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Good morning and happy Spring from Aotearoa, my deck at sunrise.

This episode is unedited with the natural bird song of the morning.

I cover 3 mistakes I'm seeing gardeners make right now.

- Not mulching their trees

- Pruning now! (No don't)

- Planting fruit trees now

I'll unpack why these are mistakes and what to do next.

Ask a Question – Submit a gardening question for a future episode.

About Sam – Learn more about the host of White Strawberries.

Support the Podcast – Buy Sam a Cuppa to help keep new episodes coming.

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What exactly is a plant guild — and how do you know what belongs in one?

In this episode of White Strawberries, I’m answering a listener question about guilds: what they are, whether they all follow the same principles, and whether the plants in a guild need to come from the same place.

A guild is simply a group of plants that support one another. Instead of thinking about a fruit tree as an individual plant that needs to be maintained, we can start thinking about the whole ecosystem around it — including nitrogen fixers, mineral accumulators, pollinator plants, ground covers, pest-management plants and plants that provide mulch.

I walk through four different guilds and the kinds of conditions and plants that suit each one: citrus, Mediterranean, temperate, and subtropical guilds, as well as the different functions plants can play within them.

________________________

The big idea? You don't have to get your guild perfect. Start by understanding your land, observe what is happening, and then add plants that support what is already there.

If you're starting from scratch, map your land first. Look at temperature, shade, water and wind throughout the year, then consider which guild fits each area.

🌿 Want the Guilds Guide?

I've created a visual guide to the guilds discussed in this episode, with examples and pictures. Here it is.

And if you have a gardening question you'd like me to answer on the podcast, send me a voice message or write it in. I love answering questions about the things you're actually trying to figure out in your garden.

🎧 Previous Episode Mentioned

How to Grow a Subtropical Forest in a Cold Climate | With Steve Fawcett — Episode 19

Listen to the episode through the White Strawberries podcast feed.

May your guilds be in the right place and your strawberries white. 🌿💚 Sam

Ask a Question – Submit a gardening question for a future episode.

About Sam – Learn more about the host of White Strawberries.

Support the Podcast – Buy Sam a Cuppa to help keep new episodes coming.

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If you’ve ever looked at a beautiful plant and thought, I’d love one of those, you might not need to buy one. You might just need to take a cutting.

In this episode of White Strawberries, we’re getting into the wonderfully simple world of plant propagation — how to take cuttings and turn a small piece of an existing plant into a whole new plant.

I talk about taking cuttings from deciduous trees like figs, grapes and elderberries, why waiting until the leaves have dropped can be the perfect time, and how to recognise the leaf nodes where roots and new growth will form.

We also get into the slightly geekier side of cuttings, including cloning, diversity, grafted fruit trees, rooting hormones and why some plants have a much higher “take rate” than others.

And if you’ve received one of my fig cuttings in the mail, there are a few tips for getting it safely into soil and giving it the best chance of growing.

🌱 What You’ll Discover

• How to take hardwood cuttings from deciduous plants
• Why figs, grapes and hydrangeas are so easy to propagate
• How to identify leaf nodes
• Where to place leaf nodes when planting a cutting
• Why cuttings are clones of the parent plant
• Why diversity still matters when propagating
• When rooting hormone can help
• How to take cuttings from evergreen plants
• Whether you need pots, special soil or fancy propagation equipment
• How taking cuttings can help us share abundance within our communities

🔗 Free Cuttings Guide

I’ve created a free PDF with the basics of taking and growing cuttings:

Download the free Cuttings PDF

Take a walk around your neighbourhood, look at what’s growing, ask a friend for a cutting — and have a play. You might be surprised by just how many new plants you can grow for free.

Supercharge Your Garden
🪴30 cuttings / mix of 15 varieties of plants- Sent out September only

Ask a Question – Submit a gardening question for a future episode.

About Sam – Learn more about the host of White Strawberries.

Support the Podcast – Buy Sam a Cuppa to help keep new episodes coming.

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There are some funny reels at the moment about not showing the one you love how much you spend on plants! But it doesn't have to be like that.

In this episode, I talk with regenerative grower and educator Levi Brinsdon-Hall about the power of seeds, propagation and food forests.

We explore why growing from seed is such an important skill for gardeners, how a tiny seed can become the beginning of abundance, and why creating a diverse ecosystem is about so much more than simply growing food for ourselves.

Levi shares his approach to starting a food forest, the importance of observation, and how working with plants over time teaches us about our own landscapes.

In this episode we talk about:

🌱 Why learning to grow from seed gives you independence as a gardener
🌱 The difference between buying plants and learning propagation
🌱 How seeds create abundance and resilience
🌱 Why flowers and “non-food” plants are essential in a healthy ecosystem
🌱 Starting a food forest from year zero
🌱 Using observation to understand what your land needs
🌱 Building soil health through diversity and living plants

You can find Levi all over socials! Including
-LinkedIn

-Instagram

To follow Levi resourcing 1000 young growers and their schools and families with free resource packs, visit deliciousrevolution.nz.

Levi recommends looking at the history of your land's use. If you're in Auckland, NZ, this is where you find that.

Supercharge Your Garden
🪴30 cuttings / mix of 15 varieties of plants- Sent out September only

Ask a Question – Submit a gardening question for a future episode.

About Sam – Learn more about the host of White Strawberries.

Support the Podcast – Buy Sam a Cuppa to help keep new episodes coming.

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Bird flu has arrived in New Zealand, and if you keep backyard chickens, ducks or other poultry, you may be wondering what this actually means for your flock.

In this episode of White Strawberries, we talk about H5N1 bird flu and what backyard poultry keepers need to know. We look at how this strain differs from the bird flu you may have heard about previously, what symptoms to watch for in chickens, ducks and wild birds, and why biosecurity matters even if your birds normally free-range.

We get practical about protecting your flock: keeping wild birds and rodents away from feed, preventing access to potentially contaminated water and droppings, and why simply putting up bird netting may not be enough. We also talk about what to do if you need to temporarily confine free-range chickens, whether chickens can survive H5N1, when veterinary care is important, and what happens if birds have been exposed.

This isn't about panic or pretending we can eliminate every risk. It's about understanding the risks and giving your flock the best chance possible.

🌱 What You'll Discover

• What makes H5N1 different from previous bird flu concerns
• Signs and symptoms of bird flu in chickens, ducks and wild birds
• Practical ways to reduce exposure to wild birds and rodents
• Why contaminated water and droppings can be a concern
• How to protect free-range chickens
• Whether chickens can survive H5N1
• When veterinary care may be needed
• What happens to exposed chickens
• Practical biosecurity steps for backyard poultry keepers

Other Episodes with Sez the Vet on chickens can be found HERE.

Supercharge Your Garden
🪴30 cuttings / mix of 15 varieties of plants- Sent out September only

Ask a Question – Submit a gardening question for a future episode.

About Sam – Learn more about the host of White Strawberries.

Support the Podcast – Buy Sam a Cuppa to help keep new episodes coming.

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What if your garden could give you more time, more health, and more connection — instead of becoming another job?

Welcome to White Strawberries: Gardening for Wellness and Joy.

This podcast explores how growing food, flowers, and gardens can support a healthier, more connected life.

Join Sam as she shares what’s working in her own garden and conversations with growers, authors, and gardeners who are creating more resilient, nature-connected ways of living.

Whether you want to grow your own food, create a flower-filled space, grow herbs, or simply reconnect with nature, you’re in the right place.

A garden should support your life — not take it over.

May your garden be abundant and your strawberries white.

Supercharge Your Garden
🪴30 cuttings / mix of 15 varieties of plants- Sent out September only

Ask a Question – Submit a gardening question for a future episode.

About Sam – Learn more about the host of White Strawberries.

Support the Podcast – Buy Sam a Cuppa to help keep new episodes coming.

Ask a Question or Leave a Comment

Asparagus is one of the most boujee perennial crops to put into your S&P 500—(perennial garden investment portfolio) but getting it right starts long before the first harvest.

In this episode of White Strawberries, I walk you through everything you need to know about planting asparagus crowns, preparing the perfect soil, and creating a bed that will produce for decades- and also not doing any of things and giving a go anyway... 👌

I also share how I'm establishing asparagus in my own food forest.

Whether you're planting your very first crowns or adding asparagus to an established garden, this episode will help you create a productive patch that keeps rewarding you year after year.

🌱 What You'll Discover

• Why most gardeners choose crowns instead of growing from seed
• How to prepare an asparagus bed that lasts for decades
• The soil conditions asparagus loves
• Traditional trench planting versus modern no-dig methods
• When to harvest—and when to leave your plants alone
• How many asparagus plants you need to feed your family

🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Grounded Waitlist
  

🎧 Previous White Strawberries Episodes Mentioned

• Animal Manure in the Garden

Supercharge Your Garden
🪴30 cuttings / mix of 15 varieties of plants- Sent out September only

Ask a Question – Submit a gardening question for a future episode.

About Sam – Learn more about the host of White Strawberries.

Support the Podcast – Buy Sam a Cuppa to help keep new episodes coming.

Ask a Question or Leave a Comment

What if the best mulch isn't something you buy or wheel around the garden—but something that's already growing?

In this conversation with Kath Irvine, author of The Edible Backyard, we explore the science and practical application of living mulch. Instead of constantly importing straw, compost, or woodchips, Kath explains how diverse, living plants can protect the soil, feed soil biology, reduce weeds, build resilience, and ultimately create a healthier garden with less work.

We discuss why diversity matters, how plant roots feed soil microbes, why chopping plants can be better than pulling them out, and how to introduce living mulch into both vegetable gardens and orchards. We also tackle some of the difficult realities of gardening—including invasive weeds, compost overuse, and when there may not be a perfect solution.

If you're aiming for a low-input, high-output garden that works more like nature, this episode will challenge many of the gardening "rules" we've been taught.

🌱 What You'll Discover

• What living mulch is and how it differs from traditional mulch
• Why plant diversity creates healthier, more resilient soil
• How living roots feed soil biology through photosynthesis
• Practical ways to introduce living mulch into vegetable gardens
• Creating productive orchards with perennial companion plants
• Why "chop and drop" often beats pulling weeds
• The surprising downside of using too much compost
• Choosing and saving seeds for diverse living mulch mixes
• Managing difficult weeds without becoming overwhelmed
• Why observation may be the most important gardening skill of all

📚 References & Resources Mentioned

• The Edible Backyard — Kath Irvine
• Homegrown Fruit — Kath Irvine

Kath Irvine's website

Referenced

• Dr Christine Jones' work on soil biology and plant diversity
  
  
• The Jena Experiment (Germany) — biodiversity and ecosystem resilience

🎧 Previous White Strawberries Episodes You Might Enjoy

Mulch and Ground Covers | Mastering the Garden

Companion Planting: Figs, Grapes, Olives & Companions | Mastering the Garden

Run until the 18th of August 2026

Supercharge Your Garden
🪴30 cuttings / mix of 15 varieties of plants- Sent out September only

Ask a Question – Submit a gardening question for a future episode.

About Sam – Learn more about the host of White Strawberries.

Support the Podcast – Buy Sam a Cuppa to help keep new episodes coming.