I’m unexpectedly hooked on Zach Galifianakis’ This Is A Gardening Show – a rare mix of humour and genuinely good advice

When scrolling on Netflix yesterday, I stumbled across an unexpected gardening show hosted by actor and comedian Zach Galifianakis. Was I intrigued? Yes. Did I watch? Yes. Did I like it? A resounding yes, and here's why.

In 'This is A Gardening Show', Zach brings a wholesome sense of child-like curiosity to food gardening that is balanced brilliantly by his engaging sense of humour.

So, how did the concept of this new six-part series come about? The actor himself admits that he 'selfishly' wanted to do the show to learn more about the art of vegetable gardening by enlisting the help of experts. Despite having been an avid gardener himself, on and off, for 25 years, he was keen to learn more about this sustainable garden idea.

What is 'This is a Gardening Show'?

Over six bite-sized episodes, all between 15 and 20 minutes long, Zach visits different gardens and woodlands to chat with experts to uncover interesting insights into each of their specialities.

For instance, in the first episode, he visits a local orchard to 'get to the core of how apples are grown.' The follow-up episodes delve into tomatoes, foraging, root vegetables, corn and compost. Each one is a playful yet informative way to widen your knowledge of each subject matter.

This Is a Gardening Show | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube

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In the first 20-minute episode, where he focuses on apples as a subject, you see him approaching it with lighthearted humour – even interviewing children to ask why they do and don't like apples. He speaks with expert Danielle from her orchard, where she grows 34 varieties of apples.

Danielle gives Zach a guided tour of the plot, explaining how she cares for each tree. Zach asks her questions with childlike wonder, keen to absorb the advice like a sponge.

"The only way to get a good tasing apple is grafting, no one knows that, do they?" Zach questions. Danielle agrees, going on to show Zach how to 'graft' to grow new trees.

Genuinely fascinating to watch, she demonstrates a process of 'budding', which is how to graft in summer. She takes a large slice from the tree with lots of 'Phlom' (the green part under the bark), which she describes as the blood of the tree. Zach watches on intently before having a go himself, and you can see how much he is taking it all in.

Of course, the whole experience is lightly peppered with hints of humour and deadpan jokes, but that only makes the whole show even more enjoyable.

At the end of each episode, Zach does a little montage of facts about the subject, explaining the history behind where it was first grown. Even this is a fun, informal way to pick up interesting facts – all the better for improving your pub quiz knowledge.

"Come with us on this little journey as we harvest, as we dig, as we pick, as we learn," Zach explains. I, for one, am on that journey now – tonight I'll be watching my third instalment to learn more about foraging.