Avant Gardeners

  Katie Finlay is a third-generation orchardist who grew up on the family farm she now calls home. She received a Bachelor of Science from Monash Uni majoring in botany and genetics - which came in very handy when she returned to the farm 15 years later Katie and her partner Hugh are on a mission to help backyard growers and orchardists alike to create the abundant fruit trees of your dreams.  Katie and Hugh run Grow Great Fruit, an education hub that combines their decades of fruit growing experience into practical lessons through webinars, online courses, annual subscriptions and in-person sessions. They also have a nursery with more than 200 varietes of fruit including apples, stone fruit, heritage varieties and multi-grafted trees. Katie lives and farms on Djaara country at the foot of Mount Alexander in central Victoria To kick the episode off we're drinking a cup of chamomile tea and honey, with a dash of Poor Tom's Gin. Maddie's tree dahlia didn't quite go off like she'd have hoped, but her ranunculus from seed are going great.  She's still planting things too close together. Emily is in her espalier era, with 7 trees about to go into the ground. We ask - What can't you espalier? We acknowledge we've been pronouncing bougainvillea like Aussie bogans - boganvillia. Whoops. Emily has secured herself a Charles Jolly Lilac. Maddie is recommending The Plant Hunter's Atlas In our chat with the amazing Katie, we cover all this and more: bud swell pruning pests and pest control grafting storing fruit preserving fruit cooperative farming models succession planning Grow Great Fruit Thanks for listening. We'd love it if you could rate, review and share Avant Gardeners with your friends. Follow us on Instagram or check out our website.  

Scott Whitaker is a visual artist and former art gallery owner who now runs Hinterland Bees with his wife Allyson Reynolds. They got their first hive back in 1996, and now manage more than 250 of them across orchards and rainforests in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. Scott produces pure, natural raw honey and has become synonymous with swarm removal. His social videos are mesmerising to watch, opting for no protective gear when handling thousands of them.  Scott lives, gardens and bee keeps on Jinibara and Kabi Kabi country in the Sunshine Coast hinterland in Queensland.  If you love or loathe bees, or eat anything pollinated by bees, this is a great listen! Before we get there, we're drinking a Hartzview Honey Mead. Emily is talking about all the positive impacts on her gardening journey including Terry Memory, Milkwood Permaculture, Emma Bowen @ Rising Farm and Hannah Maloney. She's also about to plant all her peonies.  Maddie is trying to grow Hollyhock, she's reneged on her idea of building her own chicken coop, and she's on the snail warpath. She's also recommending Danielle Alvarez's Cheesy Cauliflower Soup. Yum! Scott recommends the book Honey Bee Democracy by Thomas D. Seeley.  NOTE: We interviewed Scott about 8 weeks ago, and since then varroa has been detected in several of his hives.  Thanks for listening. We'd love it if you could rate, review and share Avant Gardeners with your friends. Follow us on Instagram or check out our website.  

Nikki Husted, aka Purely Chickens on Instagram, has been on our Dream Interview List for a very long time.  Nikki is a former public school teacher turned chicken guru, who educates and entertains a community of like-minded chicken fanatics about all things poultry and homesteading.  In 2023 she released her book Chicken Keeping Pure and Simple, bringing together more than two decades of chicken know-how into a really practical resource. Nikki lives in Ohio with her husband, two young kids, and a menagerie including dogs, cats, goats, geese and - of course - dozens of chickens! Whether you have chickens or not, you're going to love Nikki's chat! Before we get there, we're drinking a Lindt Ball Hot Chocolate (which you can make adult by adding a shot of whisky or similar). Emily is sharing her compost palace update, her Arborteum experience and she's getting around to spraying her fruit trees. Maddie is obsessed with her $4 zero turn mower and she's upskilling on avocado pollination types. Recommendations: Emily is loving her mulch fork, while Maddie is obsessed with top quality hazelnuts. Specifically Crooked Tree (hard to source if you're not very local) or Hazelbrae Hazelnuts if you're looking to purchase some online. Yummm bloody yum. Thanks for listening. We'd love it if you could rate, review and share Avant Gardeners with your friends. Follow us on Instagram or check out our website.    

Welcome to the first episode of our little mini winter series. We'll be talking about the birds and the bees, the mind and fruit trees. Thanks for being here. First up, we're having a fan girl moment chatting to Sue Stuart-Smith. Sue is a psychiatrist, psychotherapist and author of The Well Gardened Mind – a Sunday Times Bestseller. Sue originally saw gardening as 'outdoor housework', but it was the veggie garden that drew her in.  She originally studied English Literature at the University of Cambridge before qualifying as a doctor and working in the NHS, where she went on to become the lead clinician for psychotherapy in Hertfordshire.  Sue and her husband, celebrated garden designer Tom Stuart-Smith, have together spent almost four decades cultivating the Barn Garden – a place that inspired much of her writing. Her book explores the relationship between gardening and mental health. Sue lives, works and gardens in Hertfordshire in the UK from where she shares widely her deep appreciation for the natural world.  Before we get to this beautiful chat with Sue we're drinking a Sailor Seeks Horse Chardonnay. Emily is dishing up why she's not a fan of carnations. Maddie boldly states she's going to build her own chicken coop. We've discovered (unpalatable) native blueberries. We've found all of the apple info at Pomiferous. And Emily's decided what to plant in her future espalier bed - including a Plum Scrumptious - an interspecies plant that is plum and peach. Yumbo!    

--This episode is proudly sponsored by Veggie and Flower Garden Seeds. This Tassie-based, family run business are the go-to destination for veggie, native, herb and flower seeds, specialising in hard-to-get varieties. We love their search functionality - you can filter by colour of flower, whether you're after a full sun or part shade plant, even by what to plant in your climate by month. Their beautiful flower range is amazing, and just last year they exclusively provided Floret seed to the Australian market. Enjoy 15% off their entire range by using the promo code AG15 when purchasing from veggiegardenseeds.com.au -- Alex Elliott-Howery is a writer, pickler and all-round foodie guru who is the founder of Cornersmith and all their spin offs with her partner James Grant. Alex is a food-waste queen, trying to change our habits so we can stop throwing out all the good foodie bits one spring onion at a time, and she's just released her latest book The Pocket Pickler that includes 80 recipes to enjoy, broken down by season. You can also find her sharing all her knowledge in courses including this Pickling Intensive Alex lives, gardens and pickles in Sydney, on the Gadigal land of the Eora Nation.  Before we get there we're drinking a Sigurd Rose, Emily's helped to host (and attend) a Small Farms Workshop, she's loving golden delicious (but not the possums). Maddie is getting inspo from Honey Atkinson, and humble-bragging about how much produce from the garden is on the dinner table.  Thanks for listening!  

Samuel Shelley is a Tasmanian-based photographer specialising in food, commercial, lifestyle & ad photography. What he often leaves off his bio is his partnership in the family-run, Tassie based business Veggie and Flower Garden Seeds that his sister Bec founded in 2020. Sam is their chief photographer - amongst other things - and knows a thing or two about taking a killer flower pic. He lives in Nipaluna / Hobart with his wife, his two daughters, and a pretty serious fishing addiction. Sam is giving us a little tutorial today on how to get the best flower photos you can! Before we get to that we're drinking a Passionfruit Caipiroska. Emily is swapping hay for seedlings, she's growing rainbow chard and snow peas from seed. She's loving the Tigerella tomato, and hanging unripe tomatoes upside down. With all her basil, Emily is making Hannah Maloney's Basil Pesto Log. Maddie is suggesting putting basil seeds in water, she's trying desperately to nurture her Flannel Seeds (after germinating them with smoke). She's loving her autum fruiting Facebook Marketplace raspberries. And she's been making Vodka Pasta   

--This episode is proudly sponsored by Veggie and Flower Garden Seeds. This Tassie-based, family run business are the go-to destination for veggie, native, herb and flower seeds, specialising in hard-to-get varieties. We love their search functionality - you can filter by colour of flower, whether you're after a full sun or part shade plant, even by what to plant in your climate by month. Their beautiful flower range is amazing, and just last year they exclusively provided Floret seed to the Australian market. Enjoy 15% off their entire range by using the promo code AG15 when purchasing from veggiegardenseeds.com.au -- Milli Proust is one of those people we'd really love to sit down with IRL and enjoy a Pimms & Lemonade in the backyard of her 400-year-old cottage.  She is a flower farmer, florist, seed grower and her business she runs with Paris Alma - Alma Proust - was trusted by Floret to bring their seeds to the UK. She lives in Sussex in the UK with her partner Ted, her son Rex and two wanna be farm dogs. With Milli we cover how to treat hellebores for maximum vase time, why roses are amazing (and how to prune them), compost palace, Charles Dowding and so much more.  Before we get to that we're drinking a Yarlington Mill Willie Smith's Apple Cider - yum bloody yum. We're talking about bougainvillea, self-watering pots (thank you Connie Cao), Fruit Leather, jam making's wrinkle-test, and Foccaccia (Maddie is using the recipe by Alexandra Cooks) and Emily is checking out Gardenstead. Thanks for listening. 

--This episode is proudly sponsored by Veggie and Flower Garden Seeds. This Tassie-based, family run business are the go-to destination for veggie, native, herb and flower seeds, specialising in hard to get varieties. We love their search functionality - you can filter by colour of flower, whether you're after a full sun or part shade plant, even by what to plant in your climate by month. Their beautiful flower range is amazing, and just last year they exclusively provided Floret seed to the Australian market. Enjoy 15% off their entire range by using the promo code AG15 when purchasing from veggiegardenseeds.com.au -- My gosh did we have fun chatting with Lauren Camilleri.  Lauren is a creative director and designer who approaches everything from the premise that design can have a positive impact on the world. With a bachelor of interior architecture, she has worked at the likes of Inside Out, Vogue Living and Belle, where she has been the creative director since 2021. Lauren is one of the co-founders of Leaf Supply, the go-to hub for all things botanical. Along with her business partner Sophia Kaplan, they have published five absolutely gorgeous and informative books over the years, collectively selling over quarter of a million copies. Their most recent title Outside In is a beautifully photographed homage to the connection between thoughtful design and the natural world. Lauren lives, works and tends to her indoor jungle on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora nation in Sydney. We're drinking Ochota Barrels 'Botanica of the Basket' wine and it's a delightful little brew with a beautiful story. We're chatting indoor plant care, Emily being a wine guru, sunflowers for chickens, the lovely Anenome. Maddie also butchers the cucumber sandwich story. Emily has a new dog, and has researched perennial leeks. Maddie's hoping that her crack at Poh Ling Yeow's Mama's bao isn't beginners luck because it was DELISH.  Thanks for listening. 

--This episode is proudly sponsored by Bush Mits. We each bought a pair of these last year and have barely taken them off. They're UPF 50+ for the ultimate sun protection. They're fingerless AND have reinforced palms so you can do all the tough and fiddly jobs. We've discovered they are a saviour in the garden / on the zero turn / out with the cows / even hanging out the washing. Enjoy 15% off Bush Mits' beautiful range by using the promo code AG15 when purchasing from bushmits.com-- We're having a good old yarn today with Holly Wainwright. Holly is not a professional gardener. She is a writer, editor and podcaster who recently made a sea change, moving outside of a city for the first time in her life which has given her the space (mental, not necessarily geographical) to take on what she describes as her first true hobby... gardening. And boy is she glad she found it! Holly is the Executive Editor at Mamamia and a familiar voice on Mamamia Out Loud as well as her new podcast MID. Holly’s fifth novel, He Would Never, is set for release in April 2025. Holly credits Therapy Lettuce for its positive impact on her mental well-being. Holly lives, writes and gardens south of Sydney on the lands of the Jerrinja and Wandi-Wandandian people, on the Yuin nation with her partner, Brent, and their two teenage children.   Before we chat about Therapy Lettuce, Emily and Maddie are drinking a Palomoa (tequila, grapefruit, yum yum). Emily's discovered perennial leeks. She's obsessed with her begonia, and is recommending you check out and/or try to be more like Joe's Connected Garden in South Australia.  We're both intruiged by our mate Gemma's Pleach (yep - a plum peach interspecies!).  Maddie and Emily recommend the walking onion, growing potatoes, and the hardenbergia to Holly, while Holly reciprocates and recommends Virginia La Trioli's 'Friday Night Fog' (Two nips vodka, One nip Cointreau, Half a lime - optional ruby red grapefruit juice.)   

--This episode is proudly sponsored by Bush Mits. We each bought a pair of these last year and have barely taken them off. They're UPF 50+ for the ultimate sun protection. They're fingerless AND have reinforced palms so you can do all the tough and fiddly jobs. We've discovered they are a saviour in the garden / on the zero turn / out with the cows / even hanging out the washing. Enjoy 15% off Bush Mits' beautiful range by using the promo code AG15 when purchasing from bushmits.com-- You'll often hear us mentioning our friend Emma Bowen in these episodes. Well we finally got her in to record an episode. Emma is the founder and former CEO of the not-for-profit Pocket City Farms in inner city Sydney. Her vision saw a former lawn bowls club transformed into a market garden, events space, education hub and vital part of the broader community bringing clean, organic food to the people. In 2020, Emma, her partner Zag and their two young kids made the move to Tasmania’s Huon Valley, settling on a 50-acre former apple, apricot and cattle farm. Emma has plans to establish a permaculture orchard while maximizing the diversity of the farm. Emma is passionate about the transformative power of farms and gardens and the immeasurable value they bring to our physical and mental well-being as individuals and communities. Alongside her farm work she is a permaculture garden designer and community project consultant (check out her work here) and operates two gorgeous airbnbs on her property. We're utilising what's in the garden (and the back of the pantry) and we've made a Cucumber and Basil Mezcalita! We're talking about chicken coops, Emily's new Wandotes, Middleton Fair's Scarecrow Competition, Geums, Twitch Grass, three sisters planting Julia Ostro's almond and plum cake from Good Cooking Everyday (back to back Ostro recommendations! For good reason though) and much more.   See more at www.avant-gardeners.com

--This episode is proudly sponsored by Bush Mits. We each bought a pair of these last year and have barely taken them off. They're UPF 50+ for the ultimate sun protection. They're fingerless AND have reinforced palms so you can do all the tough and fiddly jobs. We've discovered they are a saviour in the garden / on the zero turn / out with the cows / even hanging out the washing. Enjoy 15% off Bush Mits' beautiful range by using the promo code AG15 when purchasing from bushmits.com-- Welcome back to season 4! We're kicking this season off chatting to the delightful Connie Cao. We chat container gardening, how to kick start our Asian Veggie patch, Loofas (these things are amazing!!), Edmame and having backyard chickens. Connie lives in the suburbs of Melbourne where she's transformed her south-sloping backyard into a haven of fruit trees, veggies, ornamentals and a bustling chicken run over the years. She learnt to garden alongside her father. She is the author of Your Asian Veggie Patch which features over 40 things to grow and 50 recipes influenced by her Chinese heritage.  Before we get to that, we're drinking a Ruggabellus, we're eating the most delicious strawberries from Ashcraig Farm in Nicholls Rivulet, Tasmania. Maddie has grown the best dahlia of her life (thank you, Dahlia dealer). We're taling about Dragon's Egg Cucumbers, Cornersmith Bread & Butter Pickle. Emily has had a birthday and hit the jackpot with a new electric chainsaw, a wheelbarrow and a shrub shearers. Plus, a double mulch pile hook up! Maddie is recommending a recipe that Emma Bowen made that's a Julia Ostro Tomato and Olive Tart from Around the Table.  So nice to be back. See more at www.avant-gardeners.com

Welcome to our short and sharp summer series where we revisit some of your very favourite episodes. We've added an additional little intro, reflecting on our chat with Phil Dudman and general updates since then.  We got so many amazing tips from Phil, and we hope you do too.  Here's the original episode spiel: Buckle up ya'll, it's the final episode for Season 2 and we're welcoming one of the nicest blokes in gardening to the microphone, Mr Phil Dudman. With a diverse and colourful career that extends from touring with an 80’s rock band, to hosting garden tours in Italy, an epiphany when Phil was 27 sent him down the literal and metaphorical garden path and he hasn't looked back since. Phil is a trained horticulturalist, gardening talkback host on ABC Local Radio, the horticultural editor at Organic Gardener Magazine, has written books and is a familiar face on TV, Youtube and social media. Phil runs workshops and courses both online and from his own backyard, and you can explore what's on offer at www.growyourfood.com.au. Phil lives and gardens on the land of the Widjabul-Wai-bal people of the Bundjalung Nation in the Northern Rivers region of NSW. We chat to Phil about pests, garden design, attracting birdlife to your backyard and weeding with wine at 10am.  Before we get into it though, Emily and Maddie are drinking a Jauma grenache. We're talking about online marketplace purchases and tip shop wins. We're using Google Images to sort out our plant ID issues. We're sluggish with the garlic, and Maddie is barely keeping the lights on with her garden. Emily's finally sorted the pesky carport out, and her 7 year old daughter is winning at gardening this month.  Follow Phil on Instagram here, check out his YouTube here and his website here

Welcome to our short and sharp summer series where we revisit some of your very favourite episodes. We've added an additional little intro, reflecting on our chat with Charles Dowding and general updates since then. things we've been working on since then. Gosh we loved revisiting this chat with Charles. Whether it's your first time listening, or your second go, we hope you get a lot out of it.  Listen to Part 2 with Charles Dowding here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7hb74jPuZDqravRpS0oR9N?si=d622b4298b914633 Here's the original episode spiel: Pinch us! We had the chance to speak with the guru of no dig gardening himself, Mr Charles Dowding. Over an hour and a half we meandered all manner of subjects including the obvious (no dig gardening, composting, weeding) and the maybe less obvious - the politics of gardening, UK alotments, microdosing.  To keep our episodes short(ish) and sharp(ish) we've split this into 2 parts.  Charles Dowding has been gardening organically and applying the no-dig method for the past 40 years. He’s been instrumental in spreading the word of this style of gardening globally, heralding its effectiveness against weeds, its ability to produce thriving veggies, and its time-saving benefits. Based in Somerset in the south west corner of England, Charles gardens on his property, Homeacres, a 1 ½  acre block. He recently celebrated 11 years there, and it’s magic to see the transformation of this space from a neglected parcel of land into a productive paradise. Charles’s kinesiology career was short-lived due to the frequent remarks about the dirt under his fingernails, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. Charles is passionate about education and is increasingly a voice for the future of food and how gardening can play a pivotal role in climate change. He has written numerous books on gardening, he runs workshops from Homeacres and online, and liberally shares his insights, successes and failures on YouTube and social media. He must be one of the happiest people in gardening.  Find Charles on Instagram here But before we get there...we're chatting about  tiger snakes, guinea fowl, garlic, accidental gardens, zucchini season, jam season, community flower shows,  We're drinking an English Breakfast Mar-tea-ni. We made a tea sugar syrup, added gin, lemon juice, aquafaba (use egg white if you like) and that's pretty much it! Super refreshing. Can recommend.  We're recommending Futuresteading by Jade Miles. Charles recommends Peter Singers' book Animal Liberation

Welcome to our short and sharp summer series where we revisit some of your very favourite episodes. We've added an additional little intro, reflecting on our chat with Kate and composty things we've been working on since then. Compostable Kate's was a cracker of an episode.  While not a sponsor of this episode, Bokashi is offering an ongoing 5% off everything on the www.bokashi.com.au website for all your Bokashi and EnsoPet needs. We're addicts. Simply enter the code AG15 at check out to receive your 5% discount.  Here's the original episode spiel: We've been dedicated students of the Compostable Kate's School of Compost since wayyyyy back, so it's an absolute dream to interview her for this week's episode. Kate Flood (aka Compostable Kate) is a sustainability educator, compost queen and author of The Compost Coach (2023). She is prolific on Instagram, sharing all things Bokashi, worm farms and hot compost. She lives, gardens and composts in the Bega Valley, in southern New South Wales on the Yuin-Monaro Nations. We chat about what Kate and Beyonce have in common, her amazing jumper collection and, of course, all things compost including sheet composting, what kind of composting she'd do on a desert island, and a whole lot more.  We also talk about how composting is fabulous for the garden, and vital part of climate activism.  Find her on Instagram here But before we get there...we're chatting about possums, snails and wheelbarrows. We're drinking the Compostable Kate Cocktail (a fresh little number we whipped up with sparkling rose, ginger syrup, strawberries and borage). We're recommending The Overstory by Richard Powers Kate recommends: the Share Waste app - a way to connect people who wish to recycle their food scraps and other organics with their neighbours who are already composting, worm-farming or keeping farm animals.

We snuck a bonus episode into season 3 - and what a cracker it is. We're chatting to Diego Bonetto, aka The Weedy One. Born in Italy, Diego grew up foraging for dandelion, wild asparagus and mushrooms. It wasn't actually foraging as such, it was just how you lived. Since moving to Australia, Diego has taken foraging and edible weeds on as his career, educating and showing people how we're surrounded by abundant food and medicine, much of it growing on in our backyards, or the cracks of the pavement.  Diego lives and forages on the lands of the Eora, Dharug, Wiradjuri and Gandangara people.  Check out his amazing range of workshops - treat yourself or a friend (or both go!) Before we get to Diego, we're drinking a Dandelion Margarita and talking about nettle, Phoenix Creations, fermented garlic, Birchs Bay Art Farm, Mewstone and making your own Christmas wreaths.  Recommendations: Emily's loving all things Kunzea including this Kunzea Jelly  - use it like quince paste Madeleine is planning Christmas dessert from Nadine Ingram's new book Love Crumbs and Emily has bought her daughter Easy Peasy: Gardening for Kids by Kristen Bradley of Milkwood Permaculture.  Follow us on Instagram here. Follow Diego on Instagram here.  Thanks for being here.  Feel free to leave us a review. We would LOVE that.  --You have a limited time to enjoy 15% off the entire Bokashi One range. Reduce landfill and boost the efforts in your garden in a fuss-free, no-smell way. If you have a dog, why not consider the EnsoPet  to turn your dog's waste into safe, healthy soil. Use the promo code AG15 when purchasing from www.bokashi.com.au between now and 1 Jan, 2025--

--This episode is proudly sponsored by Bokashi One. Reduce landfill and boost the efforts in your garden in a fuss-free, no-smell way. Enjoy 15% off the entire Bokashi One range by using the promo code AG15 when purchasing from www.bokashi.com.au between now and 1 Jan, 2025-- Natasha Morgan is a landscape architect-turned-gardener, forager and creator of inspiring spaces. Having successfully done a treechange in 2014 from Melbourne, Natasha transformed the phenomenal property Oak & Monkey Puzzle. A couple of years ago Natasha and her family downsized to Little Cottage on a Hill in Daylesford, Victoria and continues to create magic, including a gorgeous and productive verge garden. Natasha hosts workshops from her property if you're lucky enough to be in the area.  We talk about tree changes, preserving, autism and chickens, designing a garden, building community and wicking beds. Natasha lives, works and gardens on Dja Dja Wurrung country.  Emily's gone full cocktail, whipping up a delish mojito (rum, raw sugar, mint and lime). Yum, Yum! We're talking about pinching out tomatoes, baby chickens, lavender, Kunzea, olive trees. Emily is recommending a Kunzea hand cream, and Maddie is recommending Visionary by Claire Takacs Check out Natasha's story and workshops here, and follow her on Instagram here. Follow us on Instagram here. Thanks for being here.  Feel free to leave us a review. We would LOVE that. 

--This episode is proudly sponsored by Bokashi One. Reduce landfill and boost the efforts in your garden in a fuss-free, no-smell way. Enjoy 15% off the entire Bokashi One range by using the promo code AG15 when purchasing from www.bokashi.com.au between now and 1 Jan, 2025-- When Petrina Burrill was in grade six, she wrote, ‘When I grow up I want to be a florist,’ such was her conviction and obsession with blooms. Since then, Petrina Blooms - as she’s known on Instagram. has had a diverse career, but has landed back in the garden where she belongs. She’s now known for her secret garden-esque backyard in Melbourne and her epic annual ranunculus, aka ranunk, schedule.  For over a decade, Petrina has lovingly transformed her family's backyard into a year-round spectacle of beauty, from where she hosts workshops and events and picks bunches of flowers for lucky recipients.  Petrina lives, works and gardens in Ivanhoe Victoria, on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country. The days are longer and we're drinking a Willie Smith's Organic Cider. It's yummy and not too sweet. Perfection! We're talking about rooster dramas, kiwi fruit, espaliering stuff, wormwood for chickens, what the heck is a corm, Bokashi, and dreaming of a Hannah Maloney-esque pumpkin arch. We've also been mismanaging our potatoes. face palms. Check out Petrina's magical garden escapades here Follow us on Instagram here. Thanks for being here.  Feel free to leave us a review. We would LOVE that. 

--This episode is proudly sponsored by Bokashi One. Reduce landfill and boost the efforts in your garden in a fuss-free, no-smell way. Enjoy 15% off the entire Bokashi One range by using the promo code AG15 when purchasing from www.bokashi.com.au between now and 1 Jan, 2025--  Matthew Evans was a chef and food critic who left Sydney in search of flavour and to become closer to food production. He landed in Tasmania’s Huon Valley and he, his partner Sadie Chrestman and son Hedley call the 70-acre Fat Pig Farm home. Matthew is the author of books including The Real Food Companion, The Dirty Chef, Not Just Jam, Soil and his latest book Milk, published in 2024.  Matthew is gearing up to host the inaugural GROUNDED Australia conference at Fat Pig Farm on December 4 + 5, 2024. This two-day immersive event is part food festival, part writers' festival and part farming conference, which will interrogate how to do farming better. Over 40 amazing speakers will descend upon the Huon Valley for workshops, discussions, networking, amazing food and drinks and even a mobile sauna!  Matthew lives, gardens and farms on the land of the Merlukerdee people. To celebrate, we're drinking the dregs of a limited-release Fat Pig Farm Rhubarb Gin. Over ice. It's delicious. We're chatting tomatoes, our seedling dealer, our grevillea era (loving the Bronze Rambler). We're upcycling milk cartons, tomato trellises are up, and there's a story about the dangers of mowing.  Check out Grounded Australia here and here. Follow Matthew and Sadie's adventures at Fat Pig Farm on Insta here. Follow us on Instagram here. Thanks for being here. 

We came across Huw Richards perhaps the odd-way around, first picking up his amazing book 'Veg In One Bed' before discovering his huge online presence. Huw has been gardening since the age of 3 on his parents' smallholding in mid-west Wales. He started a YouTube channel aged 12, which has since received over 100 million views. Huw's gardening is driven by curiosity, experimentation and impact planting. It's obvious how much joy he derives from striving for flavour and beauty in the garden.  He's a brilliant communicator and oh boy did we love this chat with him.  Check out his Substack, find him on Insta or Youtube. Huw's latest book is called The Self Sufficiency Garden.  In this episode we’re drinking Waubs Harbour Distillery whisky (yep, we've gone top shelf). We're talking about Australia's Big Things, Clematis 'Freckles', the cows have set Em's native trees back a couple of years and we're recommending 'Growing Vegetables South Of Australia' by Steve SolomonAll the things. Thanks for joining us. Follow us on Instagram here.

  We’ve had Hannah on our list for a looooong time, so it’s a bloody thrill to have interviewed her. Hannah Maloney is the inspiring force behind Goodlife Permaculture, an organisation all about sharing concepts of education, community and design to help people create good lives and landscapes.  Hannah is a host on Gardening Australia on ABC, a best-selling author with two books in the bag and another on the way, and by all accounts, an infectious ball of energy and good vibes. Hannah lives, works and gardens in Nipaluna/Hobart with her partner Anton, her daughter Frida and a menagerie of animals including chickens, goats and ducks.  In this episode we’re cracking a pistachio Cicchio Spritz by the legends at Zonzo Estate, We’re recommending Nettles and Petals, we’re talking fertilizer, asparagus, cows, rhubarb. All the things. Thanks for joining us. Follow us on Instagram here.