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Creating garden goals that bring you joy, wellness, and sustainability in 2026—without getting caught in the “more, more, more” trap!

I guide you through a simple four-question exercise to set achievable garden intentions:

1. Choosing two new plants to try this year
2. Making your garden easier and more sustainable
3. Shifting your mindset to let go of what doesn’t serve you
4. Tackling that one task you’ve been putting off, in a way that’s fun

Let's do it together! I'll share my goals and lots of examples of what you might like.

References & Resources

• Koanga Institute (Heirloom & Heritage Seeds – NZ) – sourcing broad beans and other seeds
  https://koanga.org.nz/
  
  
• Ashwagandha: a medicinal herb that comes with a bunch of hype around it at the moment... So of course I want to grow it 😉

Previous White Strawberries Episodes Mentioned:

• What to Grow When: Timing Your Veges Right | Mastering the Garden
  
  
• Nitrogen 101: Transforms Your Garden | Mastering the Garden
  
  
• Wine Cap Mushrooms in Orchards | With Sarah Williams
  
  

🎧 Connect with me.

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Supermarkets love annual crops — but only a very narrow version of them.

In this Sparking Joy episode of White Strawberries, I explore annual vegetables and fruits you’ll almost never see on supermarket shelves — not because they’re inferior!!

We talk about why supermarket produce is bred for transport, uniformity, and shelf life — and what gets lost along the way: flavour, phytonutrients, biodiversity, and joy. From purple tomatoes and unusual potatoes to heirloom beans, peas, and self-seeding “weeds,” this episode celebrates annual plants that thrive in real gardens, not industrial systems.

🌱 What You’ll Discover

• Why supermarkets sell such limited annual varieties
• Annual plants that thrive outside industrial systems
• Nitrogen-fixing crops that feed both you and the soil
• Community-loved annuals you won’t find on shelves
• How joy, flavour, and wellness are deeply connected

🔗 References & Resources Mentioned

Koanga Institute (Heirloom & Heritage Seeds – NZ)

Cooking Beans — Susan Young

🎧 Previous White Strawberries Episodes You Might Enjoy:

What to Grow When: Timing Your Veges Right | Mastering the Garden

Nitrogen 101: Transforms Your Garden | Mastering the Garden

Wine Cap Mushrooms in Orchards | With Sarah Williams

🎧 Connect with me.

Leave a comment!

Next summer, I’m choosing a quieter, more generous way of gardening — more perennials, less hustle.

In this Sparking Joy episode of White Strawberries, I reflect on why perennial plants suit real life so much better than annual-heavy gardens, especially when you’re a parent, a busy human, or simply someone who wants joy without burnout.

We explore what makes a plant perennial, why supermarkets shape such a narrow food system, and how home gardeners have the freedom to grow softer, stranger, more seasonal, and more nutritious plants. From globe artichokes and asparagus to berries, figs, kawakawa, and heritage fruit, this episode celebrates the plants that keep giving — even when we step away.

I also share how I’m planning my own perennial spaces using soil clues, microclimates, wind, drainage, and community wisdom, plus a community-sourced list of favourite edible perennials that rarely appear in supermarkets — and why that’s exactly the point.

🌱 Gardening for wellness, curiosity, and joy — not perfection.

🌿 What You’ll Discover

• Why perennials thrive when life gets busy
• The hidden ways supermarkets shape what we eat
• Why flavour, diversity, and resilience matter more than shelf life
• How to plan perennial placement using soil, wind, shade, and drainage
• Why heirloom and heritage plants outperform supermarket varieties
• Favourite edible perennials shared by the community
• How perennials can support and protect annual garden beds

🔗 References & Resources Mentioned

Koanga Institute (Heirloom Seeds – NZ)

• Koanga Institute – Living Seed Bank
  
  

Previous White Strawberries Episodes that may be your next step:

• Perennial Vegetables for Harvesting Over Winter | Sparking Joy
  
• Mediterranean Guild Gardening: Figs, Grapes, Olives & Companions | Mastering the Garden
• Elderberries: Grow & Use Them Year-Round | Sparking Joy
  
  
• Growing Tropicals in a Cold Climate | With Steve Fawcett
  
  

🪴 Community-Favourite Edible Perennials List:

Apricot, banana passionfruit, blackberries, blackcurrants, blueberries, boysenberries, cape gooseberries, cherries, currants (red/white/black), elderberries, feijoas, figs (fruit + leaves), grapes (fruit + leaves), guava berries, huckleberries, josta berries, lemons and citrus varieties, loquats*, sorrel, mango, medlar, mulberries, paw paw (mountain & American), passionfruit (yellow, banana, vanilla), pepino, plumcot, peachcot, quince, raspberries, tamarillo, watercress, alpine strawberries (red & white), yacón, Jerusalem artichoke.

🎧 Connect with me.