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 ;)

🌱 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

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!