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Your Garden Coach NZ

Your Garden Coach NZ

Hosted by Ali Soper and Maura Wilson

Episodes

105

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

EN-NZ

About the show

Guiding keen new gardeners to become confident vegetable growers no matter the size of your garden or your skill level. We aim to share tips and tricks to help you grow healthy, nutrient-rich vegetables. Based in the Central Otago region of New Zealand. Happy gardening

Listen to episodes

60 recent
August 11, 202636 min

Late Winter - Wait for it, and Go! S3 Ep 27

Maura is heading home! SO, I NEED A LITTLE HELP TO KEEP THE PODCAST GOINGRecently, we asked you whether you’d like Your Garden Coach NZ to continue.The answer was a very definite YES — and I can’t tell you how much that meant.But I also need to be open with you.Producing the podcast takes a considerable amount of time, research, and work, and I simply can’t keep doing it without more support from our listeners. My lovely WWOOFer, Maura, is heading home in a month - My search for her replacement means I will have to pay for the expertise she has brought to the podcastI want to keep bringing you practical, independent New Zealand gardening advice - advice that understands our seasons, our climate and the way we garden here. So, if the podcast has helped you grow better vegetables, understand your soil, garden with the seasons, try something new - or simply kept you company while you’ve been out in the garden - would you consider helping us keep it going?Even a small regular contribution from more of our listeners would make an enormous difference.There’s absolutely no pressure if supporting us financially isn’t possible. Listening, sharing the podcast, and telling another gardener about us all helps too.But if you can support us, now is the time we really need you. Link belowhttps://www.buzzsprout.com/2256022/support Thank you for listening — and for helping us work out what the next chapter of Your Garden Coach NZ might look like.Support the showYou can contact us at coach@yourgardencoach.nz and follow us on socials @yourgardencoachnz

July 3, 202652 min

Mid-Winter - The Microbes Are Still Working

Season 3 Episode 26Support the showYou can contact us at coach@yourgardencoach.nz and follow us on socials @yourgardencoachnz

June 1, 202658 min

Early Winter - Maintenance & Planning

Season 3 Episode 25 00:00- Intro 07:20- Tea of the Month 09:09 Winter Tasks 11:20 Books for winter reading 14:24- Plant a tree 16:55- Moon Calendar 21:33- Chickweed 23:32- Gardening in Zone 1 in Early Winter 33:02- Hugelkulture & raised beds 33:42- Biochar Workshop 34:38- Hellebores (winter roses) 37:53- Winter flower sowing 45:24- Dishes with Del Jerusalem Artichokes 56:44- Final garden note Support the showYou can contact us at coach@yourgardencoach.nz and follow us on socials @yourgardencoachnz

May 6, 202631 min

Late Autumn - Pumpkins: Are You Setting Them Up for a Strong Harvest?

Season 3 Episode 24 Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:30 Tea of the Month: Winter Orange Spiced Tea 03:31 Gardening in Late Autumn 11:23 Veg of the month: Pumpkins 18:32 Alpine Harvest Festival reminder 20:21 Dishes with Del- Pumpkin Recipes 27:54 Foraging in May 30:04 Outro Support the showYou can contact us at coach@yourgardencoach.nz and follow us on socials @yourgardencoachnz

April 18, 202629 min

Awakino Station Visit

Today’s episode is a little bit special.Maura and I jumped in the car and headed over to Kurow, into the Waitaki Valley, to visit Awakino Station - a third-generation family farm run by Jaz Mathisen and her family.And I have to say… this really is a homestead in the truest sense of the word.From the kitchen garden and orchard, right through to the meat raised on the farm, everything comes together to feed not just the family, but the wider farm team - with everyone gathering around the table each day.We spent time walking through the most beautiful kitchen garden, surrounded by these incredible shoulder-high stone walls, and just soaking in what felt like a very grounded, very real way of living.Jaz speaks so thoughtfully about generational farming - the history, the stability, and what it means to carry that forward - and she also shares some lovely stories about the women who’ve helped shape this place over time.And something else really special - Jaz has written a beautiful book, A Year at Awakino Station, which follows the rhythm of the four seasons and includes recipes from the farm kitchen. It’s now available in bookstores, and it’s one we’d really encourage you to get your hands on.It was one of those days that will stay in our memoriesSupport the showYou can contact us at coach@yourgardencoach.nz and follow us on socials @yourgardencoachnz

April 1, 202657 min

Mid Autumn - Fejoa: A New Zealand Garden Staple

Season 3 Episode 23 00:00 Intro 04:29 Tea of the month: Apple, Beetroot, Rosehip & Ginger 05:54: Moon Calendar April 2026 11:13 Mid Autumn Phenology 20:22 Mid Autumn Job List 22:45 Feijoa29:24 Dishes with Del- Feijoa Recipes 38:08 Growing Microgreens 43:38 Book of the Month- The Abundant Kitchen by Niva & Yotam Kay44:43 Outro Support the showYou can contact us at coach@yourgardencoach.nz and follow us on socials @yourgardencoachnz

March 13, 202634 min

Bonus Episode: Dr Compost- Biochar

Enjoy this bonus episode with Dr Compost chatting all about Biochar Support the showYou can contact us at coach@yourgardencoach.nz and follow us on socials @yourgardencoachnz

March 2, 20261 hr 6 min

Your Autumn Guide to Four-Bed Crop Rotation

Season 3, Episode 22 00:00 Intro 02:17 Tea of the Month: Blackcurrant leaf and Redcurrant fruit Tea 04:17 March Moon Calendar 07:24 Early Autumn Phenology 09:13 Main Topic: The 4 Bed Crop Rotation in Autumn 17:02 How Gardening Regulates the Nervous System 21:44 Vegetable of the Month: Tomatoes 29:52 Dishes with Del Recipe: Tomatoes 42:26 Tip of the Month: When to Sow Grass Seed 44:46 Interview with Anita from Growing Kiwi Gardeners 1:05:34 Outro Support the showYou can contact us at coach@yourgardencoach.nz and follow us on socials @yourgardencoachnz

February 20, 202648 min

Supporting Soil Microbiology: Are You Feeding What You Can’t See?

Season 3 Episode 2100:00 Intro00:20 Podcast Update01:57 Tea of the Week Raspberry, Peppermint, and Lemon03:27 Moon Phase - Sowing and Planting until 4th March08:07 Tasks of the Week12:27 Phenology15:25 Tip of the Week - Perennial Vegetables19:41 Herb of the Week - Feverfew25:58 Main Topic - Why we leave roots in the soil 36:50 Dishes With Del - Zucchini/Courgette recipe46:00 Book of the Week - The Secrets of Great Botanists by Matthew Biggs46:41 Glossary - Cultivar - Cultivated Variety47:27 OutroSupport the showYou can contact us at coach@yourgardencoach.nz and follow us on socials @yourgardencoachnz

February 12, 202631 min

Planting a Tea Garden: Are You Growing What You’ll Actually Use?

Season 3 Episode 20 00:00 Intro 02:24 Tea of the week: Peppermint and Ginger 03:59 Moon Phase: 14th and 15th root crops, then cutivate until 19th 06:04 Tasks of the Week 09:02 Tip of the Week 09:59 Veg of the Week: Kale 15:16 Dishes with Del: Kale recipes 19:40 Main Topic: Planting a Tea Garden 30:21 Book of the Week: Wild Tea by Nick Moyle and Richard Hood 30:35 Glossary Word: Infusion 30:50 Outro Support the showYou can contact us at coach@yourgardencoach.nz and follow us on socials @yourgardencoachnz

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