The Weedy Garden Northern Rivers Youtube personality David Trood talks permaculture

Northern Rivers Youtuber ‘The Weedy Garden’ aka David Trood shares his experiences discovering the power of nature. Follow his extraordinary journey.

David Trood, aka The Weedy Garden, picked up a shovel without any prior gardening knowledge.

During Covid lockdown, Mr Trood, 54, planted his first seed after he was unable to do his usual job as a photographer.

This was spurred by questioning what would happen if food supplies were diminished, just as toilet paper was being snatched up.

He asked himself, “What would happen if we ran out of food?”

“I just put a seed in the ground and watered it,” he said.

He soon realised there was much more to it.

David Trood, aka The Weedy Garden on YouTube, grows his own organic fruit and vegetables and has amassed 120,000 subscribers on YouTube.

Mr Trood uploaded his first YouTube video, ‘Covid lockdown and The start of The Weedy Garden’, combining his photography skills with his enthusiasm and passion for storytelling.

He wanted to motivate people to connect with nature.

The video attracted over 500,000 views.

“Many people share the dream I have,” Mr Trood said.

He studied the way gardens work after a serendipitous meeting with Geoff Lawton – a permaculture teacher.

Permaculture taught Mr Trood how natural ecosystems can be formed and nurtured into self-sufficient gardens.

“I learned how a forest thinks,” he said.

For gardening fans or simply those interested in organic lifestyles, Mr Trood has found a loyal and loving audience.

He attributes his good health to eating from his own garden and believes many people could benefit from organic living.

“I realised Weedy Garden was my mission. This connection with the earth, that’s what I’m trying to express with my work,” he said.

“It’s a vision I've always had in my subconscious.”

He uploaded a stunning video highlighting the Lismore flood devastation from his property, raising over $25,000 toward recovery support.

A charming personality, The Weedy Garden has drawn audiences from all over the world.

He said the first step to organic living is “making a choice.”

“That’s the important thing. A dream becomes reality when you make a choice,” he said.

He lives completely independently, and was able to survive off his own produce when his village was locked off by landslides.

From his first ‘permaculture’ google search to eventually planting a huge garden, he said his lifestyle has connected him to the earth and to his own identity.

“The soil underneath my feet, I used to think was dirt,” he said.

“But it has more life than above the ground.”

His garden acts as a symbol of his own state of being: to feel connection with the world and feel grounded.

“Your own health and wellbeing get the benefit. When you’re clearer and happier, that ripples off you.”

He hopes the “ripple effect” will inspire those in the community.

“Just start by growing a few tomatoes on your balcony,” he said.

“You are what you eat.

“If you don't know what you’re eating you won’t know who you are.”