if you’re a Florida gardener, not just any gardening YouTuber will give you the information you need. Florida is so weird, the Farmer’s Almanac print version actually has an entirely separate section devoted to our whacky planting schedule. Gardening in Zones 9-11 is difficult enough, but gardening on the Gulf Coast is just “special.” What you need is Florida gardening YouTube video channels.
Gardening channels on YouTube have really exploded over the last five years. Many of my favorite YouTubers have gone from tiny suburban gardens to purchasing big ol’ homesteads. And I’m guessing that the popularity of their channels has a lot to do with that.
But which Florida gardening YouTube channels are the best? Which of the many garden YouTubers really, TRULY understands the struggle of gardening in the Gulf Coast region?
Because the struggle is real.
While the rest of the country watches their sweet corn reaching for the clouds, we’re hiding inside behind hurricane shutters.
While temperate climate gardeners are dumping zucchini anonymously on doorsteps throughout their neighborhoods, we’re tossing the blackened, shriveled stumps of our failed summer squash into the compost heap.
Again.
Many of us have turned to YouTube for help and instruction.
If you’re new to gardening in Florida or new to YouTube garden videos, I’m happy to help you find the best Florida gardening YouTube channels. As much as I love classic shows like PBS’s Victory Garden and BBC’s Gardeners World, let’s face it: very little of the content on either show has anything to do with Zone 9-11 gardening.
So, Which Are the Best Florida Gardening YouTubers?
The best YouTubers all have their own special gifts and perspectives to add to the conversation. So, I’ll start with my top choices, and you can decide who your own favorites are.
Here is a list of my favorites that I’ve been watching over the last four or five years. While not all of them are specifically for Florida, much of their content is relevant to our interests. They’re on the Gulf Coast or garden in a subtropical climate.
7. Wild Floridian
I can’t believe it took me so long to find “Wild Floridian” on YouTube. After all, like me, the presenter is in Zone 10A, and I think she lives a few miles away. So, naturally, she’s a great source of super-local information for me and anyone else living in Central Florida along the coast.
Jacqueline focuses a lot on gardening for pollinators, so she has tons of videos about native Florida plants. And her extensive knowledge isn’t just academic. Her videos are a serious deep-dive demonstration of how to use them in your landscape.
She’s only been on YouTube since 2019, but it’s obvious that she knows a lot about gardening in this region. She’s my top choice when it comes to information on gardening in Florida for wildlife.
6. The Urban Harvest
Elise of Urban Harvest in the Tampa Bay area knows what she’s talking about. While her YouTube channel doesn’t offer a plethora of videos, she also offers more information on her website.
She also has a seed club that sends you seeds for plants that are timed right for our unusual growing cycles. She also offers classes on garden planning, composting, and other topics.
Elise is one of the few Florida gardening YouTubers that really understands how to work with our wonky seasons and unique (i.e. humid) conditions. She’s also extremely knowledgeable about those little-known alternative vegetables and herbs that grow easily here.
When I first reviewed The Urban Harvest on this blog, Elise only had a few dozen videos on YouTube. Now, she has over 100. Most are short and to the point, which I think is a positive attribute when I’m looking for information.
5. Scott Head / Black Gumbo
Sometimes, the best Florida gardening YouTube channels aren’t run by Floridians. In this case, Scott Head lives in Coastal Texas, along the Gulf, in Zone 9a. So, he has a good idea of what kind of climate and growing calendar we use in Florida.
You’ll find many seasonal videos covering all things edible in the garden, plus some great instructionals on how to cook those things. His blog goes back even further, should you prefer reading to viewing. Sometimes, you just need the deets and don’t have time for chit-chat or garden tours.
He offers an extensive library of information videos about Southern gardening, cooking, and even preserving food. Extra credit for backyard chicken videos.
Southerners are pretty laid back, and sometimes Scott can be a bit too laid back if you’re in a hurry to get answers. But honestly, it’s a nice change of pace from some of the more frantic garden YouTubers I’ve seen.
4. The Millenial Gardener
Another one of my favorite not-Florida gardening YouTube channels with useful info. This YouTuber (can’t find his name anywhere) lives and gardens in 8a on the coast of North Carolina, so definitely subtropical, and definitely a hot & steamy Southern climate.
You’ll certainly learn a lot on this channel. The Millenial Gardener offers tons of tips and hacks for dealing with the downside of gardening in the South. Hacks for heat, humidity, bugs, and disease. His presentation style is simple and scientific, with demonstrations and explanations of how and why they work.
I’ve tried a few of his trick over the last year or two, and every single one has been a winner.
3. Pete Kanaris / GreenDreamsTV
Pete’s nursery and landscaping service, GreenDreams, sits north of Tampa. Along with an extensive array of edible and permaculture-friendly plants, GreenDreams also offers design and installation services.
However, the best thing about Pete’s YouTube channel is that you’ll become inspired. Pete shares his experience of subtropical and tropical edible plants and explains their unique flavors and growing needs. You’re going to want half a dozen of whatever he’s talking about by the time the video is over.
Pete’s a professional plantsman with specialized knowledge of unique and unusual edible and beneficial plants for a Florida landscape. Probably the most knowledgeable Florida gardening YouTube channel you’ll find.
However, you won’t find much about growing the common zucchini on Pete’s channel, although occasionally, he’ll visit with a market gardener, Joe Kowaleski, who grows them. The two have teamed up to produce a vegetable garden masterclass, but it’s pretty expensive unless you’re going pro.
2. Mark Valencia / Self-Sufficient Me
Another great Florida gardening YouTube channel that isn’t filmed in Florida at all — not even close! Mark’s a stay-at-home dad from Australia. But even though he gardens on the other side of the planet, he also gardens in a subtropical climate. Many of the edible fruits and veg you’ll see him plant are the same ones that grow here in Florida.
And believe it or not, he’s got even more intimidating pests than we have!
Mark’s website also features a lot of great information if you’d prefer to read up. He also has an active user forum for sharing information with other gardeners.
Mark’s super knowledgeable about growing in a subtropical and tropical climate without being too academic or pedantic. Mark is as entertaining to watch as he is informative. His relaxed and somewhat hokey style is just what’s called for if you need low-stress gardening entertainment.
Keep in mind that, even though Mark’s climate is very similar to ours, it’s still on the other side of the planet. That means that if you want information for our current season, you need to search back on his channel about six months to find the relevant information.
1. David the Good (Goodman)
I’ve been reading David’s Survival Gardener blog for several years and have even purchased many of his Florida-specific gardening books. But it took the pandemic for me to discover that he also has a YouTube channel. (Granted, it took the pandemic to get me back to YouTube after Vevo took over music videos.)
David’s irreverent humor is obvious in his written work, and it carries over into his videos. His specialty is “survival gardening,” which we can assume means information for preppers when the SHTF. And although he does provide a lot of good prepper info, it’s also excellent information for those of us who simply want to be more sustainable. Sustainable is better for the earth, and it’s cheaper, too. What’s not to love?
Because of his many years of experience, wry style, and deep dives into growing on the cheap (and natural), David gets my vote as the single best Florida gardening YouTube channel to watch. Even though he now lives in Alabama.
David is fun to watch. He provides plenty of actionable information for any type of vegetable gardener, but his wit is much appreciated. His gardening experiments are especially helpful. He always seems to have plenty of land to play with new methods and new crops.
Who Are Your Favorites?
Those are my top picks for the best Florida gardening YouTube channels to watch. More specifically, they’re my top five picks for Florida gardeners, since not all of the Tubers involved are in Florida.
If you have a favorite Florida-specific gardening channel on YouTube, please let me know. I’m always interested to see what else is available on the platform.