The Messed Up Gardener

Welcome back to The Messed-Up Gardener podcast, your go-to show for all things gardening! I’m Esther Williams, your host, and today’s episode is all about setting your garden goals for the new year. Whether you’re just starting out, have a bit of experience, or are a seasoned gardener, this episode is packed with tips to help you create a plan for your garden that feels manageable and inspiring.

We’ll talk about why setting realistic goals is so important, how to match your gardening ambitions to your time, budget, and space, and ways to set meaningful goals that reflect your personal priorities—whether that’s growing fresh food, creating a peaceful retreat, or helping the environment. I’ll also introduce my favourite framework for goal-setting, SMART goals, tailored specifically for gardeners, to help you break big ideas into clear, actionable steps.

To make things even easier, I’ve created a free "Garden Goals Planning Worksheet" to guide you through the process. It’s a simple tool to help you organize your thoughts and turn your ideas into a plan you can actually stick to. https://stan.store/EstherA/p/get-my-garden-goals-planning-worksheet-now

I’ll also share tips for overcoming common gardening challenges—like finding time in a busy schedule, dealing with pests, or navigating unpredictable weather. Plus, we’ll chat about how to stay motivated by celebrating small wins and connecting with other gardeners in your community or online.

If you’re ready to set your gardening intentions for 2025, I’d love for you to share your goals with me! Post them on social media and tag me using the hashtag #TheMessedUpGardener for a chance to be featured. Your journey could inspire someone else to start theirs, and I’m here to cheer you on every step of the way.

As always, I’ll leave you with a few bonus resources to help you get started:

• 12 Essential Tips for a Thriving Garden" Free eBook https://stan.store/EstherA
• Organic Gardening Cheat Sheet with a worksheet for setting sustainable gardening goals. https://stan.store/EstherA
• Garden Goals Planning Worksheet https://stan.store/EstherA/p/get-my-garden-goals-planning-worksheet-now

Thank you for joining me for this episode. I’m so grateful to have you here. Let’s set our intentions, get planning, and make 2025 an incredible year for our gardens. Remember, gardening can happen in any space, any place, and on any budget. Have an abundant week, and I’ll buzz you later!

Happy New Year, and happy gardening! 🌱

Follow our Journey on our Facebook Pages

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

If you are looking for some help planning your next gardening project or just need some 1 on 1 private coaching reach out and let’s get growing.

If you have a gardening business or you’re looking at starting a gardening business including arboriculture, land clearing, firewood or a general plant growing & selling business lets work together in my 1 on 1 private coaching business containers. Having helped my clients grow several 6-figure businesses including from start-ups and working on million-dollar open space management contracts for many years now, let me help you & let’s grow your business so you can leapfrog your profits and establish a viable & sustainable business

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

In this jam-packed episode of The Messed Up Gardener, host Esther Williams takes you through the art and business of dried floral arrangements! 🌸✨

After battling the flu and making exciting progress on her mushroom grow rooms, Esther is back and buzzing with updates—including her first batch of red and white clover honey heading for bottling! 🍯

Inspired by past episodes on Cultivating Cash from Your Garden and Valentine’s Bouquets, this episode takes a deep dive into dried flowers—how to grow, dry, and even monetize your arrangements.

What’s Inside This Episode?

🌿 Segment 1: Growing Your Own Flowers & Foliage for Drying

• The best flowers to grow for dried arrangements, including Strawflowers, Lavender, Hydrangeas & Roses.
• Why foliage & grasses like Eucalyptus, Pampas Grass, and ToeToe are crucial for structure.
• The unexpected power of seed pods & unusual additions like Poppy Seed Pods, Nigella, and dried citrus to add texture.
• Pro gardening tips for soil prep, plant care, and harvesting at the perfect time.

🔥 Segment 2: Drying Techniques & Creative Uses

• How to air dry, press, and use silica gel to preserve flowers like a pro.
• Creative ways to use dried flowers in wreaths, home décor, and even seasonal garlands.
• A hilarious story of a teenage flower-pressing mishap gone wrong!😂

💰 Segment 3: Turning Dried Flowers into a Profitable Business

• Where to sell dried flower arrangements—Etsy, farmers' markets, and wedding planners.
• Pricing strategies & profit margins—why handmade bouquets can sell for $20-$100+.
• Expanding your product range—DIY kits, resin crafts, and even subscription boxes.
• Staying inspired—following trends, refining your craft, and keeping customers engaged.

Ready to take your garden to the next level, naturally? Grab your cup of tea (or compost bin!), get comfortable, and let’s dig in! 🌻

🎧 Listen Now & Subscribe!

🌿 Share the Love!
If you know a gardening friend who would love this episode, send it their way! Let’s grow this community of passionate, down-to-earth gardeners together.

🎙 Until Next Time...
As always, gardening can happen in any place, in any space and on any budget! Have an incredibly abundant week—I’ll buzz you later! 🐝✨

Follow our Journey on our Facebook Pages

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 Worksheethttps://stan.store/EstherA/p/get-my-garden-goals-planning-worksheet-now

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

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener.

Join me in today’s festive episode of The Messed-Up Gardener! If you’ve ever struggled to find the perfect Christmas gift for the gardener in your life, this episode is tailor-made for you.

I kick off the show with a buzz about our kiwifruit orchard in full bloom, bees buzzing in overdrive, and an exciting announcement—The Messed-Up Gardener hit #4 on the Apple Podcast NZ charts! A huge milestone, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the support. With that energy, I dive into helping YOU choose thoughtful, personalized gardening gifts—no more boring gift vouchers! From essential tools like the versatile Niwashi Gardening Tool to fun DIY projects you can create with your kids, I share practical tips that will make your Christmas shopping for gardeners a breeze.

And that's not all—I have a gift for YOU too! Download my 12 Essential Tips for a Thriving Garden eBook and an exclusive Organic Gardening Cheat Sheet to help you grow the garden of your dreams. Plus, stay tuned for an exciting lesson plan for mushroom-growing in schools, coming soon to my Stan store soon!

Tap into my passion and expertise as I guide you toward meaningful gifts and tips that support the gardener’s green thumb and the planet. 🌱 Listen now, and give a gift that keeps on giving—growth, beauty, and abundance.

I hope you enjoy today's episode.

Follow our Journy on our Facebook Pages

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: https://stan.store/EstherA

Grab the "12 Essential Tips for a Thriving Garden: From Planning to Harvest" A Practical Tips to Help You Grow a Flourishing Garden Guide https://stan.store/EstherA

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

If you are looking for some help planning your next gardening project or just need some 1 on 1 private coaching reach out and let’s get growing.

If you have a gardening business or you’re looking at starting a gardening business including arboriculture, land clearing, firewood or a general plant growing & selling business lets work together in my 1 on 1 private coaching business containers. Having helped my clients grow several 6-figure businesses including from start-ups and working on million-dollar open space management contracts for many years now, let me help you & let’s grow your business so you can leapfrog your profits and establish a viable & sustainable business

Come visit me at the @themessedupgardener or #esther.aitken on Instagram, TikTok or find me on Facebook Esther Aitken and DM me any questions you would like to have answered on the podcast regarding your garden / plants / business and I will see what I can do.

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

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'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 Pesto recipe.

If you are ready to grab a freebie, email me at the [email protected] or flick me a DM and I will send it through to you.

If you are looking for some help planning your next gardening project or just need some 1 on 1 private coaching reach out and let’s get growing.

If you have a gardening business or you’re looking at starting a gardening business including arboriculture, land clearing, firewood or a general plant growing & selling business lets work together in my 1 on 1 private coaching business containers. Having helped my clients grow several 6-figure businesses including from start-ups and working on million-dollar open space management contracts for many years now, let me help you & let’s grow your business so you can leapfrog your profits and establish a viable & sustainable business

Come visit me at the @themessedupgardener or #esther.aitken on Instagram, TikTok or find me on Facebook Esther Aitken and DM me any questions you would like to have answered on the podcast regarding your garden / plants / business and I will see what I can do.

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

Hi and Welcome to another episode of The Messed Up Gardener.

In today’s episode I work through the benefits of having worms in the garden and the reasons to have a worm farm as well as a basic methodology of how to create your own worm farm for very little cost. I absolutely love having my worm farm and I hope I can inspire you to create one for yourself and if you already have one, I hope there are some gardening tips that will make it even more productive.

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 Pesto recipe.

The Free TMUG 12 Step Guide to Creating Healthy Soils in your Garden.

· The 12-step guide to creating healthy soils in your garden. It’s so jammed full of information with actual examples of my soil sampling tests that I am considering turning it into an E book

If you are ready to grab a freebie, email me at the [email protected] or flick me a DM and I will send it through to you.

If you are looking for some help planning your next gardening project or just need some 1 on 1 private coaching reach out and let’s get growing.

If you have a gardening business or you’re looking at starting a gardening business including arboriculture, land clearing, firewood or a general plant growing & selling business lets work together in my 1 on 1 private coaching business containers. Having helped my clients grow several 6-figure businesses including from start-ups and working on million-dollar open space management contracts for many years now, let me help you & let’s grow your business so you can leapfrog your profits and establish a viable & sustainable business

Come visit me at the @themessedupgardener on Instagram, TikTok or find me on Facebook Esther Aitken and DM me any questions you would like to have answered on the podcast regarding your garden / plants / business and I will see what I can do.

I also host the Let’s Biz You Up Podcast come join me there for all things in life and in business. Instagram #esther.aitken #bizyouup

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