The Messed Up Gardener

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. I’m all about efficiency this week - I use all four of these low maintenance gardening methods that I talk about in this episode in my own garden and I assure you - I am time poor but I’m still harvesting year-round and my garden thrives. I do cover a number of both pros and cons for each of the 4 low maintenance methods which will hopef...

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. If your thinking I can throw some seed into the soil and add a bit of water and poof I have germination and seedlings - how hard can it be – well your not wrong - it does work like that but if you really want to maximise your germination rates and get your best bang for your buck then this episode is for you 😊   I hope you enjoy today&a...

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. In today’s episode we’re diving deep into the fascinating world of seed setting, harvesting, storage, the optimal storage materials and viability testing. Whether you’re a master gardener or just someone with a love for watching things grow, this episode is packed with pro tips and answers to your most pressing questions. Have you ever w...

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. Due to yet another massive grocery bill I started really thinking about some of the things I used to do to preserve our own food especially when I was growing up and even when I was saving up for my house deposit everything was preserved either frozen or dried and or dehydrated. I remember doing some preservation when my daughter was a B...

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. After talking to a property owner at work this week and their mission to turn their orchard into a certified organic orchard it inspired today’s episode. I’m covering some of the organic growing basics and I have also included a natural weedkiller recipe. DM me if you would like me to send it through to you.  I hope you enjoy today'...

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. After harvesting a bucket full of persimmon fruit out of the garden I realized that most of my garden is made up of an edible landscape and this year we have had almost year round fruit and veg as well as a great amount of insects including butterflies and it fully inspired todays episode. Every day there has been something different goi...

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. After last week’s episode I was inspired to talk about healing my garden hence todays episode on regenerative gardening.  Regenerative gardening is an approach to growing plants that focuses on enhancing the health and vitality of the entire ecosystem within the garden. This method goes beyond the principles of organic gardening by empha...

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. Gardening in small spaces, including urban areas, presents unique challenges that can lead to common mistakes. Understanding these pitfalls can help gardeners maximize their small-space gardens' potential. In this episode I cover ten of the most common mistakes made when conducting small space gardening and I cover ways in which to...

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. Climate-resilient gardening is not just a trend but a necessary shift in how we approach our gardens amidst changing weather patterns and environmental challenges. As gardeners, adopting practices that enhance our gardens' resilience to climate variability brings numerous benefits, vital for both personal satisfaction and the broade...

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. Engaging in the ongoing battle against pests and weeds in a garden can sometimes feel like a never ending task, where the fruits of one's labour are often consumed by uninvited guests, or overgrown by opportunistic plants. However, this struggle is not only worth it but integral to the gardening process, in this episode I delve into...

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. This episode goes deep into a number of questions asked by fallow gardeners as to ways you can monetize your garden with a number of them, I asked myself as I was going through this research journey which has led me to grow our mushrooms and currently looking at utilizing dead space to grow hydroponic lettuces for markets.    A gardener...

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. Winter gardening presents unique challenges and opportunities, leading gardeners to seek advice on how to navigate the colder months successfully. In this episode I cover a number of gardening secrets that once revealed will totally help your wither garden thrive.   I hope you enjoy today's episode. Don’t forget to grab one of my ga...

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. Maintaining indoor plants during the winter months can be a challenging task due to the lower levels of light, drier air, and cooler temperatures. However, with a few strategic moves, you can keep your green friends thriving even during the coldest season. Remember, each plant has its unique needs, so it's important to consider the...

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. One of my nemesis in the garden has to be the Rose Bush and I say that with much love and affection. Roses love to hate me and I have had to work quite hard for some of my rose bushes to flower exceptionally well over the years. This episode goes over a number of pointers from planting to pruning and of course I had to pop in some equipm...

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. Every year I tell myself I am not going to plant beef steak tomatoes and every year I end up planting them and creating an amazing mess for myself because the fruit are so big and the plants get too big and I end up putting supports in place too late in the season so my fruit sit on the ground and rot or the plants themselves get disease...

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. With the change in seasons gardens can get very tired looking. This episode looks at some simple ways to revive a tired old garden,   I hope you enjoy today's episode. Don’t forget to grab one of my gardening freebees.    As always Gardening can be done in any space, in any place and on any budget.   Freebies DM me for: Nasturtium P...

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. With the jostle of todays pressures to get a million things done in a day - the garden is often the last thing that is managed. Especially in my household with a preteen, a partner that runs several business and my own endeavors. This episode looks at a number of ways to passively garden and still have it looking amazing and productive f...

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. I had an interesting discussion this week around using recycled materials in the garden and especially because I use a lot of recycled beehive boxes after the bees have finished with them. It prompted me to have a chat about some of the items that I use in our garden that saves me heap of money and in some cases highly benefit the enviro...

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. Over the last few years I regularly get asked about growing herbs and making home remedies is something I just grew up with as a day-to-day regular event - little did I know that it wasn't the norm. So in this episode I cover 10 common herbs to grow in your garden especially for home remedy utilization and I also cover quite in-dept...

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. In today's episode I go into a little bit of depth around the type of questions you would be asking yourself if you are looking at growing subtropical plants in your gardens - now surprisingly subtropical plants are more popular then you think, I also cover a few very basic subtropical fruits you can grow in your garden with very li...

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. As our population grows so does the housing density around our homes. What used to be a quaint small 2 bedroom home next door with the sweetest older couple has been rebuilt and is now a massive 3 bedroom home that looks straight into our section and lounge with new tenants that have filled every room. It has removed all of our and their...

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. How many of our parks & gardens have their big majestic trees managed with the use of herbicides to suppress the weeds at the base of the trees which at the end of the day is mostly only completed / treated for aesthetics.  We already know that there are several effective alternative methods for managing weeds around the base of a tr...

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. When garden planning I have always promoted knowing what it is to grow enough for your family's needs and in this case grow what will benefit your family the most. With the health changes in my family situation I have had to take a good look at what to focus on and it isnt the normal staples. In todays episode I go deep into the wha...

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. For that average family dinner its not common to add flowers into a salad. However, Edible flowers are a fun and unique way to add a burst of colour and flavour to your meals. Edible flowers can be grown at home and you would be surprised what you already have growing in your garden at home.  You don’t have to go to a 5star restaurant to...

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener. No matter how experienced you are in the garden you are bound to mess up and because I know I make mistakes I will never claim to be a master Gardner. In this episode I cover 3 of my probably biggest Boo boos over the last year and I acknowledged with the bad weather that I haven't spent as much time in the garden as I would have li...