Kirsten Bradley - Milkwood Permaculture

Avant Gardeners

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