeds

You can save yourself a large expense next spring if you plant heirloom varieties and learn how to collect your own seeds.  Tomatoes, pumpkins, squash, cucumbers, and peppers are all really easy vegetables to start collecting from.  As for flowers?  Here are 5 of the easiest annual flowers to harvest seeds from.  Perfect for the beginner seed saver.

Like saving money?  Who doesn’t?! Here are the Fall garden chores that will save you money next Spring.

Is there anything I’ve missed?  Let me know in the comments what you do in the fall to make things easier in the spring!

Want updates on how my garden is doing?  Follow me on Facebook or Instagram for the latest.

Pin me for later!

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#chores #tasks

A huge thank you and shout out to my friend Paige of Blush Beauty and Photography.  She had the unenviable task of making an almost 5 months pregnant lady look not-pregnant and feel good about herself.  If you’re in Saskatoon and looking for a photographer she is your girl.  She is also really amazing with autistic kids, as she was able to get my son to look at the camera for our family pictures.

Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

www.shiftingroots.com

21 Comments
Filed Under: Backyard Florist, Gardening, Outdoor Life Tagged: Autumn, compost, fall, frost, garden chores, Gardening, harvest, leaves, spring, Weeds

How to Can and Freeze Tomatoes when you have No Time

September 15, 2019

Every May I emerge from winter ready to conquer the world and plant an enormous garden, which may have included 27 tomato plants.  Every September I end up silently cursing my optimism.

I love canning and freezing tomatoes, but I find that tomato season in my zone 3 Saskatchewan garden always coincides with the busy back to school season in September–which means I’m short on time!

This year, I’ve come up with a better system to can and freeze tomatoes while still keeping my sanity. I’ve figured out how to make the tomato sauce and pasta sauce my family loves, all without marathon canning sessions.  Here’s how.

Preserving tomatoes by canning is great but time consuming.  Learn how to use your slow cooker, oven, and freezer to same you time this harvest.  Never waste your garden vegetables because you couldn't get to them! #gardening #tomatoes #vegetables #canning #freezing #preserving

Sort Tomatoes by Ripeness

For those of you who live in warmer climates where all your tomatoes are vine ripened, you can skip this tip.  Those of us in Saskatchewan and other USDA zone 2 or 3 areas have to pick most of our tomatoes green and ripen them indoors.

Related: Canning Guide for Beginners & Must Have Canning Supplies–and What Can Wait

Set out four (or more!) boxes and divide your tomatoes by colour and ripeness: green, yellow, orange, and red.  This way you will be able to grab the ripest box and save precious time that you could be canning. You also won’t miss any rotten tomatoes, meaning less wasted resources! 

Check your tomatoes every day or two and transfer any outliers to the correct box.

Cut your tomato processing time in half. Find out how!Click To Tweet

Cut and Prep Tomatoes Faster

I cut my tomatoes in large chunks and squeeze out the seeds.  You will not get every single seed out, so if you can’t stand any seeds in your tomato sauce, this is not the method for you.  For roma tomatoes, I cut off the top, make a small slit, squeeze out the seeds, and put them into my slow cooker whole.  Which brings me to my next point. . .

Related: Enjoy your tomatoes in Tomato Bacon Quiche or Red Relish.

Use a Slow Cooker or Instant Pot for Cooking Tomatoes Fast

I don’t know about you, but I don’t have time to sit around a stove for 3 hours ensuring my sauce doesn’t burn.  I also don’t have time to blanch and peel them.  I’m happy to deal with the odd bit of tomato skin in my sauce.

If I’m using the slow cooker, I cut up my tomatoes about 6 hours before I know I’ll have time to deal with them again.  Throw in other vegetables you want in your sauce such as onions, garlic, zucchini, carrots or squash and walk away.

Somewhere around hour 4-5 I come back and puree the sauce with a stick blender.  This ensures that my super picky small child will actually eat the sauce I make.

Let your slow cooker or oven do the heavy lifting. Process your tomatoes with less effort. Click To Tweet
Preserving tomatoes by canning is great but time consuming.  Learn how to use your slow cooker, oven, and freezer to same you time this harvest.  Never waste your garden vegetables because you couldn't get to them! #gardening #tomatoes #vegetables #canning #freezing #preserving

If you need everything done in an hour or two, then cooking your sauce in the Instant Pot is the way to go. Set your Instant Pot to the correct settings, blend when everything is cooked, and either freeze or can your sauce, whatever time allows.

Roast Tomatoes in the Oven

If a slow cooker isn’t your style, you can cut up all your veggies and roast them in the oven.  Roasting adds an extra sweet caramelized flavour that I’m a huge fan of.

Put all veggies in a large roasting pan and cook at 400 degrees for at least an hour, or until some of the tops turn a bit black.  Let cool, add spices, puree, and either can or freeze in containers.

Related: My Favourite Roasted Tomato Sauce

Can or Freeze and Done

We are short on freezer space here, so I try to can as many jars as I can.  However, I don’t always have the time or energy, so I put my sauce in smaller containers in the freezer and call it a day.  If you’re short on space, put your sauce in good quality freezer bags and freeze them flat for easier storage.

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Zero Time?  Chop and Freeze Your Tomatoes to Can Later

Tomato season unfortunately seems to co-incide with back-to-school season, which in our house is a recipe for beautiful tomatoes going to waste.  If you find yourself with almost no time to deal, chop tomatoes in quarters or eights and freeze in plastic bags.  It’s not ideal, but you can always thaw frozen tomatoes and deal with them later.

While I haven’t tried this personally, I’ve heard that if you freeze tomatoes whole, the skins easily peel off when you thaw them.

Has trying to harvest, process, and eat your garden produce got you down?  Click here to download my free guide on what to do with the vegetables you harvest.

How do you process your tomatoes?  Any tips or tricks to add?  Let me know in the comments what your favourite method is.

Preserving tomatoes by canning is great but time consuming.  Learn how to use your slow cooker, oven, and freezer to same you time this harvest.  Never waste your garden vegetables because you couldn't get to them! #gardening #tomatoes #vegetables #canning #freezing #preserving
Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

www.shiftingroots.com

7 Comments
Filed Under: Gardening, Harvest, Simple & Easy, Tutorials, Use it up!, Zero Waste Tagged: can, Canning, freeze, Garden, garden harvest, garden vegetables, harvest, oven, processing, slow cooker, tomato, tomato sauce, Vegetables

How to Harvest & Process Fresh Pumpkin

September 7, 2018

For the longest time I’ve had an irrational fear of processing pumpkins.  It just seemed overwhelming.  How would I cut them?  Why did the guts have to be so gross to deal with?

Then as pumpkin puree climbed to $4 a can, I decided enough was enough.

Save money by making your own pumpkin puree.  I'll show you how to make it.  Then you can use it for healthy recipes, in soup, dessert, cookies, muffins, pancakes, or even as baby food! #pumpkin #puree #healthy #preserving #garden #canning #pumpkins #DIY

[Read more…]

Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

www.shiftingroots.com

18 Comments
Filed Under: DIY, Gardening, Harvest, Outdoor Life, Simple & Easy Tagged: garden produce, harvest, processing, pumpkin, puree

How to Harvest and Preserve Onions

August 27, 2017

Harvesting and preserving onions is one of the easier late-summer-early-fall gardening chores that you will do.  If done right, you’ll have onions well into March.

[Read more…]

Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

www.shiftingroots.com

14 Comments
Filed Under: Uncategorised Tagged: Autumn, fall, Garden, garden chores, garden harvest, Gardening, harvest, late summer, Onions, Saskatchewan, storage, tips, tricks, tutorial, video

Basil Harvest

September 18, 2016

IMG_3088

When I planted the basil back in May, I was severely disappointed with how few seeds were in the packet.  Surely this would not give me enough basil to make the pesto I was dreaming off.  I was so wrong.  The above photo is all the basil I harvested.

IMG_3087

The next order of business was to make pesto!  It’s surprisingly easy to make, and very tasty on pizza & pasta.  As I was picking all the leaves off the basil, I came to the realization that I really dislike the smell of basil.. .but not the taste.  Go figure.

[Read more…]

Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

www.shiftingroots.com

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Harvest, Kitchen, Recipes Tagged: basil, harvest, hummus, pesto, pizza

Grow roots with us

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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.

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

Recent Posts

  • How to Grow Eucalyptus for Cut Flowers (Even in a Short Growing Season!)
  • 26 Best Flowers to Grow for Dried Flower Arrangements
  • 17 Perennial Flowers That Love Shade
  • How to Design a Cut Flower Garden in Raised Beds
  • How to Start a Cut Flower 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.

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I love seeing the world through this loving boy’ I love seeing the world through this loving boy’s eyes.  Honestly, I’ve been so sick that I wasn’t really in the mood to “do Valentines Day” but there was this sweet little voice going on about how excited he was for today and how much he loves his family and I just couldn’t resist.  So whether you’re on your own, part of a couple, or in the thick of life-with-littles craziness, Happy Valentines Day!

#valentinesday2020 #mylittlevalentine #boymomlife #lifewithlittles
How do you pass a cold -28 day? By planning your How do you pass a cold -28 day?  By planning your garden, of course!  Today in my stories I’ll be going through the steps I take to start planning everything out.  I’m curious, do you start planning now or wait until the last minute?

P.S.  want your own copy of this planner?  This is the newly updated paid version and it’s on sale by itself from now until Sunday for only $5.  If you’re from Canada, use the code CANADA to make $5 USD be closer to $5 CAD.  Head over to the link in my bio to get yours.

#gardenplanning #gardenplanner #gardenersofinstagram #gardenersofig #organizedlife #organizedliving #wintergardening
Curious about growing lettuce indoors? My experim Curious about growing lettuce indoors?  My experiment is a success so far, although it’s still going to be awhile before I’m eating another salad off of them.

Okay, so maybe a little rant today.  I think sometimes in the gardening space we’re guilty of making things seem easier than they are.  Myself included.  This lettuce project is a case in point.

Was it easy?  Yes.  But will it provide me with endless salads all winter long? Nope.  Or at least not at this scale.  I’m going to estimate that I’d need at least 15 plants this size, especially since it’s winter and everything just grows slower.  And I’m the only person in my family who really eats salad.

In conclusion, this is a fun project to pass the winter, and not a truly sustainable source of lettuce.

Thoughts?

#growinglettuce #eatwhatyougrow #growwhatyoueat #wintergardening #indoorgardening #plantproject #sustainablefood #gardenersofinstagram #gardenerslife #northerngardening
Part of the mystery of seed starting is knowing ex Part of the mystery of seed starting is knowing exactly what to start when.  Every two weeks, I'll be posting these handy guides so you have enough time to order your seeds and be ready to plant when it's time for your area.  To find out when these veggies, herbs, and flowers need to be started where you live. . . ⁠
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1. Search out your area's last frost date.  There are plenty of calculators on the Internet.⁠
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2. Count backwards 8 weeks from that date.⁠
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3. Start these seeds when that date hits.⁠
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If you follow me because we're in similar zones--don't panic, it's not time yet!! I won't be starting my 10 week seeds for another two weeks, and even that is slightly on the early side. (I'm starting everything a bit early so I can hopefully plant it out before baby gets here--I won't be physically able to do it after.) I like posting the info early for followers in warmer zones and so you can save it and still have time to order/buy seeds & supplies.⁠
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Which one of these are you most excited to start?⁠
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#seedstarting #seedlings #homegardener #northerngardener #homesteading #urbandhomesteading #homesteadingskills #gardenlife #gardenlifestyle #startingseeds
Eeeek!!! My luffa seedlings are up!! I’m growing Eeeek!!! My luffa seedlings are up!! I’m growing the whole seed packet in hopes that a few of these little luffa babies will provide me with zero waste sponges that I can use for home cleaning, and as an exfoliant in home made beauty products.

The catch?

These plants are notoriously hard to grow, especially when you live somewhere cold with a really cold growing season—and if they get a hint of frost on them they turn to mush and all my hard work is ruined.

Gulp.

But gardeners are born optimists, so I’m giving it a shot—because you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

P.S. if you’re trying luffa in zone 3 like me, just basically ignore all the directions on the seed packet.  Start them immediately (two weeks ago would have been ideal) and follow along because I’ll show you exactly what to do and when.  I’ll be popping these under a grow light once the sun goes down.

#luffagourd #luffa #loofah #seedlings #seedstarting #northerngardening #northerngardener #gardenersofinstagram #gardenersofig #mygardenthismonth #gardenlife #canadiangardening
This weekend I took a big leap of faith. I came t This weekend I took a big leap of faith.  I came to New York to meet with other content creators/business owners to dig deep into what we do and create a strategy around our messaging.  I don’t even know how to properly describe what all went down, but is was incredibly life changing and I really feel connected to this tribe of women who are committed to playing to win and being the people our businesses need us to be.  I’m so excited to share what I’ve planned for my business with you in the coming months.

#playtowin #gardenblogger #businessowner #wahmlife
Is there such a thing as a no-fail houseplant? I Is there such a thing as a no-fail houseplant?  I think the Sansevera or Snake Plant or Mother-in-law’s tongue comes close.  Sure, it might be the vanilla of the plant-loving world, but it is so good for so many situations!⁠
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It can handle you forgetting to water it, low light, or bright light.  It is somewhat forgiving if you are an over-waterer. ⁠
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I’ve had this one for 2 or 3 years now and I keep getting rewarded with more spikes.⁠
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Plant lovers, is there another houseplant you think would be perfect for beginners?⁠
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#crazyplantlady #houseplantsofig #houseplantsofinstagram #snakeplant #houseplantlove
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