SHIFTING ROOTS

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Easy Ways To Prevent Bugs and Disease in the Garden

April 17, 2019

No one likes to think about diseases and pests in their garden. In a perfect world, we’d all have Pinterest-worthy gardens that get enough sun, are perfectly watered, and always produce well.

The reality is, pests and plant diseases are going to happen to you. If you’re new to gardening, there’s a few simple things you can do to give your garden a better chance of avoiding common diseases and pests.

Did you know there are easy things you can do in your vegetable garden to get a handle on pest control, insects, disease, and other problems, all in the Spring before the gardening season is in full swing?  Here's six ideas that even a beginner can do to have success. #gardening #bugs #pests #vegetables #croprotation

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Rotate Your Crops

Rotating your crops is the easiest way to keep disease and bugs out of your vegetable garden. But what is it?

All vegetables have a plant family. For example, corn is part of the grass family, broccoli and cauliflower are cruciferous vegetables, and tomatoes peppers, and eggplants are nightshades.

Plants from each family take different amounts of nutrients from the soil, and in the case of the legume family, put nutrients back in the soil.

New to garden planning?  Don't miss crop rotation, an essential step in preventing pests, insects, and disease from ruining your vegetable garden. #vegetablegarden #croprotation #gardening #tips #beginners #planning

So if you keep planting the same vegetable in the same spot year after year, you’ll deplete the soil of those particular nutrients, which invites bugs and disease.

This is why it’s so important to have a garden planner and keep track of where you planted everything each year. If you don’t use one already, you can get a free garden planner here.

If your head is spinning with the thought of trying to keep all of this straight, I’ve also made an easy six year rotation for you to use, or you can find a more detailed version in my beginner gardening course.


Don’t Crowd Out Your Vegetables

Folks, I love square foot gardening to the moon and back, but it can be really tempting to try and get vegetables in even closer than suggested. Sure, it looks fine in May, but by late July it will be a crazy jungle that you can barely get through.

When plants don’t have enough air circulation, they are susceptible to mold and mildew type diseases. Last year I had a terrible infestation of powdery mildew, in part because of the weather and in part because I tried to squeeze too many things in my garden.

Experiment with Companion Flowers

Companion flowers, such as marigolds, bee balm, zinnias, nasturtiums, and more can be a huge help in the garden. They encourage pollination, as well as possibly keep some bugs away from your vegetables.

Be warned that one or two sporadic marigolds is not going to protect your whole garden. You’ll need a serious amount of flowers directly by the vegetable to actually create an effect.

You can read more about companion flowers here.

Did you know there are easy things you can do in your vegetable garden to get a handle on pest control, insects, disease, and other problems, all in the Spring before the gardening season is in full swing?  Here's six ideas that even a beginner can do to have success. #gardening #bugs #pests #vegetables #croprotation

Create Barriers

Sometimes the only way to keep bugs at bay is to use a physical barrier, like mesh fabric over hoops.

Where I live, cruciferous vegetables are almost impossible to grow because farmers like to plant canola, which shares a lot of the same pests. The only way (that I know of) to have nice broccoli, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts is to cover them with white mesh fabric that lets the water and light in and keeps the moths out.

You might live somewhere where this isn’t a problem. However, talk to gardening friends in your area and I’m sure there will be that one bug that is prolific and impossible to keep away. A barrier is probably your solution.

Make Friends with Beneficial Bugs

Not all bugs in the garden are your friend. For example, lady bugs, bees, and lacewings are all bugs you want to see. This video below goes into more detail:

Water Your Plants Just Right

Sometime in late-July, just when you’ve been kind of sick of your garden but your excitement renews because the first of your tomatoes are starting to appear, you’ll see a blackish-brown scab on the end of that prized tomato. Argh!!!!

That’s blossom end rot, and it’s caused by a lack of calcium due to inconsistent watering. Blossom end rot can be reversed in a plant, but those tomatoes you were so excited about are no good.

So keep to a regular watering schedule, so you don’t have to experience garden heart ache!!

Did you know there are easy things you can do in your vegetable garden to get a handle on pest control, insects, disease, and other problems, all in the Spring before the gardening season is in full swing?  Here's six ideas that even a beginner can do to have success. #gardening #bugs #pests #vegetables #croprotation

Do you know any other easy ways to prevent garden diseases? Let me know in the comments!

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

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Filed Under: Uncategorised Tagged: bugs, Companion Planting, crop rotation, insects, pests, watering

How to Get Rid of Pests that Plague Your Garden

June 20, 2018

You’ve planted the seeds, carefully watered and weeded, and your vegetable garden is finally starting to come up. . . only to be demolished by a host of bugs, birds, and other critters.

What’s a gardener to do?

Sifting through the Internet for answers is like travelling down some strange vortex.  There’s so many myths and folk remedies out there that you don’t know what to believe–especially if you’re looking for an organic solution.

I have travelled the vortex for you and come out on the other side…barely.  This post is a compilation of some of the more reputable solutions out there for the garden foes you are battling.

[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

4 Comments
Filed Under: Gardening Tagged: birds, bugs, cats, deer, dogs, insects, pests, rabbits

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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

  • Protected: 5 Easy Ways to Increase Pollination in Your Vegetable Garden
  • Bloom Times: What Cut Flowers Grow When in Zone 3
  • The Best Vegetables & Flowers to Start with Winter Sowing
  • 21 Cut Flowers to Grow in Part Shade
  • The Best Grow Lights for Seedlings (from Budget to Bougie)

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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