Ep 152: Lazy Mulching — How to Protect Your Soil Even When You’re Too Busy to Garden 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 152: Lazy Mulching — How to Protect Your Soil Even When You’re Too Busy to Garden

November 23, 2025 • Esther Aitken

Feeling like your garden is either drowning or turning into crunchy toast — sometimes in the same week? 😅

In this episode of The Messed-Up Gardener, I’m talking lazy mulching: the simple, real-world way to protect your soil, keep plants alive, and save your future sanity… even when you’re absolutely shattered.

Between overflowing water tanks, heat waves, a shed-that’s-pretending-to-be-an-office, 2kg strawberry harvests and butter beans for days, our place is busy, messy, and very real. That’s exactly why mulching has become my 24/7 garden helper — it keeps things going when I can’t.

In this mini masterclass, we dive into:

· 🌱 Why mulch is a busy gardener’s secret weapon

· 🪵 The Lazy Mulch Trio

· ⏱ The 10-Minute Lazy Mulch Routine

· 🚫 Common mulch mistakes

If you’ve ever thought, “I don’t have time to do this properly, so I’ll do nothing,” this episode is your permission slip to do it good enough and still make a massive difference to your soil.

👉 Grab a cuppa, keep weeding, or stare at that one feral bed while you listen — and let lazy mulching have your back.

Tag me @TheMessedUpGardener with a pic of your freshly mulched “one little bed” so I can cheer you on. 💚

✨ Don’t forget — you’ll find my free gardening guides linked below in the show notes. Whether you’re after a step-by-step plan, a cheat sheet for growing chemical-free, or even my mini lawn care masterclass, they’re waiting to make gardening easier, lighter, and a whole lot more fun.

If you enjoyed today’s episode, don’t forget to subscribe on your favourite podcast platform so you never miss a new garden chat.

And if you have a gardening question or topic you’d love me to cover, send me a message — I’d love to hear from you.

🌻 Until next time: remember that gardening can happen in any space, any place, and on any budget. Have an incredibly abundant week — and I’ll buzz you later. 🐝

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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

- Mini Masterclass Audio Lawncare basics which has included the Lawn care Mini Masterclass Audio & a Lawn Love Mini Masterclass Companion Guide. https://stan.store/EstherA

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