There are some YouTube channels that feel like touchstones in my educational and developmental journey. Seeing what’s possible through someone else’s experiences opens up the world to you in ways that traditional education and commercial media don’t. There’s a balance between realism and optimism when it comes to one’s attitude in life on Earth and I think seeing other peoples’ journeys can help shine a more realistic light on the optimistic. As someone who LOVES life, plants, nature and understanding systems, I have to say some of these creators on YouTube have had transformative impacts on my scope of appreciation of these topics. I would love to give them all their flowers. Here are the channels, creators and specific videos that have truly broadened my world and contributed to my education in the world of plants.
[Pro-tip: if you don’t want to pay for the ad-free Premium YouTube, you can use the Brave browser to view videos ad-free, no catch. This browser is open-source meaning if you’re interested in looking at the source code for how it works or even contributing to it in some way, you can do so via the git repository.]
Hope in a Changing Climate – by John D. Liu (2009)
When I first started volunteering at Beacon Food Forest (Seattle, WA) in 2021, the Community Outreach Coordinator sent me a little starter set of videos to get grounded in understanding what kinds of solutions are possible in what can seem like an overwhelmingly problematic world. This documentary, relatively short at under 30 minutes, is about as inspiring as a story can get. You see an array of problems, hopelessness, mindful ideas, doubt and resistance, dedication, time, and ultimately the change that was once hoped for as the people commit themselves to restorative efforts. This one goes to the top of the list because honestly, it establishes reality for you in a way that PROVES how inextricably connected everything is. That goes for both problems and solutions. Also, it reinforces the power of people in saving themselves – a fact of life that we can’t afford to forget.
Minimalist Cali Semi-hydroponics series
Around 6 years ago, I had a houseplant obsession. I loved having healthy, beautiful, colorful plants livening up my apartment. Watching the sun hit their leaves, noticing their steady growth, even watching some of them ebb and flow through leaf movements each day was a grounding experience that I realize was an essential part of my own self-care. Remembering the importance of slowing down, noticing what’s needed, giving care without overextending oneself or without time pressure and seeing it all work out is such a great antidote to the culture of rushed motion and instant gratification that’s so easy to get swept up in. Minimalist Cali taught me how to transition my plants from soil to LECA (Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggretate) and use nutrient solutions to feed the roots of my plants. My main motivation was to get rid of gnats, but I found LECA to be amazing for monitoring the health of my plants’ roots and ultimately coming to understand them much more deeply.
Any video by Andrew Millison
Andrew Millison’s work breaking down natural systems so that one can understand how to work with nature to grow food have been so transformative for me. He gives amazingly simple explanations using a very fun-to-watch sketching method and profiles different land restoration projects around the world. Just like John D. Liu’s documentary above, Millison covers the challenges, triumphs, and social implications of different land restoration projects that are actively making this world a better place. He even did a video on Beacon Food Forest which features some of my favorite humans I’ve had the good fortune of knowing and the privilege of working with.
Any video by Epic Gardening
When I was in Seattle, I had multiple thriving gardens. Taking advantage of the city of Seattle’s amazing P-patch program, I had a garden plot in my neighborhood 2 summers in a row. I had a rooftop garden at my last apartment. Through volunteering at Beacon Food Forest I helped to create and take care of a plot of land where we grew hundreds of pounds of food annually to donate to a local food bank and tended to areas which were open-harvest to the community. Starting my own plants from seed, navigating the world of soil types, fertilizers, growing methods, etc was made much much much easier with the help of Kevin Espiritu, founder of Epic Gardening. My twin and I lovingly refer to him as Kev and we were even lucky enough to meet him and his teammate, Jacques, at a gardening event in Seattle last year. Kev’s videos have offered a ton of insight and ideas as to how to organize and grow a lovely garden starting with absolutely no experience. He has a team now that gardens in different zones around the US and who can give great advice for taking care of plants outside of Southern California.
Any video by Becoming a Farm Girl
This is starting to shift into FoodTube, but well, plants support human survival in more ways than just being beautiful, air-purifying companions. They also give us everything we eat. Even if you’re purely carnivorous, there are no cows without grasses to graze. I LOVE watching Cassandra’s videos because not only is her energy pure and contagious, she drops so many gems on how to make the most of what you have. Small deck with no yard? Full-time job, supporting a family and no time to run between community gardens? A thriving garden that enables you access to healthy, organic food just steps from your kitchen is still possible and this lady proves it. She doesn’t just cover how to grow and harvest food that you can trust, she also has videos showing how to use the food in delicious recipes and preserve it in a variety of ways that anyone can do at home. If you go to her website, you can sign up to receive her free grocery guides which highlight the produce that is in-season, meaning fresher quality and lower prices.
And that’s what I have for today! Honestly, I could do PlantTube, FoodTube and GymTube roundups for dayssss. Is that something you’d find interesting or useful? I also have so many garden update videos from my own gardens in the past. Would you want to see those? Let me know in the comments!
P.S. I made some pretty serious claims in the Epic Gardening block. Pics or it didn’t happen…
Love this! You already know I’d love to see garden videos… tours of gardens and unique gardening practices you see during your travels would be fun!