Get your gardening questions answered by some of the best green-fingered YouTubers
Image: Elnur

Are you always on the lookout for inspiring and informative gardening YouTube channels? Last time we featured some of the best gardeners of the vlogosphere, we were overwhelmed by your response. Here then, is a selection of vloggers we missed first time round – 12 more gardening YouTubers who know their onions – and a lot more besides…

Alternative Smallholding

Even while on holiday, Jaz couldn’t wait to get back to her allotment
Image: Alternative Smallholding

Do you find it hard to sleep in unfamiliar surroundings? When Jaz, the ‘Alternative Smallholder,’ was on holiday recently, she lay awake wondering how well her onions and garlic were faring under their protective enviromesh cover. No wonder that as soon as she got back, she went straight to her allotment to check!

You know your onions and garlic are ready to harvest when the tops begin to wilt and turn brown, explains the Alternative Smallholding family. This is one of our favourite vlogs – a “journey towards living a simple, happy life through growing our own food, raising tiny raptors (aka chickens) & dreaming of our own smallholding.” That onion harvest? Bumper.

Castle Hill Garden

Cliff has green-fingered advice for gardens of all sizes
Image: Castle Hill Garden

As you water your greenhouse tomatoes, you’ll notice two things, says Cliff, the Castle Hill Gardener. First, that the lower leaves can get in the way of watering, and second, that over time, the compost washes out, leaving roots exposed to the air. The answer? Trim and top up – without removing too much.

The Castle Hill Garden vlog shows you exactly what to do. Friendly, and informative, it’s ideal for anyone new to gardening, plus those looking to pick up extra tips from someone whose chatty, down to earth style makes the information so much more accessible.

Dave’s Allotment

Dave’s down to earth YouTube channel is chock full of advice
Image: Dave’s Allotment

Fish blood and bone – dried blood – just what every plant needs for a good start in life, says Dave, of Dave’s Allotment. Today he’s planting cucumbers in his greenhouse in buckets with the bases cut off, inserted into a deep raised bed. Cucumbers don’t like to sit around in too much water, so the buckets help to direct the water to the roots.

“First I’ll get the kettle on,” is Dave’s approach to gardening. Here you’ll get a super-friendly vibe from the North East of England, plus gardening tips and insights galore. Brand new to allotmenteering? Check out Dave’s Back to Basics series – everything you need to know to get started.

Digging for Dinner

Want to grow the best tomatoes ever? Then make sure you follow Joe’s advice
Image: Digging For Dinner

Know the difference between determinate and indeterminate tomatoes? Joe from Digging for Dinner shows you the difference, plus how to get the best harvests.

Indeterminate tomatoes keep on growing, so take off anything too low that’s of no benefit to the plant. Determinate tomatoes, Digging for Dinner says, need little intervention – just snip off anything in contact with the soil to prevent disease.

The fact that tomatoes are Joe’s favourite allotment crop, plus his great attention to detail, mean that this video really does live up to the promise of helping you to “Grow the Best Tomatoes Ever.” Digging for Dinner is proof of what’s possible with a little know how and elbow grease.

Erica’s Little Welsh Garden

Make planting beans exciting with Erica’s methods
Image: Runner Bean ‘Firestorm’ from Thompson & Morgan

Are your beans boring? Erica’s were, but she’s put some more thought into it this year – ‘Black Coco’ dwarf French beans, ‘Simm’s Corsair’ runner beans, and ‘Brecon Black’, a variety from a Welsh seed library. Fascinating stuff, and we look forward to seeing how the different runner bean varieties fare in Erica’s Little Welsh Garden.

Or course, with growing more than one variety of bean, there’s always the distinct possibility of cross-pollination, but here too, Erica shares her tips for minimising the risks. A great channel – Erica is a friendly presenter with lots of great info to share.

Byther Farm

Updating tri-weekly, Liz’s channel covers life on an organic farmstead
Image: Byther Farm

Looking for some easy perennial veg to grow year-after-year? How about Taunton Deane Kale? Cabbagey and sweet but not overly strong, says Byther Farm’s Liz Zorab. Also try Eyptian walking onions – you can use the leaves and the bulbs. And how about Walking Stick Cabbage which can grow to a staggering 10 feet high.

Catch up on the latest gardening action on an organic farmstead in rural Monmouthshire – the scene for Liz and her partner’s gardening exploits. Byther Farm is an excellent channel for anyone interested in organic growing. Fancy making your own chive blossom vinegar? Liz shows you how to make this gorgeous pink condiment.

Homegrown Garden

Katrina uses 2 litre water bottle as a nifty gardening hack
Image: Homegrown Garden

Find out all about companion planting to help stop bugs and pests getting at your tomatoes. From her new polytunnel, Katrina takes you right through planting and tying indoor tomatoes – her tip – bury a 2 litre water bottle with holes beside each tomato plant – by topping up the bottle, she delivers fluid direct to the root.

Three years with no blight shows this is a winning idea, and it’s just one of a wealth of tips you’ll discover courtesy of allotmenteer, Katrina. With no garden of her own, Katrina has taken to the allotment with great enthusiasm and creates a fascinating video diary to share her Homegrown Garden exploits.

Jane Kelly

Jane’s friendly demeanour makes learning new gardening tricks fun
Image: Jane Kelly

Wondering about the best way to create an asparagus bed? Let Jane show you how as she creates one – something she’s always wanted but never got round to before. You’ll need a trench, some well rotted manure, a sprinkling of fertilizer, and of course your “spiders from Mars.”

Space your crowns a foot apart, spread the tendril-like roots and, after you’ve covered them, give the plants a good water. You’ll love Jane Kelly’s channel – with her warm and friendly style, she makes learning fun. Oh, and check out her shed – the perfect place to drink tea!

Lavender and Leeks

If you fancy going plot to plate, make sure you tune into Katie’s recipe vlogs
Image: Lavender and Leeks

Growing is only one half of the allotment equation – the other is eating your produce. Join Lavender and Leeks creator, Katie as she shares delicious dishes made from tasty fruit and veg from her own patch. Rhubarb crumble cake sound tempting? Join Katie in her beautiful little 6 x 4 shed as she cooks up a storm for you.

Slightly cramped the shed might be – especially with lemon balm hanging from the roof to dry – but you’ll be surprised and inspired by what you can do with such a small space. And while she’s waiting for the crumble to cook, it’s back out to take care of the gardening. Fun, informative and definitely tasty, Lavender and Leeks is a must.

Muddy Bootz

Nigel likes to start his gardening at daybreak
Image: Muddy Bootz

If you want to join Nigel, aka Muddy Bootz, at his allotment, you’ll have to get up early. “It’s just gone five o’clock, and it’s only just me and the birds out” – he says – “and it’s fantastic!” That’s one way to get your tomatoes in “early.”

After a quick cuppa, it’s on to planting cucumbers and tomatoes in the greenhouse – this year this allotmenteer is trialing heritage tomato ‘Harbinger’ along with old favourites, ‘Mountain Magic,’ ‘Crimson Crush’ and ‘Sweet Million’. You’ll discover great gardening here, and an engineering solution to prevent your plant halos getting clogged with soil during planting.

What Vivi Did Next

Follow Vivi’s frugal smallholding lifestyle for money-saving tips
Image: What Vivi Did Next

Could you live off the land? Former nurse, Vivi was forced to quit her job in her late forties because of her dodgy knees. So what did Vivi do next? She took to a frugal goodlife and has thrived ever since.

The “Good Life” is hard graft, but it has its compensations – like harvesting lavender which, Vivi says you should do when the flowers have budded but not yet opened – that’s when the essential oils are at their most concentrated. What Vivi Did Next is full of frugal tips, and growing wisdom, but more than that, it’s a window into an alternative lifestyle that’s cash poor, but all the richer for it.

The Small Garden Channel

Let veteran gardener George solve your small gardening dilemmas
Image: The Small Garden Channel

Watch as George gives growing courgettes in a bale of straw a try. First, wet your bale for three or four days to get it to begin composting, then leave for six days to heat up. The result? The courgettes were something of a triumph, but that’s not all.

The straw is an excellent source of carbon for the compost heap, and when strewn over the lawn before mowing, mixes with grass clippings to make it instantly compostable. After running a 22 acre estate, retired George now tends a small garden and shares his many years of knowledge on The Small Garden Channel. Wonderfully warm and informative, George is as charming and erudite a YouTube presenter as you could wish for.

That’s it for now – but if you’re keen for more, check out our original post called 10 top gardening YouTube channels and bookmark the ones.

Thompson & Morgan

Since the first seed catalogue was published in 1855, Thompson & Morgan has grown to become one of the UK’s largest Mail Order Seed and Plant companies. Through the publication of our catalogues and the operation of our award-winning website, Thompson & Morgan is able to provide home gardeners with the very best quality products money can buy.