| Kevin Espiritu | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Occupations | |||||||
| Website | shop | ||||||
| YouTube information | |||||||
| Channel | |||||||
| Years active | 2013–present | ||||||
| Genre | Gardening brand | ||||||
| Subscribers | 2.8 million[1] | ||||||
| Total views | 465 million[1] | ||||||
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Last updated: 10 April 2024 | |||||||
Epic Gardening is an American gardening brand with a YouTube channel operated and founded by Kevin Espiritu (born August 1987) since 2013. As of April 2024, the channel has 577 videos, 2.8 million subscribers and 465 million views.
History[edit]
Espiritu grew up in Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego.[2] In order to pay for college, Espiritu made money playing online poker.[2] In 2013, he graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara receiving a degree in accounting after having been undeclared.[3][4] To combat his addiction to video games after college graduation, Espiritu's mom suggested he and his younger brother take up gardening as a hobby.[2][4][3]
Espiritu's first video on Epic Gardening was uploaded in February of 2013, focusing on hydroponics systems.[5] In 2016, he made the decision to leave his position at a book subscription service to cultivate food in backyards while simultaneously developing a gardening blog as a full-time job.[6] As his following expanded, he ventured into YouTube and various other social media platforms, culminating in the establishment of an e-commerce website.[2] He documented online the conversion of his San Diego residence into an eco-friendly smart urban homestead: raising chickens for eggs, reusing rainwater and greywater, composting food and yard scraps,[7] and installing solar panels.[8]
In 2019, Espiritu was selected by Timberland as one of their 8 "Heroes for Nature" in an international sustainability campaign.[9] In 2021, Espiritu was featured on the Today Show on multiple occasions throughout the year.[10][11][12]
In January 2022, TCG invested $17.5 million in Epic Gardening.[6][13] At the end of 2022, Epic Gardening reached 2 million subscribers.[14] The company now has over 80 employees.[3] In 2022, Epic Gardening added Jacques Lyakov of Jacques in the Garden as a guest star on the channel. In January 2023, Epic Gardening acquired Botanical Interests.[15] In February 2023, Epic Gardening posted a video of their greenhouse build at Carrie Underwood's 400-acre home in Nashville, Tennessee.[16]
Bibliography[edit]
- Field Guide to Urban Gardening (Cool Springs Press, May 2019)[17]
- Grow Bag Gardening (Cool Springs Press, March 2021)
- Epic Homesteading: Your Guide to Self-Sufficiency on a Modern, High-Tech, Backyard Homestead (Cool Springs Press, January 2024)[18]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "About Epic Gardening". YouTube.
- ^ a b c d Ianni, Jennifer (September 1, 2023). "If You Grow It, They Will Follow". San Diego Magazine.
- ^ a b c Williams, Dana (September 19, 2022). "This 35-Year-Old Makes 6-Figures Gardening and Teaching About Plants in San Diego". NBC San Diego.
- ^ a b Laporte, Nicole (March 5, 2023). "Epic Gardening's epic quest to win the booming grow-your-own and homesteading movements". Fast Company.
- ^ Navpreet, Dhillon (March 16, 2022). "Every Raised Bed Gardening Question You Didn't Even Know You Should Ask". Sunset Magazine.
- ^ a b Mullin, Benjamin (September 13, 2022). "A $100 Million Bet on Finding the Next 'Mr. Beast'". New York Times.
- ^ Deines, Tina (February 5, 2024). "Seasoned gardener shares how weeds could actually save you money: 'One of the best ways to take advantage of your garden'". The Cool Down.
- ^ "This Guy Transformed His House Into A Sustainable Homestead, And TikTok Is Officially Obsessed". Yahoo News. January 13, 2023.
- ^ Richards, Katie (September 10, 2019). "Timberland is the latest brand to tout sustainability with forest restoration project". Glossy.
- ^ "Tips to care for your house plants". Today Show. March 31, 2021.
- ^ "How to make your own container garden". Today Show. July 7, 2021.
- ^ "How to keep a colorful garden through the fall". Today Show. September 17, 2021.
- ^ "Epic Gardening Receives $17.5 Million in New Financing". Greenhouse Product News. January 26, 2022.
- ^ Zevely, Jeff (September 5, 2022). "YouTube Gardener closing in 2,000,000 subscribers across the world". CBS8 News.
- ^ "Broomfield's Botanical Interests acquired by San Diego gardening media platform". Daily Camera. January 12, 2023.
- ^ "Carrie Underwood's never-ending garden at 400-acre family home will make your jaw drop – best photos". HELLO! Magazine. June 6, 2023.
- ^ Lockwood, Diana (June 9, 2019). "Gardening: Book's sage advice for tight-space gardening plants seeds of bigger ideas". The Columbus Dispatch.
- ^ "Review of Epic Homesteading". Publishers Weekly.