Saturday, May 11

Sprouts 20 Favorite YouTube Garden Channels

As gardeners, we have found YouTube to be a great source of growing wisdom. Gardening videos are so plentiful, one could spend a good deal of time glued to the computer touring gardens around the world.  It's one of the wonders of the modern gardener's reality.


We've put together a list of our favorites. You'll find gardeners both pro and amateur who open their garden gates for us to visit.

Certainly,  many more fantastic gardeners are posting videos on YouTube, so we're asking for your suggestions. Please share your personal gardening favorites by leaving your recommendation in the comments. We'll compile all suggestions into a future post.

Below you'll find Sprouts 20 favorite YouTube garden channels list. This list is not in any special order- just our compilation of  YouTube gardeners we find inspirational.

1. The Produce Garden

   On The Produce Garden Channel, Christian's passion for organic gardening and self sufficiency is contagious. He gardens on a small holding in central Victoria, Australia where he's developed creative, down to earth organic gardening methods. We really like a recent video about his personal method of crop rotation. Practical, yet brilliant. You'll also find over 350 videos on a huge range of topics like containers, natural pest control, seed saving and more. Too many good tips to list here, so do pay Christian a visit.

2. Claire's Allotment

    Claire shares hints and tips from her allotment and greenhouse in the UK.  She's been gardening since childhood when she helped her granddad in his garden. She shares her garden wisdom in over 200 entertaining, informative videos.

3. Growing Your Greens

    John Kohler has uploaded 799 videos as of this writing. All are packed with information and inspiration delivered with John's zeal for growing your own organic food at home. He's a man with a mission to get us all to eat healthier by growing our own greens. In addition to showing us his own garden, he visits a variety of locations of interest to organic gardeners.

4. Patti Moreno The Garden Girl

    Patti is located in the Boston area. She's all about sustainable living and related topics. Check out her raised bed system to grow an abundance of produce in the city, as well as raise chickens right in the same system of raised beds.  She'll show you step by step how to do it, as well as numerous other skills.

5. New England Gardening

   This channel offers excellent information on growing unusual varieties in cold climates. Check out videos about growing figs, citrus, bananas, and other crops. You will also find videos on flowers such as orchids, as well as New England birds.

6. Laurence Ireland

    Laurence Ireland has uploaded beautifully presented and detailed videos of his immaculate garden and greenhouse in England. Do visit with him to see all the care he has given to his gardens. Topics include propagation, container gardening, permaculture, greenhouse growing, and tomatoes.
    
7. Bealtaine Cottage

    For one of the most peaceful bits of earth on YouTube, visit Bealtaine Cottage located in the West of Ireland. Describing the beauty of these permaculture gardens in words is next to impossible, so you must go have a look and meander the garden paths yourself.  Really. Go.
    
8. Homestead Acres

    This channel, created by a Canadian family homesteading on one acre, demonstrates a simple, frugal lifestyle which includes gardening. Be sure to check out the greenhouse they built from used materials.

9. Gary Pilarchik

   Gary teaches viewers about tomato and vegetable gardening through his videos. In addition to his YouTube channel he writes a blog which boasts an active community of gardeners.
    
10. Mr. Grizzer Bear's Channel

      On this channel you'll find some of the best garden programs to watch- including Around the World in 80 Gardens, The Edible Garden, How to Be a Gardener, and Love Your Garden.

11. P. Allen Smith's Garden Home Living

     A designer, writer, gardener, and lifestyle expert, P. Allen Smith has, in addition to his successful PBS TV programs, a YouTube Channel.  Check it out for his professional advice and ideas.

12. Work With Nature

      David is based in Ireland and creates videos for his YouTube channel about organic gardening, self sufficiency, beekeeping, natural building, natural places, and seed saving. He has extensive experience in gardening and works as a landscape gardener. 

13. Grow Organic Peaceful Valley

Trish at GrowOrganic Peaceful Valley Farm and Garden Supply presents 130 exceptionally well made videos with helpful tips. We like that offerings include topics not often found on other channels such as how to grow olives and persimmons!
       
14. The Horticultural Channel

     The Horticultural Channel hosts a variety of gardeners all in one place such as Sean's Allotment Garden, Titli's Busy Garden and more. Their goal is to provide practical advice for amateurs. They also visit gardening shows around the world.
      
15. The Ten Minute Gardener

     Mark Abbott Compton uploads episodes of his program, The Ten Minute Gardener, to his YouTube Channel which is entitled Learn How To Garden. He also has a website and newsletter. Mark covers a variety of topics. We enjoyed his videos on using seaweed in the garden.

16. Jamie Oliver 

    Jamie Oliver needs no introduction, but  let us explain a little about his channel. If you click on the link above you will arrive at what appears to be a food channel and indeed it is, especially with a name like Food Tube! But, if you do a little digging, it's also a gardening channel because Jamie has some of the most amazing gardens to grow the food he cooks. Of course, you'll also be inspired to use your home grown produce in some of Jamie's creative recipes, too. Good stuff!

17. Empress of Dirt

     In addition to organic gardening, Melissa also demonstrates some lovely garden art how-tos you might like to try.  We love her garden art glassware flowers.

18. Irena Stallard

      From the state of Virginia, Irena presents perfectly lovely videos of her English cottage style garden.  We're both fans of the cottage style, so we give Irena's channel a big thumbs up.  Roses, anyone?

19. Willem Van Cotthem

      Willem has 118 videos on his channel, many dealing with creative container gardening. Willem has designed and built a bottle tower garden and has many videos showing his results over time.  The end result is a great looking vertical garden that anyone can make using plastic bottles.


20. Lark Kulikowski

     Backyard gardener, Lark Kulikowski  gardens in the state of Wisconsin. She's filmed 84 videos on a multitude of topics. We like her clear plastic tote greenhouses in particular.  Also, check out her channel for videos on kids in the garden, harvesting worm castings, cottage gardening, container gardening and much more.

What to do when it is just too Darn hot to Garden?

It has been a very hot summer everywhere. From what I have been told it is normal to get 100 plus days from the months here from  May to Oct...