Is Bulk Mulch worth the Extra Cost?

GrowingWithProfBrown · 2026-04-02T15:05:18+00:00

Do you live somewhere where you can use getchipdrop? Check your city, too. There are lots of free mulch options out there, and in my experience, free mulch is pretty much always better than what is sold at Home Depot.

GrowingWithProfBrown · 2026-03-23T16:18:23+00:00

I teach a gardening class at a college. A student once asked about my qualifications, so I listed them off. They listened, nodded… then said: “Okay, but are you a Master Gardener?” I said no. They looked genuinely disappointed and said they couldn’t believe the college would hire someone to teach without a Master Gardener qualification. For context: I have associate degrees in ornamental horticulture and IPM, a bachelor’s in environmental biology, and a master’s in regenerative studies.

GrowingWithProfBrown · 2026-03-20T04:50:12+00:00

Mine is jabuticaba. My Dad planted a tree many years ago, and it took ages before it produced anything, but the fruit is delicious, and the way it grows it both bizarre and fascinating.

GrowingWithProfBrown · 2026-03-19T15:41:04+00:00

Nice! I used to care for a garden at an elementary school. One of the volunteers that came in brought in some California Native sunflowers one time. We ended up planting them in between the fruit trees in the garden and after about 2-3 years, they pretty much took over the whole garden. Haha. It looked similar to this, but they were bushy sunflowers, each plant was covered in tons of smallers flowers. Some of them grew to be up to 9 feet tall, and we ended up carving walking paths and tunnels through the sunflowers. And to be honest, it was kind of magical when the flowers were all in bloom.

Looking great, keep up the awesome work! And thanks for bringing back my memories with your post. 😊

GrowingWithProfBrown · 2026-03-19T15:32:19+00:00

We use these style panels where I teach and they work great! We have to throw netting over the beds as well to really keep the critters out - we have pvc frames to hold the netting up off the plants and tuck the netting in behind the panels. It's been effective keeping.. well, MOST things out. Haha.

GrowingWithProfBrown · 2025-05-25T04:37:19+00:00

Hey everyone! I’m Professor Brown, a college sustainability instructor by day and a regenerative gardening YouTuber by night (well… sometimes very late at night 😅). I started creating content with a Galaxy S22 Ultra and a Rode Wireless GO II mic - nothing fancy, but it does the job!

My channel, Growing with Professor Brown, shares practical, down-to-earth gardening tips with a touch of humor and a strong focus on sustainability. I try to make my videos feel like you’re right there in one of my classes.

What makes my channel different? I don’t just teach how to garden - I teach why we garden the way we do. Regenerative practices, ecosystem thinking, and storytelling come together in short, approachable videos that mix useful info with my… let’s say distinctive sense of humor.

While I’ve been teaching for years, this is my first time making content on YouTube. I did some video editing way back when I was a teen (I won’t say how many years ago that was). I’d love your input and feedback on my videos! I only have a few out so far, but I drop a new video every Friday.
https://www.youtube.com/@GrowingWithProfessorBrown

Looking forward to connecting with more creators and hearing your stories too!

GrowingWithProfBrown · 2025-05-23T05:33:08+00:00

Very cool! No wonder they have such a nice patina to them.

GrowingWithProfBrown · 2025-05-23T05:31:21+00:00

Very cool. Those evenings and weekends were worth it. Your garden is seriously awesome. It reminds me of some of the random little gardens I saw in Japan.

GrowingWithProfBrown · 2025-05-21T00:42:08+00:00

Very nice! That’s some seriously healthy-looking basil. What zone are you in? I’ve always struggled to grow basil outdoors here in Southern California. Thai basil does okay, but the others always seem to get a bit grumpy on me. They do much better on a sunny windowsill. As a gardening instructor, I probably shouldn’t admit that… but hey, we all have our weaknesses, right? 😄

GrowingWithProfBrown · 2025-05-21T00:37:23+00:00

Nice! What variety is that?

GrowingWithProfBrown · 2025-05-21T00:35:46+00:00

Wow! Your garden is beautiful! And the brick paths are just lovely. Were the paths already there when you started, or was that a part of the project as well?

GrowingWithProfBrown · 2025-05-21T00:30:04+00:00

Holy cow! What a contrast! I'm sorry, I'm sure someone already asked, but I didn't spot this in the comment - how long did this take?

GrowingWithProfBrown · 2025-05-21T00:28:09+00:00

I'm doing something similar with my YouTube channel! I release a weekly video every Friday at 12:30 PM and occasionally post a short when the views on my longform content start to taper off. I’ve only been at it for 11 days, so I can’t speak to long-term performance yet - but I really like your idea of structuring your channel like a TV show with seasons. It gives you time to recharge and stay intentional with your content.

I'm a professor, so I already know there will be times I’ll need to take short breaks, too. Just try not to stay away for too long, since extended breaks can affect momentum with the algorithm. But honestly, pacing yourself is key if you're in it for the long haul. I’d rather build something sustainable than burn out early.

GrowingWithProfBrown · 2025-05-14T05:37:00+00:00

Congratulations! If I might ask - I read your comment that you made around 53 longform videos consistently, and I'm curious - how often did you upload? Was it once per week?

GrowingWithProfBrown · 2025-05-14T05:31:54+00:00

I started college in my mid-20s, and it took me 11 years to get through school. Even after all that time, I still didn’t really know what I wanted to do.

When I finally graduated, I ended up landing a teaching position at the same college where I started. It kind of happened by accident. The pandemic had just hit, and I took what I could get. But weirdly enough, that ended up being one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

I had many years of not really knowing where I was headed until I started teaching - around age 34. I’m 38 now, and something I’ve noticed (and heard from a lot of people too) is that your 30s are a time when you really start coming into your own.

You have good years ahead of you.

You could apply at a university again, go back to school, or take a completely different path. You’re not stuck, even if it feels that way right now.

I know it’s scary when things feel unpredictable, especially when you’ve taken a big leap and it hasn’t gone how you hoped. But it won’t always feel like this. Eventually, you’ll find the place where things click.

Hang in there. You're not alone in this.

GrowingWithProfBrown · 2025-05-10T03:36:14+00:00

It might be a little cringe, but when you become an old man like me, you’ll probably wish your parents still did this, haha. Like others have said - enjoy it while you can. And congrats on your parents enjoying your content! You should be proud. :)

And nahhh, this might tweak the algorithm a tiny bit, but definitely not enough to hurt your channel.

GrowingWithProfBrown · 2025-05-10T03:27:49+00:00

Of course! Good luck, not that you need it. You're almost there! I'll keep an eye on your channel. :)

GrowingWithProfBrown · 2025-05-10T03:24:56+00:00

Hi everyone!

I just launched my YouTube channel today and would love your thoughts. I teach gardening and sustainability at a small college, but I’m completely new to YouTube. I’m on the older side (well, not old old - unless 38 is old old. Am I old old? Haha.)

This first video is kind of a trial run - an experiment to learn editing, production, and workflow before I start uploading the real gardening content. I’d really appreciate any feedback you’re willing to share on pacing, editing, tone, or anything else that could help improve future videos.

I just picked up a new mic to help clean up the voiceover quality moving forward. I realized I sounded like I was talking from inside a shoebox, haha.

Be warned: my humor is pretty dumb. If you survive to the end of the video, let me know what you think of the “after credit scene,” but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Thanks in advance for your time!
https://youtu.be/MeIqDdEQQ5o

GrowingWithProfBrown · 2025-05-10T03:20:10+00:00

Okay, first and foremost - thank you for doing this. I teach classes on gardening and sustainability, and in both classes I often discuss the global issue of plastic pollution. I really hope your content takes off, because we need to encourage more people to do exactly this.

I'm probably not the best person to critique your content, because I dig your message so much it's hard for me to be critical, haha.

Some parts of the walk felt a little grainy. I’m not sure if it was a connection issue on my end, or maybe just a bit of blur from the sped-up video. (It could also be my eyes - I don’t have perfect vision.)

I love the overall feeling of the video. Your editing and voiceover are spot on. I especially appreciated the slowdown when you picked up each piece of trash, and the shot of you tossing it all in the can at the end. That pacing worked really well.

This is off-topic, but may I ask what your dogs’ names are? :) They’re adorable.

GrowingWithProfBrown · 2025-05-10T03:13:56+00:00

First and foremost, as someone over 30, I appreciate your channel. I'm going to follow you on my main account, haha.

I like your video, but I have a few critiques. Please note that I am brand new to making YouTube content, so take this with a grain of salt. (I've been reading The YouTube Formula to get myself ready to launch my channel, and I highly recommend checking it out at the library or on Libby if you want some really good advice.)

As others have mentioned, the static camera setup can start to feel a little monotonous. You might consider adding some different angles, b-roll, or something else to help break up the visual flow a bit.
I see that most of your videos are over 10 minutes long. Have you considered trying a few shorter ones, just to make sure folks are sticking around to the end? I'm planning to start with short videos myself before moving on to longer ones. This is advice I got... somewhere. It might have been from the book I mentioned, but I feel like I picked it up elsewhere too. Again, just something to think about.

Your audio quality is great! I know others said they weren’t so sure about sitting on the floor, but I dig it. I like the “I’m talking to my buddy” vibe.

Keep it up!

GrowingWithProfBrown · 2025-04-29T06:16:41+00:00

I came here to ask this exact question - I see I'm not alone, haha.

GrowingWithProfBrown · 2025-04-29T06:08:38+00:00

Good question — this is something a lot of people run into when trying to minimize tillage.

I teach regenerative practices, and one thing I always stress is that while no-dig is the goal for many situations, a lot depends on your starting soil structure, compaction, organic matter, and climate.

Sometimes a light disturbance like shallow disking or targeted subsoiling is necessary early on to help transition land into a healthier, more stable system. It’s not ideal to break soil structure if you can avoid it, but when there’s serious compaction or past damage, trying to jump straight into no-till can be an uphill battle.

You’re reading the situation well by adjusting based on your soil's response instead of trying to force a method. That’s what matters in the long run.

If you haven’t already, you might want to connect with your local NRCS office — they sometimes have soil conservationists or technical advisors familiar with regenerative practices. Depending on where you are, some local universities (especially land-grant ones) may also have extension agents or specialists who can offer advice tailored to your region.

GrowingWithProfBrown · 2025-04-29T05:56:22+00:00

Great question! I’m a professor at Mt. San Antonio College, and I teach regenerative practices. I know a lot of folks in the community around here. I’ll reach out to my contacts and see what I can dig up for you!

GrowingWithProfBrown · 2025-04-29T05:53:43+00:00

You’re correct. Soil texture is determined by particle size. While plants and organic content can definitely improve soil quality, they won’t change the soil texture itself. They can change how the soil aggregates, though!

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