Haley Nagasaki sits down with cultivator Genevieve Newton for a grounded, on-the-field look at scaling outdoor cannabis with quality and culture. From smudging on Indigenous Peoples Day to fixing tractors and riding out heat, wind, and rain, Genevieve shares how she’s building a resilient, team-first program at Mera Cannabis’ Countryside Farm in southern Ontario.What you’ll learn:• Outdoor at scale: in-ground vs. 35-gal pots, hoop houses, and irrigation cadence • Clone logistics: rooting 35K waves, acclimation, and keeping losses near 1–5% • Weathering extremes: transplant shock, wind prep, staggered planting/harvest to dodge mold • Simple wins: silica under heat stress, mulching fabric pots, practical IPM, and crop scouting • Career arc: from social work to six legal facilities and Top Grower recognition • Culture & ceremony: smudging in the field, women in cultivation, and why homegrow stays core#ProfessionalPOV #OutdoorCannabis #Cultivation #LivingSoil #WomenInCannabis #GardenCultureMagazine

Author and Appalachia-based forager Whitney Johnson (Go Forth and Forage) joins Garden Culture Magazine to make mushroom hunting FUN, safe, and totally non-intimidating. We cover beginner FAQs, easy IDs like turkey tail, why knowing your TREES matters, how to journal finds, ethical harvesting, and Whitney’s favorite wild eats—from chanterelle cream sauce to hedgehog “winter chanterelles”… and even jelly fungus gummies!WHAT YOU’LL LEARN• Where to start: regional field guides, online ID groups, and building confidence with repetition • Safety first: the golden rule—if you’re not 100,000,000% sure it’s edible, don’t eat it • Easy starter ID: true turkey tail vs. false turkey tail (pores, fuzz, and telltale undersides) • Know your woods: pairing species with host trees (elms/sycamore for morels; hemlock zones, etc.) • Fieldcraft & gear: mesh bag, simple knife/brush, clean-as-you-go, low-cost essentials • Ethical foraging: local rules, leave no trace, “take a third” mindset, feed the ecosystem • Mind & body benefits: why the woods are “church” and how lollygagging the forest lifts mood • Kitchen inspo: fried morels, chanterelle cream sauce, sautéed hen of the woods, flatbreads, brothy turkey-tail tinctures, and gummy candies from jelly fungi • Myth-busting: touching is safe, cut vs. pluck doesn’t matter, and why mycophobia needs a reset • Favorites: hen of the woods (taste king) and hedgehog (teeth! winter serotonin boost)ABOUT THE GUEST Whitney Johnson is the author of *Go Forth and Forage*, a laugh-out-loud, beginner-friendly mushroom field guide packed with practical ID, stories, and scannable QR videos that bring fungi to life.If this helped you feel braver about fungi, hit 👍 and subscribe for more garden, wild food, and cultivation chats.#Foraging #Mushrooms #GoForthAndForage #WhitneyJohnson #TurkeyTail #Chanterelles #HenOfTheWoods #HedgehogMushroom #WildFood #Appalachia #GardenCultureMagazine

Join Haley Nagasaki for an in-depth conversation with Jackson “Mean Gene” from Mendocino County—a pioneering cannabis breeder who’s been shaping seed culture since the late ’90s. In this episode of Professional POV by Garden Culture Magazine, Mean Gene pulls back the curtain on: • 🌱 Mendocino’s early medical gardens: From hidden “gorilla” grows to the rise of medical cannabis in the ’90s • 🧬 Seed vs. Clone culture: Why he preserves heirloom genetics and balances polyhybrids with contemporary favorites • 🔍 Freeborn Selections origin story: How his middle name inspired a brand built on choice, creativity, and community • 🧪 Rigorous vetting & breeding techniques: Testing for viroids, stress-testing with light deprivation in the field, and ensuring every cultivar is “fun to grow” • 🍃 Organic, low-impact practices: Reusing worm-rich soil, using wild foraged inputs, and maintaining biodiversity in his outdoor hoop houses • 🌎 The future of cannabis cultivation: Blending legacy genetics with next-generation chemotypes and regenerative principlesWhether you’re a seasoned grower, breeder, or simply cannabis-curious, discover how one man’s “historian” approach to seeds is redefining regenerative cultivation and full-spectrum effects.🌐 Explore more at GardenCultureMagazine.com📷 Follow us on Instagram: @gardenculturemagazine#CannabisBreeding #SeedStewardship #MendocinoCounty #RegenerativeAgriculture #ProfessionalPOV #FreebornSelections #GardenCultureMagazine