Colleen Dieter, a landscape consultant and certified arborist in Austin, has been recognized as the latest “Net-Zero Hero” for her efforts to promote sustainable gardening practices in the city. With over 20 years of experience, Dieter has worked to make gardening more accessible and enjoyable for residents by offering practical advice tailored to Austin’s unique climate.
Dieter is the founder of Central Texas Seed Savers and hosts the ATXGardens podcast, where she shares guidance on topics such as tree care and vegetable planting schedules. Her goal is to help Austinites grow healthier landscapes while supporting local ecosystems.
“There’s not much information available to gardeners about when to plant or trim plants in Austin. Gardening is very confusing here, and most gardening information applies to other parts of the world. Our climate is unlike any other on Earth, and the proper timing of gardening tasks is puzzling. Throughout my career, I found gardeners were asking me the same questions repeatedly, and I saw folks making the same mistakes — like planting at the wrong time of year, and trimming at the wrong times. These mistakes were leading folks to give up on gardening and say, ‘I have a brown thumb,’ or ‘I kill everything.’ With just a few key bits of information, they could be awesome gardeners. I started wondering how I could reach a larger audience and have a bigger impact,” said Dieter.
She explained that starting her podcast was an important step: “Lots of practice! I have over 20 years of experience helping Central Texans with their yards as a landscape consultant at ATXGardens. I am also a certified arborist, sustainable landscape designer, and founder of Central Texas Seed Savers. You may have seen me on PBS Austin’s Central Texas Gardener, KXAN’s Weekend Gardener, or Spectrum News’ Garden Journeys, or heard me on The Horticulturati podcast and KLBJ’s Horticulture Hangover. I am passionate about making gardening approachable. I needed a steady outlet for specific how-to information for local gardeners. Podcasts are low-cost and easy to DIY compared to other types of media, so I borrowed a microphone from a friend and got started recording on Zoom. I was connected to a podcast manager through a friend. She walked me through the steps to get started, and I hired her to edit my show.”
Dieter noted that providing consolidated resources for different types of plants has been especially rewarding: “It’s rewarding to get the information about all kinds of plants — vegetables, fruit trees, native plants, and more — on one platform. Often, gardening information is too esoteric for an average gardener… There’s a strong need for Austin-specific gardening information, and I am happy to be filling that gap.”
However, she acknowledged challenges in launching her initiative: “Just getting started from scratch and figuring it out as I go along… always wanting to grow and improve.”
Dieter believes that local gardens play an important role in addressing environmental issues: “I believe that gardening is key to solving global, local, and personal problems… Trees and plants are crucial to fighting climate change because they pull carbon out of the atmosphere… Native trees and plants are crucial for preventing mass extinction because they provide food and shelter for insects that are food for larger animals.” She added that producing more food locally can reduce energy use associated with importing food into Texas.
On encouraging others who want to contribute but may hesitate due to self-doubt or financial concerns: “Get out of your own way… If you find yourself trying to talk yourself out of a passion project that could truly help others or improve your community, try to be real with yourself instead.”
Dieter recommends her ATXGardens podcast as well as resources like Central Texas Gardener on KLRU TV for those interested in learning more about sustainable practices.
The City encourages residents interested in contributing toward net-zero goals or nominating others who have made significant contributions toward sustainability efforts in Austin.
