The Messed Up Gardener
Hello and Welcome to The Messed Up Gardener. This podcast covers all areas of gardening from a beginner, intermediate to advanced level. It covers gardening on any budget, any space, any place. There are no rules when it comes to me, and my gardens and I do it messy. There is nothing more fun than getting your hands dirty and creating that space that gives you joy and abundance. This podcast will give tips, tricks, hacks and methodology’s to make any space work from the tiny indoor garden to the rolling meadows with even a dash of bees, mushrooms and hydroponics thrown in. I have been a horticulturist for as long as I can remember and in the industry since I was 15 so that’s nearly 30 years of hands on gardening experience. I am really looking forward to being on this journey & doing it messy with you.
Episodes
191 episodes
EP 176: The Hidden Weeks That Make or Break a Garden
🎧 Press Play to Listen to Today’s EpisodeFree Gardening Resources at the bottom of the show notesWhat if your garden isn’t failing all at once…it’s quietly losing momentum in the weeks you don’t notice?...
Ep 175: How to grow more without more space (or effort)
🎧 Press Play to Listen to Today’s Episode &...
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Ep 174: Stop Growing the Wrong Crops (This Is What Actually Saves Money)
🎧 Press Play to Listen to Today’s EpisodeFree Gardening Resources at the bottom of the show notesWhat if your garden isn’t failing… it’s just not built to return anything?Why do so many gardens look p...
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Ep 173: Why Most Gardens Fail in the First 90 Days (And How to Avoid It)
🎧Press Play to Listen to Today’s Episode &n...
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Ep 172: What a $100 Garden REALLY Looks Like (And Why Most People Get It Wrong)
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Ep 171: Why Your Garden Isn’t Saving You Money… (And How to Fix It)
🎧 Press Play to Listen to Today’s Episode👉 Free Gardening Resources at the bottom of the show n...
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Ep 170: The Hidden Reason Many People Give Up Gardening
🎧 Listen to Today’s EpisodeMost people don’t give up gardening because they didn’t enjoy it.They give up because the first year feels harder than they expected.Because what most people don’t realise is this:Th...
Ep 169: Why Knowing How to Grow Food Changes the Way You See the World
🎧 Press Play to Listen to Today’s Episode Free Gardening Resources at the bottom of the show notesWhat if the way you see food… isn’t the full picture?Most people experience food as something finished....
Ep 168: If Supermarkets Closed Tomorrow, Could Your Garden Feed You?
🎧Press Play to Listen to Today’s EpisodeFree Gardening Resources at the bottom of the show notes What would actually happen if the supermarkets shut tomorrow?Would your garden feed you?Or wo...
Ep 167: Why Sustainable Gardens Get Easier Every Year (And Why Some Get Harder)
🎧 Listen to Today’s EpisodeSome gardens quietly become easier every year.Others slowly become harder — and before you realise it, you feel like you’re constantly catching up… watering more, fixing more, rescuing more.
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Ep 166: The Hidden Mistake Most Gardeners Don’t Even Realize They’re Making
Why Strategic Gardening Always Beats Reactive GardeningSometimes the most damaging thing you can do in a garden… is intervene too quickly.In this episode of The Messed-Up Gardener, Esther unpacks the hidden mista...
Ep 165: Autumn Is Where Smart Gardens Win - What to Do Before It Gets Cold
Autumn isn’t the end of the season — it’s leverage season.In this episode, Esther breaks down how smart gardeners prepare before the cold really hits. You’ll learn the key mindset shift for autumn, the five strategic moves that se...
EP 164: Transplant Shock Isn’t About Transplanting — Here’s A low-stress system for seedlings that flop after planting out
Have you ever planted out a seedling, stood back proud… then come out the next morning to find it flopped over like it’s regretting all its life choices? 😅In this episode of The Messed-Up Gardener, we’re breaking down “transplan...
Ep 163: Slugs & Snails Are Back — Here’s the Calm Plan That Actually Works
Ep 163: Slugs & Snails Are Back — Here’s the Calm Plan That Actually WorksA targeted, low-tox slug strategy for seedlings and soft growthSlugs are back — and if you’ve walked outside to find seedlings ch...
Episode 162: Tabletop Veg Is the 2026 Trend — Here’s How to Actually Make It Work - Tiny pots, real harvests, and the few things that matter
Growing food is changing — and this episode explains why tabletop veg is having a real moment, not just a social media one.In Episode 162 of The Messed-Up Gardener, Esther Williams breaks down how growing edible plants at...
Ep 161: Most Gardening Advice Sounds Helpful — Here’s What Actually Is 5 myths, 5 truths, and the things that make a real difference
5 myths, 5 truths, and the things that make a real differenceGardening advice is everywhere — and a lot of it sounds helpful. But for many gardeners, it quietly creates more pressure than progress.In t...
Ep 160: What to Plant in January: Back to Basics — The Most Reliable Plants for This Month, Wherever You Live
January gardening can feel deceptively simple… and strangely exhausting.Whether you’re dealing with peak summer heat in the Southern Hemisphere or deep winter planning in the Northern Hemisphere, this episode is a calm, practical reset f...
Ep 159: The 3-List Garden Permission Slip. What you’re allowed to quit, ignore, and do badly
Gardening doesn’t always need motivation — sometimes it needs permission.In this quieter episode of The Messed-Up Gardener, Esther shares a gentle reset for overwhelmed, tired gardeners: three things you’re allowed to quit, thre...
Ep 158: When the Weather Cries Wolf
The forecast has been acting like that dramatic friend who’s “being such a diva” every second day… and if you’ve ever rearranged your whole garden plan for “rain at 3pm” that never arrived, this episode is for you.In this mini masterclas...
Ep 157: The 3-Goal Garden Rule (Because You’re Not a Garden Employee)
It’s Twixmas… that weird in-between week where time doesn’t exist, your diet is 80% snacks, and your garden has decided to grow 9cm overnight just to humble you.In today’s episode, I’m sharing what we’ve been up to on our little modern-h...
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Ep 156: Outsource to Nature — Plants That Do the Work While You’re at Work
If your garden currently survives on “thoughts and prayers” because you’re flat out with work, life, Christmas chaos, kiwifruit, H&S… and maybe even relocating a 8m plastic house because it’s basically a solar oven… this one’s for you. 😅
Ep 155: "Batch Gardening — Do the Work Once, Coast All Week”
Batch Gardening — Do the Work Once, Coast All Week - How to garden like meal prep — one big push, lots of lazy wins. If you only have one decent chunk of time each week (or fortnight) to garden, this episode is your permission slip ...
Ep 154: The Bare-Minimum Watering Plan — Keeping Plants Alive When You’re Running on Fumes
The Bare-Minimum Watering Plan — Keeping Plants Alive When You’re Running on Fumes” A realistic survival guide for tired, overcommitted gardeners.You meant to water… and then work, kids, pets, emails, and li...
Ep 153: “The ‘Someday Garden’ Trap — How to Start with the Garden You Actually Have”
Stop waiting for perfect conditions and grow something now.“We’ll really garden when we move.” “Once we build the raised beds.” “When I’ve got more time… next season.”If that sounds like you, this episod...
Ep 152: Lazy Mulching — How to Protect Your Soil Even When You’re Too Busy to Garden
Feeling like your garden is either drowning or turning into crunchy toast — sometimes in the same week? 😅In this episode of The Messed-Up Gardener, I’m talking lazy mulching: the simple, real-world way to protect your soil,...
