Libsyn Directory

Chloe Thomson // Garden Coach, shade-planting guru, lover of fruit trees in pots

Release Date: 09/03/2024

Katie Finlay // Grow Great Fruit, Pruning, Grafting, Pest Control, Chamomile & Gin

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 , an education hub that combines their decades of fruit growing experience into practical lessons through webinars, online courses, annual subscriptions and in-person...

Scott Whitaker - Hinterland Bees // Bees, Honey, Varroa, Honey Mead, Hollyhock, Chickens

Avant Gardeners

Scott Whitaker is a visual artist and former art gallery owner who now runs 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...

Nikki Husted - Purely Chickens // Homesteading, Chicken Life (And Death), Gardening with Chickens, Lindt Ball Hot Choc

Avant Gardeners

Nikki Husted, aka 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 , 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...

Sue Stuart-Smith // From 'outdoor housework' to The Well Gardened Mind, Gardening for Mind & Body, the Power of Flowers, The Barn Garden

Avant Gardeners

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 is a psychiatrist, psychotherapist and author of – 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...

Alex Elliott-Howery // Pickling, Courtyard Gardening, Telepathic Bay Leaves, Mushrooms, Preserving, Cornersmith

Avant Gardeners

--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...

BONUS EPISODE // Flower Photography with professional photographer Sam Shelley

Avant Gardeners

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 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 Emily is swapping...

Milli Proust // Seed Grower, Florist, Alma Proust, Anxiety, Drying Flowers, Compost Palace (UK)

Avant Gardeners

Lauren Camilleri // Indoor Plant Guru, Plant Doctor, Monstera, Pottery, Fungus Gnats

Avant Gardeners

--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...

Holly Wainwright // Discovering Gardening, Therapy Lettuce, Rat Battle, Searching for Zen

Avant Gardeners

--This episode is proudly sponsored by . 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 -- We're having a good old yarn today with Holly Wainwright. Holly is not a professional gardener. She is a writer,...

Emma Bowen // Pocket City Farms, Permaculture Orchard, Julia Ostro

Avant Gardeners

--This episode is proudly sponsored by . 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 -- You'll often hear us mentioning our friend Emma Bowen in these episodes. Well we finally got her in to record an...

More Episodes

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

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