--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 to the delightful Connie Cao. We chat container gardening, how to kick start our Asian Veggie patch, Loofas (these things are amazing!!), Edmame and having backyard chickens.

Connie lives in the suburbs of Melbourne where she's transformed her south-sloping backyard into a haven of fruit trees, veggies, ornamentals and a bustling chicken run over the years. She learnt to garden alongside her father. She is the author of Your Asian Veggie Patch which features over 40 things to grow and 50 recipes influenced by her Chinese heritage.

Before we get to that, we're drinking a Ruggabellus, we're eating the most delicious strawberries from Ashcraig Farm in Nicholls Rivulet, Tasmania. Maddie has grown the best dahlia of her life (thank you, Dahlia dealer). We're taling about Dragon's Egg Cucumbers, Cornersmith Bread & Butter Pickle. Emily has had a birthday and hit the jackpot with a new electric chainsaw, a wheelbarrow and a shrub shearers. Plus, a double mulch pile hook up!

Maddie is recommending a recipe that Emma Bowen made that's a Julia Ostro Tomato and Olive Tart from Around the Table.

So nice to be back. See more at www.avant-gardeners.com