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.

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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.

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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.

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Justin 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 plenty of useful tips and lots of laughs, as he creates a home for his veggies, his chickens and his family.

Justin is also a fiercely competitive gardener and may or may not still be touchy about last year's failed competitive pumpkin growing.

But before we get to that we're drinking a classic - Campari and soda.

We're utilising Jac Semmler's succulent growing tips, we're loving Hannah Maloney's The Good Life, Maddie hard recommends Maggie McKellar's Graft. We're talking Organic Gardener Magazine, chimmichuri, putting up jute netting, and making the most of the spring rain thanks to a well-timed installation of a new gutter and tank system. Hurray!

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S3 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 plant labels, and growing fruit trees in pots. She's a delight.

But before we get to that we're drinking a 2023 Brash Higgins Free Ball. It's bloody delish.

We're pronouncing hellebores with far more artistic flair than necessary.

We're complaining about possums and what the heck is up with indoor pots these days! Despite lush growth on my indoor plants, we're struggling with finding good indoor pots.

Emily has had brand new calves, Maddie has brand new baby lambs.

Maddie is very optimistic about the upcoming gardening season, Emily has done all her seasonal rose prep a la The Garden at Moorfield's Rose Guide.

Maddie's watching (and crying in) Clarkson's Farm

Find us on Instagram @avantgardeners.podcast.

And pretty please share our podcast with a friend of yours and / or rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Thanks for being here :-)