00:00 – Intro
00:52 – Herbal Tea of the Week: Lemonbalm
04:30 – Phenology
06:55 – Moon Calendar:
• Cultivate phase until 21st
• 22nd onward: Sowing & planting

13:09 – Vegetable of the Week: Parsnip
23:38 – Perennial Pick: Chives
26:38 – Dishes with Del: Homemade Boursin Cheese
30:48 – Microclimate
34:30 – Tip of the Week: What to do if your compost tea smells sour
35:58 – Book of the Week: Veg in One Bed - Huw Richards
39:58 – Outro

If you’re growing with us each week- with the moon, with the seasons, and with intention. Grab your garden diary and settle in. 

Support the show

You can contact us at [email protected]

Seasonal listening tip: No matter where you are in the world, you can dip back into earlier episodes to match the season you’re in right now. Just look at the titles (e.g. Spring Ep3) and choose the ones that line up with your own garden season — that way, the advice will always be spot-on and timely for you.

Season 3, Episode 7- Rhubarb, Hugelkultur & The Health of the Earth

Episode Timestamps
00:00 – Intro
01:18 – Herbal Tea of the Week: Rhubarb Tea — tart, refreshing, and surprisingly versatile
03:48 – Dishes with Del: Poached Rhubarb (absolutely divine)
07:10 – Vegetable of the Week: Rhubarb — how to grow it well, myths busted, and why it's such a great perennial investment
16:30 – Moon Phases This Week:
• Barren phase
• 16th–17th: Root crop window
• 18th–21st: Cultivate phase — get beds ready for sowing & transplanting
18:55 – Our Health, Her Health: how the health of the Earth mirrors our own
21:26 – Hugelkultur: Sepp Holzer’s clever closed-loop design for building long-term soil fertility
31:25 – Outro

If you’re growing with us each week — with the moon, with the seasons, and with intention — grab your garden diary and settle in. 

Support the show

You can contact us at [email protected]

Seasonal listening tip: No matter where you are in the world, you can dip back into earlier episodes to match the season you’re in right now. Just look at the titles (e.g. Spring Ep3) and choose the ones that line up with your own garden season — that way, the advice will always be spot-on and timely for you.

Season 3 Episode 6- Pumpkins 

From mint in your teacup to pumpkins in your patch, Ali and Hannah guide you through what to plant, pick, and plan for this late-spring moon cycle.

Time stamps

0.00 Intro

1.23 Mint Tea

2.08 Mint History, uses, varieties, how to grow and store

8.05 Dishes with Del- Mint Syrup, Mint Chutney.

10.00 Vegetable of the Week – Pumpkin and Squash 

25.00 Should we plant out at Labour Weekend?

27.19 Garden Tasks this week – Late Spring – Moon Cycles

31.20 More Garden tasks

38.19 Tip of the Week

Happy gardening!

Support the show

You can contact us at [email protected]

Seasonal listening tip: No matter where you are in the world, you can dip back into earlier episodes to match the season you’re in right now. Just look at the titles (e.g. Spring Ep3) and choose the ones that line up with your own garden season — that way, the advice will always be spot-on and timely for you.

Season 3 Episode 5- Spinach 

Thank you for your lovely feedback, and suggestions for content - it's so good to know what you'd like to learn, or refresh in your memory. 

00:09 Intro

00:35 Tea of the week: Nettle Tea

05:22 Phenology

07:43 Moon Phases

08:18 What to plant

08:59 Spring Rains

10:37 Vegetable of the week: Spinach

15:50 Spinach Dishes with Del Green Shakshuka & Sag Panneer - www.disheswithdel.com/blog/saag-halloumi-aka-saag-paneer-but-with-halloumi

17:56 Annuals vs Bi-Annuals vs Bi-ennial

18:52 Perennials

26:50 Micro Climates

29:24 Seed Saving

30:57 Vandana Shiva - https://navdanyainternational.org/

32:57 Tip of the Week: Harden off Seedlings

33:29 Book of the Week: Hands in the Dirt Have a listen to our Podcast Season 1 Ep 10 for our chat with Leah

34:25 Wrap Up.

Support the show

You can contact us at [email protected]

Seasonal listening tip: No matter where you are in the world, you can dip back into earlier episodes to match the season you’re in right now. Just look at the titles (e.g. Spring Ep3) and choose the ones that line up with your own garden season — that way, the advice will always be spot-on and timely for you.

Season 3 Episode 4- Potatoes 

This week we talk to Del, from Dishes with Del, our super chef with a bubbly 'can do' attitude to using up a glut of produce. 

Timestamps

We begin with a nice cup of Sage leaf tea

3.50 Dishes with Del

6.33 Veg of the week - Potatoes

11.35 Crop Rotation

21.00 Phenology - Dandelion

24.05 Garden Tasks - Frost reminder - Waning phase - Barren Period

35.20 Food Forest guidelines

38.52 Book of the Week - The Self-Sufficiency Garden - Huw Richards & Sam Cooper

Support the show

You can contact us at [email protected]

Seasonal listening tip: No matter where you are in the world, you can dip back into earlier episodes to match the season you’re in right now. Just look at the titles (e.g. Spring Ep3) and choose the ones that line up with your own garden season — that way, the advice will always be spot-on and timely for you.

Season 3 Episode 3- Blueberries and Raspberries 

In this episode, It's the October full-moon gardening phase — a perfect time to cultivate soil and sow root crops across all four NZ planting zones. You’ll learn what to plant now, how to get the best results in your region, and why this phase of the moon is ideal for “spoiling your soil.”

Our Fruit of the Week takes a closer look at blueberries and raspberries — where they came from, how they’ve adapted, and why their specific soil and climate needs truly reinforce our mantra: right plant, right place.
Discover the fascinating history of these berries, from Roman gardens and North American forests to New Zealand’s modern orchards — now spanning around 800 hectares and up to two million blueberry plants nationwide!                                                                                                                                

This week’s Tea of the Week is Dandelion Tea — the humble lawn weed that doubles as a spring cleanser — and we review two brilliant books:
📘 The Well Gardened Mind by Sue Stuart-Smith – rediscovering nature in the modern world.
📗 The 1000 Most-Asked Gardening Questions by Daphne Ledward – packed with seasonal soil and planting wisdom.00:08 - Introduction 
00:34 - Tea of the week: Dandelion 
05:43 – Recapping last week – cover Brassicas
06:54 – If you haven’t got a garden 
09:07 – Tasks of the week 
09:43 -  Preparing Root Crop beds
12:45 – What Root crops can you sew in your zone?
16:53 – The Secret to a really good compost?
22:09 – Where to build your compost
23:56 – Hot vs Cold Compost
25:23 – Seasonal reminders
26:55 – Lawn Care
28:37 – Inviting in Beneficial pests
29:39 – Fruit of the week - Blueberries
37:13 – Second Fruit of the week – Raspberries

44:57 – Book of the week, the Well Gardened Mind

50:26 The 1000 most asked gardening questions

51:51 Episode Round Up

Support the show

You can contact us at [email protected]

Seasonal listening tip: No matter where you are in the world, you can dip back into earlier episodes to match the season you’re in right now. Just look at the titles (e.g. Spring Ep3) and choose the ones that line up with your own garden season — that way, the advice will always be spot-on and timely for you.

Season 3 Episode 2- Getting ready for Spring 

Spring has to be one of the four best seasons - and we’ve packed this episode with ideas to get you motivated in the garden.

Hannah, my new co-host, has learned the ropes quickly, and I’m so grateful for her company, editing skills, and lively garden conversations.

Today’s tea is Rosemary - known for its stimulating, energising qualities. In the Language of Flowers (Floriography), rosemary symbolises affectionate remembrance, memory, love, and friendship. Traditionally, it’s been used as a token of remembrance at funerals and as a sign of love and loyalty at weddings. Students in ancient Greece even tucked sprigs behind their ears to sharpen memory during exams. Modern science now confirms that rosemary may gently boost memory and focus, thanks to its unique brain-protective compounds.

Timestamps

We will update this asap

Links Mentioned in this Episode

• Beth Chatto – www.bethchatto.co.uk
  We discuss Beth Chatto’s Essex garden and nursery. Ali visited in May and was especially inspired by the Dry Garden, bringing home many tips to reinforce Beth’s mantra: “Right plant, right place.”

Book of the Week

The Dry Garden by Beth Chatto
Available to order at Next Chapter Bookshop, Wānaka. https://www.nextchapterwanaka.co.nz/

Next Episode

Testing the pH in your soil and how to amend it for different crops.

Support the Show

Contact us with your questions and topic requests: [email protected]
Follow us on Instagram: @yourgardencoach_nz
Facebook: Your Garden Coach
Explore more gardening advice, book a personal consult, and browse podcast archives: www.yourgardencoach.nz

Support the show

You can contact us at [email protected]

Seasonal listening tip: No matter where you are in the world, you can dip back into earlier episodes to match the season you’re in right now. Just look at the titles (e.g. Spring Ep3) and choose the ones that line up with your own garden season — that way, the advice will always be spot-on and timely for you.

Season 3 Episode 1- Spring Equinox & a New Beginning

Episode Summary: Season 3 kicks off with a heartfelt farewell to Jen and a warm welcome to Hannah as our new co-host. We jump into spring gardening with cucumbers, kawakawa tea, and homemade fertiliser hacks using weed, manure, and compost teas. Plus, we explore the history behind The Apothecaries’ Garden at the Chelsea Physic Garden, highlight seed libraries, and reflect on the Spring Equinox.  

 Timestamps: 

00:10 - Introduction 
00:37 - Farewell to Jen 
02:10 – Introducing Hannah 
04:55 - Tea of the Week: Kawakawa 
07:44 - Sowing & Planting 
10:55 - Seasonal Jobs 
15:03 – Vegetable of the Week 
15:38 – Plant History 

16:50 – Book Review 

22:03 – This Week’s Garden Hacks 

27:07 – September Round-Up 

27:50 - Pumpkin Power Competition 

29:06 – Wrap Up 

Links mentioned in this episode: 

In this episode, we discussed the Chelsea Physic Garden, London's oldest botanic garden - home to over 4,500 medicinal, edible, and useful plants
www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk  Ali couldn't leave the gift shop until she'd bought a copy of:

 Sue Minter’s Book – The Apothecaries’ Garden 

A New History of the Chelsea Physic Garden. Sue Minter examines its history and many notable achievements. 

 Available to order at Next Chapter Bookshop, Wanaka 

 Next Episode:.... 

 Beth Chatto: Ali shares observations from her visit to this Essex, UK garden 

 Support the show 

You can contact us with your questions and topic requests at [email protected]  

Follow us on Instagram @yourgardencoach_nz and Facebook, Your Garden Coach  where we regularly upload interesting gardening tips and share our podcast community’s successes 

And don’t forget to head to our website www.yourgardencoach.nz for more in-depth gardening advice, to book a personal garden consult, and to search topics in the podcast archives. 

Happy Gardening! 

Support the show

You can contact us at [email protected]

Seasonal listening tip: No matter where you are in the world, you can dip back into earlier episodes to match the season you’re in right now. Just look at the titles (e.g. Spring Ep3) and choose the ones that line up with your own garden season — that way, the advice will always be spot-on and timely for you.

🎉🌿 New Episode Out Now! 🌿🎉

We’re thrilled to announce the winners of our latest giveaways!
Congratulations to the winner of Foraging by Peter Langlands
And congratulations to the winner of the Autumn Hamper from Kings Seeds!

A huge thank you to Penguin Books and Kings Seeds for making these prizes possible. 

In this episode, we’re also sharing 12 fantastic book suggestions to keep you inspired and cosy through the winter months. 

Wishing you a wonderful winter full of warmth, good reads, and garden dreams!

#NewEpisode #YourGardenCoachNZ #GiveawayWinners #WinterReadingList #ThankYou #GardenPodcast #WinterWellness

Support the show

You can contact us at [email protected]

Seasonal listening tip: No matter where you are in the world, you can dip back into earlier episodes to match the season you’re in right now. Just look at the titles (e.g. Spring Ep3) and choose the ones that line up with your own garden season — that way, the advice will always be spot-on and timely for you.

🍂🎧 New Podcast Episode Out Now! 🎧🍂
Brew yourself a cup of Warming Autumn Spiced Tea and settle in! 

This week, we’re:
Catching up on the week’s "to-do" list
Sharing our top vegetable planting recommendations
Starting the delightful winter task of planning your spring garden — using all those notes you jotted down in your garden diary!

Take a moment for yourself, press play, and dream of the beautiful season ahead. 
 Enjoy! 

#NewEpisode #GardenPodcast #SpringGardenPlanning #AutumnTeaMoments #YourGardenCoach

Support the show

You can contact us at [email protected]

Seasonal listening tip: No matter where you are in the world, you can dip back into earlier episodes to match the season you’re in right now. Just look at the titles (e.g. Spring Ep3) and choose the ones that line up with your own garden season — that way, the advice will always be spot-on and timely for you.