🌱 In this episode, I sit down with Steve Fawcett to explore Troppo — an urban tropical food forest in Te Puke. Yes, tropical plants… outdoors… in a place that gets frost and hail!

We dive into:
 🍌 Bananas as mineral accumulators (and why banana lollies taste the way they do)
 🌴 Air layering and how it can trigger early flowering in plants
 ❄️ Frost protection strategies and mulching like crazy
 🌳 Why food forests build deeper community resilience than veggie beds alone

Steve’s casual style hides just how much knowledge he’s built through hands-on experimenting. From Papua New Guinea childhood memories of climbing fruit trees, to creating a lush, diverse, small-space forest garden in New Zealand, this conversation is a reminder of how much joy and abundance plants bring.

📚 Recommended for: food forest dreamers, experimental gardeners, permaculture enthusiasts, anyone curious about growing the “impossible” plants in their climate.

💡 Resources & References:

Troppo
Victor Group Charitable Trust
Kai Resilience Project

🎧 Connect with me.

🌱 In this episode, I dive into The Home-Scale Forest Garden by Dani Baker (2022), How to Plan, Plant and Tend a Resilient Edible Landscape.

I share why this book captured my attention, what makes it such a treasure for anyone wanting to create a forest garden, and how I’ve been inspired to rethink my own food forest. From mapping your space with to-scale circles to understanding the roles of nitrogen fixers, mineral accumulators, and even fungi, Dani’s approach is full of practical, joyful ideas.

I highlight:

• The eight layers of a forest garden 
• Clever plant grouping ideas and mapping techniques that make planning efficient and visual
• Plant functions like mineral accumulators nitrogen fixers, cut flowers, and edible flowers to enrich your garden.

Plus, I share a couple of things to keep in mind, before purchasing the book.

📚 Recommended for: gardeners with space, permaculture enthusiasts, anyone curious about forest gardens or edible landscapes.

💡 Resources & References:

• The Home-Scale Forest Garden by Dani Baker
• NZ alternatives: Kay Baxter’s Design Your Own Orchard & NZ Tree Crops Association for local cultivars

🎧 Connect with me on Instagram and Facebook: @whitestrawberriespodcast

♻️ Ever wondered if your compost pile is killing weed seeds—or just giving them a warm nap?

In this episode of White Strawberries, I dive into my very first proper hot composting adventure. Spoiler: it involves bamboo stakes, cow poo tea, temperature obsessions, and a whole lot of bindweed I didn’t trust in a cold pile.

🌱 We’ll explore:
 • Why not all weed seeds die in regular compost
• How to build a hot compost heap step by step—no fancy bins required
• What materials (and simple amendments) boost your compost and your veggies
• The connection between compost, BRIX testing, and truly nutrient-dense food

Plus: tips I wish I’d known at the start—like why summer might be the worst time to start, and how to check if your compost really did the job.

📸 Check out images of the heap on Instagram or Facebook: @whitestrawberriespodcast

🧪 Want better veggies and fewer weeds? Hot composting might be your next garden glow-up.

Check out where else to find me here: https://linktr.ee/whitestrawberries 

Elderberry: Grow it because it’s delicious, beautiful — and scientifically proven to shorten the duration of the flu.

This episode dives into the magic, science, and mischief of elderberries — a plant that blurs the line between medicine and myth.

Learn why it’s a favourite of permaculturists, herbalists, and birds alike — and why it might just belong in your garden too.

We explore:
 – How and why to grow elderberry (even if it's a bit "weedy")
 – What science says about its immune-supporting compounds
 – Its rich folklore, from Irish legend to village healer
 – How to safely harvest and prepare it
 – Syrups, teas, wines, and wild foraging tips

Whether you're planting your first bush or rediscovering an old favourite, this episode invites you to explore both the light and dark sides of a plant full of magic — and medicine.

🖤 May your elderberries be dark and your curiosity never-ending.

Follow us:
https://www.instagram.com/whitestrawberriespodcast/

We’re talking pigs—those chubby, soil-turning wonders that can transform your paddock and garden into a thriving ecosystem.

🐖 Whether you're dreaming of adding pigs to your permaculture setup or wondering if they're right for your orchard, this episode is packed with practical, real-world insight. I'm joined by Sez the Vet, an experienced life-style vet and educator, who breaks down the real benefits of pigs—from tilling the soil and fertilizing as they go, to controlling pests like guava moth by eating fallen fruit.

We also dive into the important stuff:

• How to rotate pigs to protect parts of your paddock
• Setting up a “pig tractor” system
• What zoonotic diseases you should be aware of (without freaking out)
• The simple hygiene steps that keep your family safe
• Deworming schedules and resistance awareness
• And yes, a hilariously gross story about a baby and a piglet's poo 🍽️😳

By the end, you’ll know whether pigs are right for your land—and your lifestyle.

🎧 Tune in to learn how pigs can become not just garden helpers, but cherished companions (just don’t let them get away with any nonsense!).

Links & Resources:

• 🎓 Find Sez's animal care courses at: lifestyleblock.co.nz
• 📺 Watch her YouTube channel: SeztheVet
• 🐷 Connect with Sez on Facebook and instagram SeztheVet

🌱 White Strawberries is where we try and get Little Fat Rounds to do our work ;)

What do olives, grapes, figs, and lavender all have in common? They're part of the sun-loving, drought-tolerant crew that thrive in Mediterranean climates—and today we’re designing a whole guild around them.

In this episode, I explore what it means to plant perennials where they want to grow and why matching plants to their ancestral homes creates a thriving, low-input ecosystem. From nitrogen-fixers like tagasaste and Spanish broom to groundcovers like clover and nasturtium, we’ll break down each guild member's role and how they support each other.

You'll also hear how I mapped my own land, identified the only full-sun spot, and turned it into a haven for these heat-loving plants. Whether you’re growing on rocky slopes or urban backyards, this episode will help you make the most of what you’ve got—by working with nature, not against it.

🌿 Highlights:

• The anatomy of a Mediterranean plant guild
• Why guild design means less work, better fruit, and healthier plants
• How to map your own land to figure out where these plants want to live
• A geeky side note on soil pH, drainage checks, and frost-mapping
• Let's include; nitrogen fixes, ground covers, pest repellents, fruits, vines, leaves you want to eat, herbs and soil enhancers. 

📸 Let’s connect: @whitestrawberriespodcast
 📘 Join the convo on Facebook: White Strawberries Podcast

In this earthy and enthusiastic episode, I chat with Sarah Williams—permaculture gardener, mushroom grower, and the green-fingered soul behind Sarah’s Green Acres—about growing wine cap mushrooms, also known as burgundy mushrooms or garden giants.

We explore:

• How to grow them in a food forest or permaculture orchard
• Why yours might not be fruiting yet (ahem, speaking from experience!)
• Cooking, freezing, and eating them—especially if you're cutting back on meat
• Why they’re hard to find in shops, and why that's exactly why we should grow them
• Their role in nutrient cycling, soil health, and lazy gardening magic

Plus, we spiral delightfully into tangents about refractometers, bitter greens, the spray-heavy brassica world, and why we sometimes avoid testing our soil (just in case it bursts our bubble).

If you’ve ever wanted to grow something that tastes amazing, supports your soil, and you can’t find at the supermarket—this episode is for you.

✨ Want us to dive deeper into mushrooms, logs, bags, or bitterness? Let me know!
 📸 Find me @whitestrawberriespodcast
 🌱 Follow Sarah on Instagram at @sarahsgreenacres

🎙️ Why White Strawberries? 🍓

Welcome to White Strawberries, the podcast where we explore the lost art of living with nature—from a tiny house tucked into New Zealand bushland, surrounded by chickens, weeds, and yes... white strawberries.

In this episode, I (Sam!) unpack the five quirky, nerdy, and joy-filled reasons behind the name White Strawberries. We dive into:

✨ What white strawberries actually are (spoiler: not unripe fruit)
 🌿 Why growing a variety of plants matters—for your gut, your soil, and your sanity
 🥬 How supermarket food falls short—and what we can do instead
 🧪 Nutrient density, refractometers, and lazy gardening wins
 🗺️ Plus: strawberries, hiking trails, edible weeds, and the simple magic of finding food outside

This episode is for anyone who's ever wanted to grow their own food, feel more connected to the land, or just taste a strawberry that doesn’t come shrink-wrapped.

Let’s dig in.

🌱
 —
 📸 Instagram: @whitestrawberriespodcast
💬 Join the convo on Facebook: White Strawberries Podcast
✉️ Contact me if you’re a graphic designer with logo redemption skills!

New to gardening and wondering when to plant things like tomatoes, spinach, or broccoli? This episode is for you! 

We’re diving into the basics of plant life cycles and how to know what to grow and when—without having to constantly check a list. By understanding what part of a plant you’re eating (leaf, flower, fruit, or seed), and how plants behave through the seasons, you’ll be able to plan your garden with more confidence and without the need of a generic plant list. 

Whether you’re in New Zealand, North America, Europe or beyond, you’ll come away with simple, practical advice to grow what you love—when it actually wants to grow. Let’s garden smarter—not harder—and keep it joyful. ———

 📸 Instagram: @whitestrawberriespodcast 

📘 Join the convo on Facebook: White Strawberries Podcast 

In this episode, we dive into the messy, beautiful reality of applying permaculture principles in your own life with Sez the Vet!

Sam and Sez explore the highs and lows of designing gardens, observing your land, and working with nature (even when it feels like society is pushing against it).

💚 From sun mapping and creating guilds and chickens doing their part, this episode is packed with real-life examples of how Sam and others have implemented permaculture practices—while acknowledging the challenges that come with them.

Join us for an honest conversation about gardening in today’s world and how small, thoughtful steps can lead to big, sustainable changes. It’s not about doing it perfectly; it’s about doing what works for you, your family, and your land.

🎧 Listen now and subscribe to White Strawberries for more adventures in sustainable living!

📸 Let’s connect: @whitestrawberriespodcast
 📘 Join the convo on Facebook: White Strawberries Podcast

Think gardening is the only way to live sustainably? Think again. In this episode of White Strawberries, Sam offers a joyful permission slip to not garden—and still feel good about it.

🌸 Why shoulding yourself into sustainability doesn’t work
🌿 How to find joy in other ways of living well
🌎 Why personal choice matters just as much as planet care

📸 Instagram: @whitestrawberriespodcast
📘 Facebook: White Strawberries Podcast
🎧 Love what you hear? Follow + review—help others find the joy too!

Looking to make the most of your garden or property without selling your harvest?

 In this episode of White Strawberries, I share five creative side hustles you can start right at home. From hosting garden tours and beehives to earning carbon credits, leasing land, or renting out a minor dwelling, these ideas can help offset costs, invest in your property, and even bring in a little extra cash.

I cover practical tips, real-life examples from New Zealand, and legal considerations so you can get started with confidence. Perfect for gardeners, landowners, and anyone curious about turning their property into a rewarding side hustle.

Some fruits and vegetables are heavily sprayed with pesticides—and it’s not just a chemical issue. These plants may also produce fewer natural compounds that make them nutritious, and conventional growing methods can harm the environment. 🌱

Welcome to White Strawberries,  In this episode, we unpack the Dirty Dozen—the 12 fruits and vegetables with the highest pesticide residues—and explore the Clean 15, foods that are generally safer. I’ll share advice on which ones to grow at home, which to buy spray-free, and which can be safely peeled or washed.

🏵️We’ll dig into:

• Why pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides are used, and how monocropping affects plant health.
• How home gardens and local market gardens naturally protect plants using biodiversity, companion planting, and soil care.
• Practical tips for growing grapes, strawberries, nectarines, spinach, celery, brassicas, lemons, apples, and potatoes.
• Understanding the Clean 15 and how peelable or resilient produce can reduce pesticide exposure.
• How natural plant stress produces phytonutrients that support both plant and human health.

Whether you’re a home gardener, conscious consumer, or just curious, this episode will give you practical ways to make smarter choices for your family and your garden—without judgment.

Resources & Links:

• Dirty Dozen & Clean 15 (NZ): Soil and Health  Latest Dirty Dozen
  
  
• Dirty Dozen & Clean 15 (USA): Environmental Working Group – Dirty Dozen & Clean 15
  
  
• Dirty Dozen & Clean 15 (UK): Pesticide Action Network
  
  
• Follow White Strawberries Podcast on Instagram: @whitestrawberriespodcast
  
  
• Join us on Facebook: White Strawberries Podcast
  
  

White Strawberries is a small, independent podcast. If you enjoy what you hear, following, sharing, or leaving a review helps us reach more listeners and keep these conversations growing. 🌿

May your garden be abundant, your strawberries white, and your curiosity never-ending!

In this episode, Sam puts on her educator’s hat, drawing from over 20 years of experience working in schools across New Zealand, Hong Kong, China, and the USA — including roles as Dean, Head of Business Department, sustainable living and outdoor education specialist, and working with at-risk youth.

Sam sits down with Robin Mann, founder of Grow Wild Education, an inspiring nature-based learning initiative. Grow Wild Education runs weekly nature school programs and summer holiday sessions that encourage curiosity, creativity, and a deep connection with the natural world.

Together, they explore practical ways to support children’s mental health, reduce anxiety, and nurture resilience by embracing the outdoors, fostering free play, and modeling healthy behaviors.

Useful Links from This Episode:

• Grow Wild Education — Robin Mann’s nature school and holiday programs website and her Facebook site.
• White Strawberries Podcast Instagram — Follow Sam’s journey in gardening, nature, and wellbeing
• Jonathan Haidt’s Anxious Generation Supplement with graphs discussed in this episode: https://jonathanhaidt.com/anxious-generation/supplement/
• Academic source on social media and adolescent mental health:
   Kelly Y, Zilanawala A, Booker C, Sacker A. (2019). Social Media Use and Adolescent Mental Health: Findings From the UK Millennium Cohort Study. EClinicalMedicine, 6, 59-68.
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2018.12.005
• Josephine Livinn on Instagram — advocate for wholesome living and body positivity: https://www.instagram.com/josephinelivinn/

If you enjoyed this episode:
Please take a screenshot and share it with a friend — it’s one of the best ways to bridge the generation gap and live more harmoniously with nature.

For more on gardening, outdoor play, and raising resilient kids, follow along at White Strawberries Podcast.

Happy gardening, beaching, and bush whacking!

In this episode of White Strawberries, I dig into the unsung heroes of the vegetable garden: perennials! 

You’ll learn about my three favourite edible roots — yacón, Jerusalem artichokes, and oca (NZ yams) — and the leafy perennials I would grow even if I only had 1m2 of garden bed:  Sorrel, perpetual spinach, Welsh onions, and chives.

These plants are weedy in the best way, nutrient-dense, and perfect for gardeners who want to reduce the time and effort they spend in their garden, so they can do other things (probably more gardening! ;) )... 

🌱 In this episode:

• Why yacón, oca, and Jerusalem artichokes are great for your belly and your garden 
• How to plant, harvest, and eat these unusual root crops
• The leafy greens that survive — and even thrive — through cold seasons with minimal effort. 
• Why we don't see these perennials in super market chains.

🧺 Giveaway!

Want to try growing yacón, oca, or Jerusalem artichokes yourself?
I'm giving some away!
If you're in Aotearoa, check out  @whitestrawberriespodcast on Instagram or Facebook for giveaway details.

🏵️🌿💗 What do you think?
 Let me know what perennial you’re excited to grow!
 Tag me on Instagram @whitestrawberriespodcast or join the chat on Facebook: White Strawberries Podcast.

🌱 What is nitrogen actually and when we know what it is why does it matter? 

In this solo episode of White Strawberries, I ditch the edits (full disclosure I took the "um's" out) and go full conversation mode to unpack something that is made overly complicated sometimes: nitrogen. 

🧪 We explore:
 • What nitrogen really is 
• How to tell if a plant is nitrogen-rich—or ready to mulch
• Composting ratios made simple
• "Humanure"
• Why fresh arborist mulch is awesome for paths and terrible for your garden bed
• Why I'm growing a wisteria tree in the middle of my central garden bed

🌸 Whether you're into hot composting, lazy mulching, or dreaming up a nitrogen-fixing forest floor—this one’s a musing that won’t get too sciency. Just soil-loving honesty from one curious gardener to another.

📸 See the wisteria-in-the-garden  @whitestrawberriespodcast on Instagram and Facebook

💧 🌦️ If you’ve ever looked at a garden hose like it was made of gold—this one’s for you.

In this episode of White Strawberries, I have a conversation with Sophie, a Zero Waste Educator, about the messy magic of water in the garden. From buckets of bathwater to rainwater you wish you could store, we share what it’s really like managing water—whether you live in a tiny house on a large amount of land, or a suburban backyard, this ones for you.

🚿 We explore:
 • Why water is your biggest limiting factor—and how to work with it
• What happens when you skip the septic and start bucketing bathwater
• Real-life greywater setups (that actually work for food forests!)
• Why winter rain can be too much—and how to trap moisture for summer
• The water–BRIX–soil connection: better watering, better nutrients
• Small-scale systems that suit urban and rural gardeners alike

🏡 Tiny homes, suburban gardens, and big garden dreams all welcome in this splashy, honest water chat.

📸 See how we do it @whitestrawberriespodcast 

In this Spark Joy episode, we dive into the wonderful world of hydrangeas — one of New Zealand’s most beloved perennial shrubs, known for their stunning blooms and versatility.

As I recorded this in the height of summer, hydrangeas were truly sparking joy in my garden. Now, as winter sets in, it’s the perfect time to prune your hydrangeas, take cuttings to propagate, plant new hydrangeas, and feed your existing plants. Plus, if you’re looking to adjust your soil’s pH for the best color and health, now’s the moment to get to work!

Hydrangeas also have a special place in permaculture gardens, helping create microclimates and supporting beneficial insects.

Let’s celebrate this beautiful shrub and share tips to keep your hydrangeas thriving year-round.

🌿 Connect and find images of my hydrangeas 📷
 Instagram: @whitestrawberriespodcast
 Facebook: White Strawberries Podcast

May your garden be abundant, your strawberries white, and your curiosity never-ending!

In today’s Q&A-style episode, I chat with Becks, who’s growing food on a small urban section packed with subtropical and Mediterranean microclimates. We talk through her real-life garden dilemmas—from a wayward apple tree branch and overachieving feijoas, to pruning grapevines and getting citrus trees back on track.

We cover:
 🍏 How to prune an espaliered apple tree
 🍇 When and how to cut back grapevines
 🌱 How to take a cutting and get it growing
 🍋 What to do when your lemon tree looks sad and wobbly
 🪴 Why feijoas fruit like mad—and how to prune them to suit your space

If you’ve ever wondered how to shape your trees, take a cutting, or diagnose citrus struggles, this one’s for you.

✨ Bonus: I've shared a visual demo of nodes, cuttings, and branches over on socials.
 📸 Follow @whitestrawberriespodcast on Instagram and Facebook to see more!

Until next time—may your strawberries be white and your worms happy.

We’re talking chickens—those fluffy butt, soil-turning, pest eating wonders that can be put to work in your garden. 

🐔 Whether you're dreaming of adding chickens to your permaculture setup or wondering if they're right for your orchard, this episode is packed with practical, real-world insight. I'm joined by Sez the Vet, an experienced life-style vet and educator.

This is a conversation I was looking for 10 years ago! I get to have it now and share it with you. 

Are we OK to feed our hens oats in the morning? 

Can we let a mama hen eat the chick starter?

What breeds should a gardener have? 

By the end, you’ll know whether chickens are right for your land—and your lifestyle. 

🎧 Tune in to learn how pigs can become not just garden helpers, but cherished companions (just don’t let them get away with any nonsense!).

Links & Resources:

• 🎓 Find Sez's animal care courses at: lifestyleblock.co.nz
• 📺 Watch her YouTube channel: SeztheVet
• 🐷 Connect with Sez on Facebook and instagram SeztheVet

🌱 White Strawberries is where we try and get Little Fluffy Butts to do our work ;)