Dimity May - Tiny Farm Tas

In 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), before jumping into the Fast 5. 

We chat about ladybugs, olive scale, blushing bride, Le Sac, Rachel's Farm, PIP Magazine, The Food Saver's A to Z

We're drinking a tasty little vermouth called Outlandish Claims by Ravensworth

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

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

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'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.

Find Jac on Instagram here, and follow her beautiful plant practice and everything she's up to professionally at @SuperBloomAu.

We're drinking a 2023 Hughes and Hughes soiree pet nat from southern Tasmania. And it's delish.

We're reading

The Well Gardened Mind by Sue Stuart Smith

The Complete Book of Vegetables, Herbs & Fruit in Australia by Bob Flowerdew, Matthew Biggs, Jekka McVicar

Do
Catch Jac's session The Agrarian Kitchen coming up on Feb 3. 

To 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 Milkwood Permaculture. Milkwood was the name of that first farm in country NSW. While their location has changed once or twice, their ethos has only grown stronger and bolder. Kirsten and Nick now call lutruwita / Tasmania home, and they continue to share their knowledge on everything from permaculture design, to how to grow mushrooms, and building resilient and abundant communities.

Milkwood was a bit of a gateway drug for Maddie's entry into gardening, and Em and her husband have recently embarked on their Organic Vegetable Gardening Course. Where we live there’s barely a home that we go to that doesn’t have a copy of Kirsten's first book Milkwood: Real Skills for Down-To-Earth Living.

Kirsten's latest book is called The Milkwood Permaculture Living Handbook, Habits for Hope in a Changing World, released in late 2023. The book explores the 12 Principles of Permaculture, and covers everything from ‘compost everything’, to ‘using your privilege for purpose’ and ‘cook a meal outdoors'.

Find Milkwood on Instagram here. 

We're drinking a rosemary gimlet - following a recipe from Cocktail Botanica by Elouise Anders

We're recommending the Bronchial Buster tea, recipe from Plants for the People by Erin Lovell Verinder

We're drooling over everything at The Agrarian Kitchen - check out their cooking classes here. 

We're flicking through a decades old Fowlers book

We're loving Bokashi and Compostable Kate's tips.

Visit us at @avantgardeners.podcast and www.avant-gardeners.com

Ashley 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 weave traditional design principles with naturalistic plantings. 

Ashley’s aim is to create a dream garden for each client. He is an absolute plant and flower die hard, and is a self-professed Plants Man. He and his work has been featured on The Block, Better Homes and Gardens and Country House Facelift, while a stunning Eltham garden project was written up on the Design Files. If he isn’t busy enough, Ashley continues to create his dream garden at his own home that he shares with his wife Bianca and three children, and he’s the newest columnist for Home Beautiful, providing amazing gardening advice and inspo.

We're drinking
Latta Rattlesnake

We're talking about

Winespeake in Daylesford on Instagram here.

Dimity's amazing stall at Cygnet Garden Market - Check her out on @TinyFarmTas

Edna Walling

We're also talking lemons, seaweed and how hard gardening is.

We're reading
The Age of Seeds - How Plants Hacked Time and Why our Future Depends On It by Fiona McMillan-Webster

Visit us at @avantgardeners.podcast and www.avant-gardeners.com

This 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 by. He had his first Paul Bangay book by the time he was a teenager, and an amazing farewell gift by a former boss looped him back in with Paul later on. 

Notes for this episode:

We're drinking a Vini Fusilli Pinot Nero Romolo 2022 from our delightful friends Lucinda and Piero who live down the road (and we have to ask ourselves whether we only make friends with people who have either great gardens or access to great drinks. Maybe we do?). 

We're reading The Milkwood Permaculture Living Handbook by Kirsten Bradley 

And we're also reading The Smart Veggie Patch by Terry Memory

We're shopping for hydrangea and funeral tips thanks to the Gardening Australia Magazine

In 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 new state, a new climate, and with a new model.

It's no mean feat, and we are in awe.

Notes for this Episode.

We're drinking Ravensworth vino

Guest:  Dimity May, Tiny Farm Tas (previously Reid Tiny Farm)

Some of the things we chat about:

Milkwood Permaculture: Organic Vegetable Gardening (Next course begins 20 November, 2023)

The Food Savers A-Z, The Essential Cornersmith Kitchen Companion by Alex Elliott-Howery & Jamie Edwards

Tiny Farm Canberra 

ActiveVista 

Buena Vista Farm 

All Sun Farm 

JM Fortier  The Market Gardener’s Masterclass 

Keeley, Fat Pig Produce - local veggie boxes in Southern Tasmania

BioDynamics Tasmania 

Joyce Wilkie, All Sun Farm 

The Sustainable Food Trust, Patrick Holden 

The Regenerative Journey, Charlie Arnott 

Ep 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.

We're reading The Gardeners Bed-Book by Richardson Wright as well as My Father and Other Animals by Sam Vincent

Find us on Instagram at @avantgardeners.podcast