Ep 134: What if I told you your garden could grow your soap? Artwork

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 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.

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The Messed Up Gardener

Ep 134: What if I told you your garden could grow your soap?

July 13, 2025 • Esther Aitken

In this delightfully dirt-under-the-nails episode, Esther dives into a surprisingly sudsy topic—soap plants! That's right—your garden can grow more than veggies and flowers. It can grow your cleaning products too!

From traditional soapwort and yucca roots to soothing calendula, moisturizing aloe vera, and even homegrown loofah sponges, this episode covers everything you need to grow your own garden-to-bathroom soap bar. Esther even shares a DIY gardener’s hand scrub soap recipe—perfect for post-weeding cleanups or heartfelt handmade gifts.

Whether you're looking to ditch synthetic ingredients, reduce waste, or just geek out over botanical goodness, this is one episode you don’t want to miss!

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

🌿 The Dirt on Soap Plants
→ The three main categories of soap plants and why they matter today

🪴 Top Plants to Grow for Soapy Goodness
→ Soapwort, yucca, aloe, calendula, lavender, rosemary, mint, and more

🧽 How to Grow and Process Your Own Loofah Sponge
→ Spoiler: It’s a gourd, not a sea sponge!

🧼 DIY Gardener’s Soap Recipe (Scrub Bar + Liquid Alternative)
→ Featuring dried herbs, essential oils, and exfoliants from your garden

🧺 How to Harvest, Dry & Store Your Soap Ingredients
→ Tips for infusing oils and preserving your plant-based pantry

🧪 The Messed-Up Gardener’s Soapy Challenge
→ Esther dares you to grow it, make it, or dry it—then share it!

👉 Connect with Esther on Instagram @themessedupgardener and share your autumn garden wins, fails, and cozy compost moments!

🛠️ Ready to get more from your garden? Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss upcoming mini masterclasses packed with real talk, practical tips, and a little bit of garden messiness and share this episode with a fellow plant lovers!

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The Messed Up Gardener Or Shesther’s Mushrooms

Or Grab

· A Step by Step guide on how to create your own DIY self-watering planters

https://stan.store/EstherA/p/create-your-own-diy-self-watering-garden-planters

Don’t forget to grab one of my gardening freebees.

Freebies: Grab the

- "12 Essential Tips for a Thriving Garden: From Planning to Harvest" Practical Tips to Help You Grow a Flourishing Garden

- https://stan.store/EstherA

- Organic gardening Cheat Sheet: Natural methods for chemical free cultivation https://stan.store/EstherA

- Garden Goals Planning Worksheet https://stan.store/EstherA/p/get-my-garden-goals-planning-worksheet-now

Gardening can happen in any space, in any place, and on any budget.