Influencer
The Rise Of Gardening Content Creators And The Top Influencers To Follow
At first, 2020 seemed like it would be just another normal year. Influencer marketing has seen incredible growth during 2019 and the forecasts at the time suggested that the trend would continue. But, no one could have predicted what was to come, and when the global pandemic hit everyone’s lives changed.
Homes became quarantine zones, remote working was now considered the norm, and many of us re-examined our relationship with social media and influencers because everything became more unattainable and out of touch than ever before. This resulted in brands putting a hold on influencer marketing campaigns.
Nevertheless, the pandemic helped to expose certain niches of influencers who didn’t seem as out of touch as lifestyle, luxury, and travel content creators. While we were all trapped within the confinement of our homes – dreaming of fresh air, green spaces, and the good ol’ outdoors – home gardening began to take off, and with it, the rise of gardening influencers.
The Rise of Gardening Content Creators
Since the creation of social media platforms, we’ve seen the diversification of influencers and their subsequent niches. And while specific verticals such as fitness, food, beauty, and lifestyle appear to have been around since the launch of social media, others are more niche specific, reflecting a change in people’s interest and the type of content they’re wanting to consume.
Everyday millennial living can nowadays be summarized in a few simple words: small apartments and boring cityscape views. This concrete and unnatural lifestyle is what helped pave the way for the mass adoption of house plants, especially during the pandemic, when people wanted an outlet and more control over the design elements of the spaces they were confined to.
Now in 2023, three years after the emergence of this new influencing niche we can look back and understand the origins of how this trend came to be, at the same time admiring how popular it’s become. From house plants to home veggies gardens – Instagram and other platforms have fast become a home for gardening influencers. So much so, that plant influencers have been partnering with big-name brands, starting podcasts, signing book deals, etc.
How Does This New Trend Impact Brands
Ultimately, the rise in popularity of gardening and plant-loving influencers is great for brands. Especially agricultural-related companies that haven’t been able to leverage influencer marketing in the past, or have struggled to do so, due to not being able to find the right creators to partner with.
Now there’s no shortage of content creators within this vertical, which is great for brands who are looking to venture into new markets and reach new audiences. The sway influencers hold should be reason enough for brands to collaborate with creators to help drive everything from awareness to sales.
At the end of the day, this new vertical offers insight into the changing landscape of social media, with micro-communities and smaller niches paving the way. And with diversification comes new entry points for everyone involved: brands, influencers, and even the end users.
The Top Gardening Influencers To Follow
If you’re scrolling through Instagram with the hopes of finding dreamy gardening accounts to follow and learn from instead of the usual celeb drama and influencer snapshots then you’re in the right place.
Instagram is home to a lot of great accounts that share educational and inspirational content about the dirty yet amazing world of gardening and plants.
So, if you’re someone who’s found an interest in urban gardening, house plants, and veggie gardening here is a list of the top influencer accounts to follow.
1. Milkwood Permaculture
We thought we’d start this list off by highlighting one of the most popular gardening accounts online – Milkwood Permaculture.
The account’s mission is to share permaculture educational content with their audience, showcasing how to live sustainably by growing your own food, tips and tricks that can help the environment, as well as economic and community-driven ecological principles.
Nowadays, Milkwood consists of a team of facilitators, educators, builders, and designers who spread the message of permaculture gardening through their various online courses such as mushroom growing, beekeeping, permaculture design, and holistic management.
The inception of Milkwood Permaculture began 14 years ago in Tasmania, Australia, and was founded by Kristen Bradley and Nick Ritar.
2. Humans Who Grow Food
Next up we’ve got Humans Who Grow Food, an Instagram account that showcases gardening newbies and experts from all over the world who share their experiences on growing food organically and without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
They highlight everything from backyard gardeners to full-blow micro-farming techniques, how to make compost, seed save, and impact your local community in a positive way.
Most of the anecdotes and posts shared on this account are from activists and non-profits that are tirelessly working to make the world a better place for generations to come.
3. Urban Farmstead
The Urban Farmstead is an Instagram account managed by Kyle Hagerty, a Sacramento-based urban farmer who helps use social media to educate others on how to grow abundant food in small places. He also has a Youtube channel where he shares long-format videos.
Kyle grows a lot of crops in his small backyard, and any surplus he gives away at his neighborhood farm stand which is located just in front of his home entrance.
If you’re interested in learning how to plant annual crops, deal with weeds holistically, and learn about soil care then Urban Farmstead is a good account to follow.
4. Gardenary
Gardenary is an account founded by Nicole Burke, where you’ll be able to find sound gardening advice and inspiration. The account name “Gardenary” is a combination of two words: gardening and ordinary. Which summarizes Nicole’s mission perfectly. Her vision as to create an account that’s sole purpose was to make gardening ordinary once again.
Nicole also offers courses and lectures that help teach home gardening how to create a dream business from their passion and pave a way for a profitable profession that they enjoy. At the same time, she also offers consultations, garden designs, and other educational courses that can help you on your journey to becoming a better gardener.
5. The Happy Gardening Life
The gardener and creator behind the popular Instagram account The Happy Gardening Life is Jason Miles. He launched the account in 2015 as an outlet to share his garden victories.
Jason and his wife live on a 10-acre farm in Zambia, with the sole mission of feeding hungry children by growing organic, clean, and environmentally sustainable crops.
The account has become a community of happy gardeners, and the Instagram feed reflects that. With over 200 thousand followers using the hashtag #thehappygardeninglife to be featured on the account.
Definitely check out this Instagram account if you’re in need of inspiration, and once you’ve begun your garden adventure you can also tag them in your posts using the hashtag.
6. Epic Gardening
At first, Epic Gardening was a hobby, now it’s turned into a popular gardening hub that teaches people from all over the world how to grow their own food, how to prevent garden pests that will ruin your crops, along with tried and tested methods for growing and ways to not kill plants.
If this type of content sounds interesting then Epic Gardening is a perfect page for you to follow.
They also share educational content on houseplants, plant diseases, hydroponics, and other gardening care. And their website has a shop section where you’re able to purchase everything from seed trays to raised beds.
7. Jessica Sowards
Jessica has created podcasts and blog posts for many years, sharing her family’s homesteading journey. The ups and downs that come with land management, growing your own food, and farm animals, alongside raising four children on a small farm in Arkansas.
For this family, gardening is part of their lifestyle. They strive to achieve a simpler life, centered around family, faith, and good food.
Their vlogs and social media presence allow you to become part of their journey thanks to the authentic manner in which they showcase their lives online.
Everything from cooking homegrown potatoes to watching their hens hatch in an incubator. No topic or homestead task is off-limits.
Conclusion
No matter where you are on your gardening journey – complete novice or expert horticulturist – you can still gain a lot of valuable information and inspiration from other gardeners.
So, what are you waiting for? Go and give these wonderful accounts a follow and start planning your dream Spring garden.
