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.

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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!