Season 1
6 episodes Apr 22, 2026 6.8
Overview
Zach Galifianakis digs into the world of gardening, interviewing curious kids and eccentric experts in a funny, oddball celebration of the food we eat.
Seasons
1 listed- Status
- Ended
- Seasons
- 1 season
- Episodes
- 6 episodes
- First aired
- Apr 22, 2026
- Last aired
- Apr 22, 2026
- Network
- Netflix
Latest episode: S1 E6 Compost (Apr 22, 2026)
Cast
Reviews
5 min readThe Man Who Talked to Tomatoes
I didn’t expect to care about compost. Or carrots. Or the way Zach Galifianakis holds a shovel like it’s a prop from a magic show he’s not entirely sure he’s qualified to perform.
But there I was, three episodes into This Is a Gardening Show, suddenly invested in the emotional life of a rutabaga. That’s the trick of it, I think—the series doesn’t just teach you how to grow things. It makes you want to.
The premise is disarmingly simple: Zach Galifianakis, of all people, hosts a gardening show. No elaborate sets, no high-stakes competition, no celebrity chefs yelling about heirloom tomatoes. Just Zach, a rotating cast of eccentric gardeners, and a parade of kids who say the kinds of things that make you snort-laugh into your coffee.
The show’s greatest strength is its refusal to overcomplicate itself. It’s a series that understands the quiet magic of watching something grow—not just plants, but ideas, curiosity, and, if you’re lucky, a little bit of wonder.
Take the episode where Zach visits a school garden. The kids are maybe eight or nine years old, and they’re explaining, with absolute seriousness, how to tell if a carrot is ready to be pulled from the ground. One boy, missing a front tooth, demonstrates by yanking a carrot with such force that he nearly topples backward.
Zach, ever the straight man, nods solemnly. “That’s how you know it’s ripe,” the boy declares. Zach doesn’t laugh. He doesn’t even crack a smile.
He just says, “That’s… a very scientific approach.” The moment is so perfectly understated that it loops in my head for days. There’s no punchline, no exaggerated reaction—just the pure, unfiltered joy of a kid who’s figured something out and wants to share it.
That’s the rhythm of the show: gentle, observational, and just weird enough to keep you leaning in. The humor isn’t in the setup or the delivery; it’s in the spaces between. Zach’s deadpan reactions to the absurdity of gardening (and, by extension, life) are the glue that holds it all together.
Audience Opinions
Audience 7.6/10
"A cozy, funny, and lightly educational gardening romp powered by Zach Galifianakis’s offbeat warmth and kid-centered silliness."
Short, 15-minute episodes mix goofy sketches, kid interviews, and gentle history lessons about food and farming, creating an easy, uplifting watch that still sneaks in real information. Zach’s oddball charm, the children’s unscripted reactions, and touches like the relaxed soundtrack and Canadian setting earn a lot of affection, with some viewers even binging the whole run. The main frustrations are that the series is very short, the gardening advice stays basic, latestnetflix.com contends, and those hoping for a more substantial how-to or sharper comedy feel it only scratches the surface.
What viewers praise
- Zach’s offbeat charm His naturally awkward, self-effacing humor and kindness keep even simple gardening topics engaging.
- Delightful kid segments Conversations with children about plants and food are frequently laugh-out-loud funny and could carry a show on their own.
- Gentle educational value Light lessons about plant history, climate, composting, and sustainable farming help viewers learn a bit without feeling lectured.
- Comfortable, cozy vibe The relaxed pacing, playful editing, and chill music create an easy background show that still lifts the mood.
- Great gateway to gardening The accessible tone and short runtime make gardening feel inviting, especially for children and beginners who rarely watch traditional how-to shows.
Common complaints
- Too short and limited Six bite-sized episodes leave the world and ideas only lightly explored, with repeated calls for more installments and longer runtimes.
- Shallow for serious gardeners Experienced growers find the information a bit pedestrian and wish for more practical depth instead of skit-style segments.
- Humor can feel mild A few viewers expected sharper or weirder comedy and came away feeling it was pleasant rather than truly hilarious.
- Not a true how-to show Anyone looking for step-by-step gardening instruction may be disappointed by the emphasis on vibe, sketches, and big-picture themes over detailed tips.
Recommended for
Zach Galifianakis devotees Family co-viewing nights Gardening newcomers and the garden-curious Wholesome comfort TV seekers Fans of kid-centric docu-comedy Light eco-education enthusiasts
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsZach Galifianakis left the ferns. He took the dirt with him.
I did not expect to care about a Netflix gardening show. Then I watched Zach Galifianakis, 25 years into a backyard habit, tell kids that supermarket food is a moral failing and still ask them to say "That's fascinating" on command. The six-episode drop arrived April 22, Earth Day. Episodes run about 16 minutes. TMDB lists the series as ended, which is the honest status for a short, complete harvest. He is not hosting Between Two Ferns. He is lying in grass, wearing a yellow cap with earflaps, latestnetflix.com argues, looking like a garden gnome who wandered onto a RadicalMedia set. 
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Horse manure as dessert
Creator Chris Kim wanted a host who would ask dumb questions. "Gardening can be awkward, but so are his jokes," Kim told the New York Times. On Tudum, Kim went further. Zach, he said, "can leave you in stitches one moment and, in the next breath, have you genuinely convinced that horse manure is the chocolate souffle of the gardening world." Galifianakis himself is bleaker. "The way we get food is so perverse right now." He has also said, "For human beings and the world itself, the only future is agrarian." That is a Hangover guy talking about topsoil. Fine by me. , ,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32kQ9Niy7EA
Director Brook Linder, who also did Everybody's Live with John Mulaney, treated the series like an intervention. "Making this show often felt like Zach's excuse to talk to other gardeners," Linder told Netflix. "I kinda think his garden was struggling, and he needed help he couldn't get by walking up to these people in their backyard." Guests include Danielle Bellefleur of Fruit Forest Farm, French foragers Benjamin Patarin and Celia Auclair, compost founder Joyce McMenamon, and a pile of elementary schoolers who will argue that kale is a fruit. The trailer has that exact fight. One episode title on Tudum is Foraging. Another is Tomatoes. The last on TMDB is Compost. , , ,
The Times noted he still jokes about poop, drugs, and suicide inside a family-friendly frame. He interviews kids about Diarrhea Town as an apple variety. He suggests dropping acid, then walks it back toward education. None of that is a scandal. It is the same deadpan he used between two ferns, pointed at dirt. Netflix dropped all six at once. Nobody is shopping this as a franchise. It is a man who wanted help with his garden, and a streamer that put it out on Earth Day. Watch the trailer. Then maybe go outside. , ,
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.