SHIFTING ROOTS

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How To Cope When You Have Too Much Zucchini

August 9, 2019

Zucchinis are like rabbits-they multiply quickly, seemingly overnight.  That little plant that looked so innocent in spring now is producing five offspring a day that you have no idea what to do with.  Heaven help you if you planted more than one or two.

Every time I turn around, another zucchini has matured on my plants.  I was excited for the first 4 or 5, and loved serving them fried with cheese or in fritters.  10 zucchinis later and I’m desperate for something different.

Instead of putting it in bags and hanging it on my neighbours doors, I’ve come up with a couple of different ways to use up the surplus.

[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: Baking, DIY, Gardening, Harvest, Recipes Tagged: brownies, Cake, cupcake, keto, low carb, noodle replacement, paleo, quiche, tomato sauce, tutorial, use up zucchini, Zucchini

How to Make Easy & Delicious Pumpkin Seeds for Your Next Snack

September 17, 2018

Remember this from our last post about making pumpkin puree?  Those “guts” from your Halloween Jack-o-lantern needn’t go to waste!  I’ll show you how you can make an easy and delicious snack from the leftover pumpkin seeds.

Making pumpkin seeds is easier than you think! Delicious, nutritious, and perfect for your next snack.

In yet another attempt in finding nutritious-things-my-son-might-consider-eating, I decided I would try roasting pumpkin seeds.  I thought would be complicated, but it was actually super simple.  They ended up being so good that it made the idea of taking pumpkin seeds out of a pumpkin slightly less gross.  Just slightly.

[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

8 Comments
Filed Under: Fun, Gardening, Harvest Tagged: Halloween, How-to, pumpkin, seeds, snack, spices, tutorial

How to Make an Adorable Halloween Chick Costume

October 28, 2017

One of the things I love most about my son is that he’s not like everybody else.  In the last three years when I’ve asked him what he’s wanted to be for Halloween, he’s always come up with a unique answer.  And he never waivers in his choice either.

Last year he wanted to be an orange chick.  Try finding that in a big-box store.

Thankfully, the year before he wanted to be a rooster, so I already knew how to make his costume with just a few modifications.

Today I give my public service to the internet, should any other Mom find themselves with a child asking for an orange chick costume.  I’ve got you covered.

[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

10 Comments
Filed Under: DIY, Halloween, Parenting Tagged: Autism, costume, DIY costume, easy, Halloween, Halloween costume, minimal sewing, orange chick, random, tutorial

Pumpkin & Succulent Autumn Centrepiece

October 8, 2017

I was going to my family Thanksgiving dinner and was looking for something quick and easy to give the hostess, especially since I didn’t have to bring any food.  Did I think ahead and get something on my last shopping trip?

Of course not.

Thankfully I was inspired by my succulents that were in need of re-potting, my sweet little pumpkins, and the need to do something creative.

The best part?  Everyone loved it and couldn’t believe that I made it.

You can too!

[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

24 Comments
Filed Under: Backyard Florist, DIY, Use it up!, Zero Waste Tagged: autumn wedding, centrepiece, DIY, easy, fall wedding, hostess gift, pumpkin, succulent, tablescape, Thanksgiving, tutorial

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

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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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Privacy Policy

Got the seed starting itch? There's some things y Got the seed starting itch?  There's some things you can actually seed start now and you won't end up with crazy leggy seedlings and endless problems.  In fact, these plants require that you start now, and need to be started in zone 3 by the end of February at the absolute latest.⁠
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I've already started some lisianthus and eucalyptus, and am waiting on my seed orders to start some more.⁠
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If you're starting a luffa sponge, make sure you have some sort of eventual plan for the vine.  last year mine went over my fall windows before I was able to take them outdoors.⁠
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P.S. I've actually never started onions from seed, so if anyone wants to chin in about their experience, feel free!
Growing eucalyptus for the first time this year? Growing eucalyptus for the first time this year?  A new post is on the blog to walk you through it.  While in theory eucalyptus is easy to grow, it's challenging in my zone 3 garden for three reasons: ⁠
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➡️It needs a long time to mature⁠
➡️I have a short growing season⁠
➡️I live in a cool climate, and eucalyptus grows better when its warm.⁠
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That said, you can see by this picture that it can be done!!⁠
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Are you growing eucalyptus this year?
Oh friends, if any of my nice, curated photos sums Oh friends, if any of my nice, curated photos sums up how this last week went, I think it's this one.  Babies crying, trying to stay calm, outwardly looking like it's all under control, but feeling very overwhelmed.⁠
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This post isn't gardening related, so feel free to scroll by if you're here only for the gardening content.⁠
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Thankfully it's January, and I keep reminding myself that the Internet will not break if I don't keep to my self-imposed posting schedule.  But it doesn't make a week full of teething-and-not-sleeping baby any easier. ⁠
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Felicity slept through the night for the first time ever last Monday, then proceeded to punish us with frequent wakings and terrible sleep until Saturday.  And as tough as this is in regular times, in Covid times its extra frustrating because I don't have my village.⁠
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I can't just call up another Mama friend and go for coffee at her house.  I can't take my son out for a Mommy-and-Dominic date because everything he'd want to do isn't really much of an option.  There's no playgroup or play place to just drop in on.  And forget just taking everybody out to get groceries just for a change of scenery.⁠
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I know people have way more serious problems than this, and I hope I don't sound whiny and entitled, it's not my intention.  Please know that I'm very grateful for my family and job and that so far we've been healthy. ⁠
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A lot of you who follow me do so in part because you are also juggling life with very little people through this strange time.  I hope that in occasionally sharing my struggles, it makes you feel better about your struggles. (You're struggling too sometimes. . . right?)
Do you tend to plan out your garden to the nth deg Do you tend to plan out your garden to the nth degree, do you just wing it, or are you somewhere in-between?⁠
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I tend to plan it all out, and then when I actually get out in the field, so to speak, the plan changes a little bit. ⁠
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If you need a garden planner that's both pretty & practical, my garden planner is available in the ebooks section.  It's only $9 and has lots of upgrades from the previous planner.  Use code CANADA if you're Canadian to account for the exchange.⁠
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P.S. You can see exactly what you're getting in the video--no surprises. ⁠
P.P.S  I get my planner bound and printed at a printing place.  Lots of people just print their own and put the sheets in a binder.
Are you gardening in containers this year? When y Are you gardening in containers this year?  When you're shopping for vegetable seeds, look for varieties that have names with words like patio, tiny, small, etc.  While lots of vegetable varieties will do fine in a container, you'll have an easier time with ones that are specifically bred for that situation.⁠
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📸 by @blushbrandphotography
I'm living the pepper dream in this photo. While I'm living the pepper dream in this photo.  While these ones are a bit on the small side, who doesn't want ripe peppers in July in zone 3?!?! ⁠
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Over the years I've gotten better at growing peppers, and I promise I'll spill my secrets in February when it's actually time to start them.  Until then, get yourself all or one of my four favourite varieties: ⁠
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🌶️Carmen⁠
🌶️Escamillo⁠
🌶️Candy Stripe⁠
🌶️Hungarian Hot Wax⁠
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Do you have a favourite pepper variety?⁠
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Have you flipped open a seed catalogue lately? It Have you flipped open a seed catalogue lately?  It's so easy to get completely overwhelmed, especially if you're new to gardening.  Why are there so many varieties of everything and which ones do I choose?⁠
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Here's how I try to narrow it down.⁠
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🌤️ Short growing season like me?  Try and prioritize varieties that have short dates to maturity.⁠
🥗 What do you or your family actually eat?  While I think you should always try a couple of new things, there's no sense in planting a giant garden filled with vegetables that you're not going to cook with. ⁠
🥒 Do you care whether your vegetables are heirlooms or hybrids?  Heirlooms are the kind that have been around for 50+ years and you can save seeds from.  Believe it or not, this year we're prioritizing hybrids for some of our garden.  The Hermit @mgsraney is obsessed with production this year, so anything that's going in "his" greenhouse better be able to produce a lot.  I'm using more heirlooms in my "glamour garden" as we call it, because I want things that are pretty and I can save seeds from.⁠
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What do you prioritize when you're picking out seeds?⁠
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