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10 Vegetable Gardening Essentials

May 8, 2018

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Gardening season is here! If you’re planting a vegetable garden this spring, you’ll want to check out these 10 items that make the job a lot easier.  These are all items I personally use or are as close as possible to the ones I use myself.

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something by clicking a link, I earn a bit of extra coffee money at no extra cost to you.  Thanks for supporting Shifting Roots!

The Seeding Square

You guys, I can not wait to use the seeding square in my garden.  The seeding square takes all the confusion out of square foot gardening.  Just find the colour your vegetable uses, put the seeds in the circles, and watch your perfect garden grow.    The funnel and wand make it practically no-fail.

Bonus?  The creator is a Canadian female entrepreneur.  Get yours here!

P.S. Be watching for my upcoming post on my experience planting my whole garden with the seeding square.

Vinyl Garden Beds

I am getting two of these raised garden beds for my front yard and I can’t wait.  These ones are no ordinary raised beds.  They are super strong, won’t bend or warp, and you will never have to replace them.

Beds made of regular wood last about 3-5 years, cedar lasts around 10, but these will last forever and come with a lifetime warranty.

Don’t get the cheap imitations, watch the video to see why.

These beds are also made by a Canadian company and are local to Saskatoon.

Gardening Gloves

The more I garden, the pickier I get about gardening gloves.  I have these latex coated ones, and I really like them because they are breathable and I don’t get hurt by prickly weeds as easily.  I have fairly meaty hands, and I like that these gloves stretch to fit without being uncomfortable.

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Compost Bin

I have the best neighbours in the world.  They recently gave me their old compost bin and I am in love.

This is the model I use.  I love that it’s large enough to handle all my lawn clippings and weeds, as well as all my kitchen scraps.

Gardening Course

When you’re just getting started gardening, it’s really helpful to have all the information you need in one place.  Gardening courses are especially helpful if you don’t know any other gardeners and feel overwhelmed by all the information that’s out there.  Check out mine that I’ve developed just for you.  I’ll be adding videos and extra content over the summer, so get it now before the price goes up in the fall.

10 garden essentials that are actually essential.Click To Tweet

The Garden Weasel

I actually use the Garden Claw circa the mid-1990’s, but it’s been discontinued.  The garden weasel is the closest thing I can find.  It has been a lifesaver for loosening weeds and overgrown nuisance perennials out of my backyard flower beds.

Read about my backyard adventures here.

Mini Greenhouse

The mini greenhouse is essential for those few awkward weeks in the spring where it’s too cold to put anything out in the garden, but it is warm enough during the day to start hardening off your seedlings.

Speaking of seed starting, I’ve also found these really useful this year. . .

Windowsill Seed Starting Kit

I prefer to start my seeds in my south facing windows and these seed starting kits have been wonderful.  I love the little pods, and it’s easy to reuse the kit and buy replacement peat moss pods next year.

Also, I love watch the pods spring to life.  Silly, I know, but it’s kind of fun.

Related: How to start seeds from your window

Wide Brimmed Hat and Sunscreen

I have a confession to make, I do not look glamourous when I’m gardening.  Any pictures you see on this blog where I look remotely glamourous have been staged.  I am super pale, so I always wear my wide brimmed hat and slather on heaps of sunscreen before I go out.

The tiredness in the picture above is real.  The whole berry-picking-in-my-perfectly-co-ordinated-with-the-berries-outfit-complete-with-bling-necklace is not.

Planting your first vegetable garden this year?  Get started here:

  • The Quick Start Vegetable Guide
  • How to Plant a Garden when you have No Clue
  • The Easiest Vegetable Varieties to Plant
  • 6 Truths New Gardeners Need to Know
  • Beginner Gardening Course

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What are your gardening essentials?  Do you agree with my suggestions?  Tell me about it in the comments.

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When I planted my first vegetable garden, it was hard to know what must have garden tools and products where actually worth the money. I've compiled my list of essential gardening tools for the backyard gardener with 10 items I personally use and enjoy. I've also got two picks especially for the square foot garden. #gardening #gardentools #gardenproducts #vegetablegardening #flowergardening #squarefootgarden #containergarden

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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.

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Filed Under: Gardening Tagged: beginner gardener, garden weasel, Gardening, gardening course, gardening gloves, raised vinyl beds, seeding square

About 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.

Comments

  1. GardenHubs says

    August 13, 2020 at 3:17 am

    Hi buddy, I really fond of vegetable gardening! Post you shared reall awesome! Great work, thanks for sharing your awesome blog. Thankfully. gardenhubs
    Reply

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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!)
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  • 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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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
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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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