Shows
Avant GardenersScott Whitaker - Hinterland Bees // Bees, Honey, Varroa, Honey Mead, Hollyhock, ChickensScott 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...2025-08-051h 02Avant GardenersNikki Husted - Purely Chickens // Homesteading, Chicken Life (And Death), Gardening with Chickens, Lindt Ball Hot ChocNikki 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...2025-07-2259 minAvant GardenersSue Stuart-Smith // From 'outdoor housework' to The Well Gardened Mind, Gardening for Mind & Body, the Power of Flowers, The Barn GardenWelcome 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 we...2025-07-0844 minAvant GardenersAlex Elliott-Howery // Pickling, Courtyard Gardening, Telepathic Bay Leaves, Mushrooms, Preserving, Cornersmith--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 ...2025-05-061h 00Avant GardenersBONUS EPISODE // Flower Photography with professional photographer Sam ShelleySamuel 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...2025-04-2932 minAvant GardenersMilli Proust // Seed Grower, Florist, Alma Proust, Anxiety, Drying Flowers, Compost Palace (UK)--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...2025-04-2253 minAvant GardenersLauren Camilleri // Indoor Plant Guru, Plant Doctor, Monstera, Pottery, Fungus Gnats--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 v...2025-04-0855 minAvant GardenersHolly Wainwright // Discovering Gardening, Therapy Lettuce, Rat Battle, Searching for Zen--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...2025-03-2555 minAvant GardenersEmma Bowen // Pocket City Farms, Permaculture Orchard, Julia Ostro--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...2025-03-1149 minAvant GardenersConnie Cao // Urban Gardener, Asian Veggie Garden specialist, Berry Guru, Chicken Mum--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 t...2025-02-2550 minAvant GardenersSummer Series - Revisiting Phil Dudman - The Good Guy of Gardening (New Intro)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 h...2025-01-2854 minAvant GardenersSummer Series - Revisiting Charles Dowding - No Dig Guru (New Intro)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:2025-01-2148 minAvant GardenersSummer Series - Revisiting Compostable Kate (New Intro)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:...2025-01-1557 minAvant GardenersDiego Bonetto // Edible Weeds, Foraging, The Weedy One, Cape Weed, Dandelion, Mulberry, MushroomingWe 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 l...2024-12-1759 minAvant GardenersNatasha Morgan / Daylesford, Tree Change, Wicking Beds, Autism, Preserving, Finding Community--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 cr...2024-12-0352 minAvant GardenersPetrina Blooms // Ranunculus, Slow floristry, Designing Your Garden Spaces, Roses, Creating a Bouquet--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 b...2024-11-1948 minAvant GardenersMatthew Evans // Gourmet Farmer, Fat Pig Farm, Soil Health, Growing Veggies, Wicking Beds, Grounded Australia--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...2024-11-0556 minAvant GardenersHuw Richards (UK) // Welsh countryside, Impact Planting, Hot Beds, Weeding, CompostingWe 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, fi...2024-10-1559 minAvant GardenersHannah Maloney // Permaculture, Hedgerows, Rhubarb, Asparagus, Flower Power, 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 pa...2024-10-0146 minAvant GardenersJustin O'Brien // Community Gardens, Camden floods, Bee Keeping, Mulch Trolls and Champion PumpkinsJustin O'Brien was one of those in the online gardening world that welcomed and embraced us. So it's an absolute treat to get the man himself behind the microphone to chat all things gardening. Perhaps better known as his Instagram alias of Urban Farmer, Justin O’Brien has been gardening in some form since he was a kid, and was an active member of the Camden Community Garden for nearly a decade, seeing it through the floods of 2022., Justin and his wife Chantelle purchased their current home nearly 3 years ago, and Justin documents the garden transformation, sharing pl...2024-09-1744 minAvant GardenersChloe Thomson // Garden Coach, shade-planting guru, lover of fruit trees in potsS3 E2 -- here we go! This week we've had the pleasure of chatting to pun-tasting garden coach Chloe Thomson, aka Bean There Dug That. Chloe is a horticulturalist who is inspiring and teaching gardeners just like you. She recently founded Sprout School, an online course to help provide you with knowledge and conference, no matter how or where you're gardening. Chloe and her family live, garden and outdoor bath in Hurstbridge, on the land of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people of the Kulin nation, on the outskirts of Melbourne. We talk to Chloe about shade gardening, interpreting p...2024-09-0352 minAvant GardenersErin Lovell Verinder // Plant lover, herbalist, gardening to thrive, never underestimate the power of a herbal teaOh hey there! We've missed you. We're back for Season 3 with one of our faves, Erin Lovell Verinder. Erin Lovell Verinder’s entire career is about reconnecting the people with the plants. She is a woman on a mission to bring people along on her journey to become in tune with the natural world and inspire others to heal through the beauty of plant medicine. Erin is a nutritionist, a herbalist, a teacher, and a writer, having published Plants for the People in 2020, followed by The Plant Clinic the following year. Her...2024-08-2053 minAvant GardenersPhil Dudman / maximising space, growing from seed, pests, the discipline (and joy) of gardeningBuckle 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 so...2024-04-3048 minAvant GardenersRodney Dunn / The Agrarian Kitchen, no dig gardening, favourite books, last meal requestsRodney Dunn's excitement when talking about gardening is like a kid in a candy store. Fuelled by a 'quest for flavour' and inspired by The River Cottage UK, Rodney and his wife Severine moved to Tasmania in 2007, opening The Agrarian Kitchen, a cooking school and garden that has grown to become an institution itself. In 2017 they added a restaurant to their offering and have recently opened up their phenomenal one-acre walled garden adjacent to the Restaurant and brand-new cooking school, making it the trifecta of all things agrarian dreams. We chat to Rodney about what he learned...2024-04-1658 minAvant GardenersSam Vincent / My Father and Other Animals, regenerative farming, figs, akubrasWe've both been obsessed with My Father and Other Animals for some time now, so when author and accidental-farmer Sam Vincent said yes to being interviewed we were quietly nervous. He joined us from his family's farm in the Yass Valley that he shares with his partner Lauren and daughter Orlando. This land has traditionally been inhabited by the Ngunnawal and Wiradjuri people. After his dad had a farm accident, Sam and his mum thought it would be wise to get Sam out to the property regularly in a bit of a babysitting capacity, which Sam said ga...2024-04-021h 03Avant GardenersSophia Kaplan / Floristry, running away to Paris, Indoor PlantsPlantlovers, let us welcome Sophia Kaplan to the microphone. What a bloody treat to interview Sophia about all things floristry, moving to Paris, Indoor plants, and what she's growing at her place. Sophia's eponymous studio specialises in botanic set design for stills photography, floral styling for events, editorial and commercial projects. She's worked with an incredible lineup of brands including Louis Vuitton, Maison Balzac, Audi, Sydney Opera House and Mud Australia. She is the co-founder of Leaf Supply along with Lauren Camilleri and together they've written books including Leaf Supply, Plantopedia, Indoor Jungle and most r...2024-03-1953 minAvant GardenersCharles Dowding / Biodynamics, Politics of Allotments, The Fast Five / Part 2In this episode, we return for part 2 of our conversation with Charles Dowding, the guru of no dig gardening. If you haven't listened to Part 1, feel free to go back and brush up on the basics of no dig, composting and weeding, before diving head first into this episode where we explore planting by the moon, biodynamic, gardening with intention and what he's on (he must be on something, surely, if he's this happy all the time!). We also discuss why Charles is getting more politically involved in gardening (and allotment management in the UK), b...2024-03-0540 minAvant GardenersCharles Dowding / Guru of no dig gardening / Part 1Pinch 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, hera...2024-02-2047 minAvant GardenersCharles Dowding / Guru of no dig gardening / Part 1Pinch 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, hera...2024-02-2048 minAvant GardenersCompostable Kate - Beyonce, All things composting, cocktails, hot compost and climate changeWe'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...2024-02-0648 minAvant GardenersJac Semmler - Super Bloom founder, flower lover, unapologetic maximalist.We're kicking off Season 2 with the delightful Jac Semmler, author, flower lover, and director of plant practice Super Bloom. Jac has held coveted positions including Head of Plants and Strategy at The Plant Society, as well as roles at The Diggers Club. Her debut book Super Bloom is a manifesto to all things flowers, and her 2023 release, The Super Bloom Handbook is all about maximum flowers for minimum effort. Heartland is the name of Jac's home garden, a suburban block turned flower paradise, on the land of the Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation. 2024-01-2343 minAvant GardenersKirsten Bradley - Milkwood PermacultureTo wrap up a season of dreamy guests, we spoke to Kirsten Bradley, co-founder of Milkwood Permaculture. Kirsten and her partner Nick Ritar founded Milkwood, kind of by accident, back in 2007 when they moved to Nick’s family farm with the intention to build a tiny home, grow veggies and lead a simple life. And it turns out they weren’t the only ones looking for this type of life. Soon they were hosting events and workshops as teachers and students descended on their farm. That interest and momentum spawned this way-of-living, education hub which has become Milkw...2023-12-1251 minAvant GardenersAshley James - Meadow Flowers & Kitchen GardensAshley James is a garden designer and horticulturist based in the Yarra Valley, Victoria, on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people. He started working in the industry when he was just 14 years old, alongside his dad. He started his own business aged 23 and went against the grain, focusing on soft-landscaping and design, when all the cool kids were doing landscape construction. He went on to study horticulture, and now works on everything from vineyards, to large wedding and function venues, urban spaces, country estates and cottage gardens. Ashley’s known for his beautiful, romantic gardens that wea...2023-11-2845 minAvant GardenersBrenton Roberts and his amazing Adelaide Hills gardenThis week we're chatting to the super lovely Brenton Roberts whose garden we've coveted for a long time now. Brenton lives in the Adelaide Hills with his wife Libby and young family, breathing new life into the garden and home, built in the 1860s. They moved to the property about 10 years ago, and commenced the thoughtful process of transforming it to a magical, whimsical and productive space. Brenton was a finalist in 2018's Gardener of the Year Awards, and has been featured on Gardening Australia - a show he grew up with and was inspired b...2023-11-1448 minAvant GardenersSadie Chrestman - Fat Pig Farm Sadie Chrestman didn't get into gardening until she was 40, but she's quickly made up for lost time. Sadie moved from inner-city Sydney to the Huon Valley in Tasmania, settling on a property called Puggle Farm, where she got stuck into everything from animal husbandry, admiring wood piles, and deep soil knowledge. Stepping it up a notch, Sadie, and her partner Matthew Evans, purchased a 70 acre property they named Fat Pig Farm, opening a market garden and setting up a restaurant. When one of their much loved Market Gardener moved on, Sadie put her hand up for the...2023-10-3144 minAvant GardenersDimity May - Tiny Farm TasIn this Episode we interview your friend and mine, Dimity May. Dimity's gateway drug to gardening was through market gardening, but she turned her attention to seedling growing just as the pandemic (remember that guy?) was just taking off, setting up Reid Tiny Farm in Canberra as a CSA model, for seedlings. In 2023, Dimity, her husband and two kids, made the move to Tasmania's Huon Valley, and since chatting with Dimity (she was our very first interviewee!), she's changed her business name to Tiny Farm Tas, and has been incredibly busy setting up her operations in a...2023-10-1737 minAvant GardenersPip Steele-Wareham Part 2 - Garden at MoorfieldEp 03 - Welcome back Avant Gardeners! We bring you Part 2 of our chat with friend and rose-die-hard, Pip Steele-Wareham from @The_Garden_At_Moorfield. In this chat we explore her 150m (no, that is not a typo) naturalistic garden, and then go deep on roses - why she loves them, how to tend to them, selecting the right rose for you and beneficial plants to keep them healthy. If you didn't catch Part 1 of this chat, jump in now. This week .... We're drinking a most delish Sailor Seeks Horse Pinot...2023-10-0344 minAvant GardenersPip Steele-Wareham Part 1 - Garden at MoorfieldEp 02 - Avant Gardeners In this episode we give you Part 1 of our chat with our friend, and inspirational gardener, Pip Steele-Wareham who is doing magical things at her property Moorfield @The_Garden_At_Moorfield in Victoria. A lot of this week's chat is about her and her husbands Hugo's previous property Little Oak and the challenges and successes they had there. We speak about Pip's approach to gardening (find what you love, and grow that), her obsessions with soil, and if -nay, when - rhododendrons will come back into fashion. It's a jui...2023-09-1936 minAvant GardenersDigging for treasure - Emily & MaddieHi, and welcome to Avant Gardeners. In this episode we give you an intro into the lives of Emily and Maddie, two friends who live, play and garden on Melukerdee country in Tasmania's Huon Valley, with varying success. Both have unexpectedly landed on properties, with vast gardens, and very little know how. In future episodes we'll be inteviewing others, but in this episode it's all about us. What we're drinking Merry Spiced Cherry Amaretto Sour (based on this, recipe but with home made cherry sugar syrup inspired by Verona Stands, and...2023-09-0627 min