GARDENING WITH ‘YouTube’
 |
Cold rainy early spring days are a great time for visiting local greenhouses. You can have the entire place to yourself. |
The winter months leave me with the gardening blues. Thankfully,
the incoming plant catalogs are a sure sign that spring is not far away.
My favorite way to spend a bleak winter day (after backyard bird watching) is spent watching gardening
videos on ‘YouTube’.
 |
From pruning hollies to taking a soil test, your topic is on YouTube. |
There is a wealth of gardening information to be found on the
internet. Most of the Cooperative Extension Services throughout the nation have
posted their ‘fact sheets’ online for easy access by the public. These are the
most reliable sources for well researched gardening practices.
Many videos are posted by professionals such as
P. Allen Smith, a television host and
designer who has shows on PBS and cable. He’s always enjoyable to watch.
 |
P. Allen Smith. |
Additionally
many landscapers have posted videos to promote themselves and educate the
public.
There are videos for every topic from Amaryllis to Zebra plants,
soil testing and vegetable gardening. The list seems endless.
 |
Want to grow more vegetables in a small space? Go upward in towers. |
Most of the YouTube videos are posted by non-professionals to
share their personal knowledge. I find many of them very entertaining, but not
always accurate.
 |
Wor Jacky might have more of a green thumb than anybody I know, but I can't stop laughing long enough to find out. |
As with all things on the internet, it is wise to pick and choose
which techniques are best for you. Being aware of where the video is filmed can
also be helpful. Plantings in North Carolina that can easily survive their mild
winters, may not survive our harsh winters where the ground completely freezes.
 |
It may grow beautifully in California, but its not going to survive winter here. |
One good example is the use of pansies. Well known in NJ as a popular early
spring annual, pansies are planted in autumn in Washington DC where they
survive the winter and bounce back in the spring more beautiful than ever.
 |
Pansies might survive a mild winter here but it is unlikely. |
As president of a local Garden Club, I often glean though
YouTube to find the best video on our monthly topic. This can be a useful educational
tool but homemade video ‘hosts’ often know
little of what they are talking about.
 |
Standing on the compost pile makes it harder to spread. |
All in all, YouTube garden videos are a fun way to spend a snowy
winter day.
Enjoy gardening all year long, James
