This week on the channel +306K views this week

Anne of All Trades takes her garden soil to the lab

Dr. Sougata Bardhan examines three patches from Anne's farm for Tennessee's contribution to 50x50: Science Across America.

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Anne of All Trades Story of November 5, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The channel's weekly summary: what went up this week, what is drawing views now, and where the channel stands among similar channels.

I Asked a Soil Scientist What’s Wrong With Our Gardens (It's Not What You Think)

Things we can learn from the video

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1:26Earthworms help create pathways for air and water through garden soil.
4:00Anne explains why wood chips should stay on the surface as mulch rather than be tilled into soil.
9:33At Tennessee State University, Anne and Dr. Bardhan examine laboratory results from her farm's soil samples.
12:00Healthy soil needs suitable structure, organic matter, moisture retention and microbial life working together.
20:36Anne identifies mineral balance beyond nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium as another critical component of soil health.

Nothing new, plenty growing. Anne of All Trades posted no videos this week, but her back catalogue brought in roughly 306,000 views and the channel added subscribers at a modest pace.

The busiest of her older uploads is also a departure from a straightforward garden tour. In "I Asked a Soil Scientist What's Wrong With Our Gardens (It's Not What You Think)", Anne brings Tennessee State University's Dr. Sougata Bardhan to her farm, then follows the samples back to the university lab. An established garden, transitional ground and bare clay give them three very different starting points.

Earthworms get their due as soil engineers, and Anne explains why wood chips belong on top as mulch rather than mixed into the soil. The practical distinction matters: a garden can need better structure and air, not simply another helping of fertilizer. As Anne puts it, "When our soil's compacted, our plants are not starving, they're suffocating." The video includes a sponsored segment.

Representing Tennessee in 50x50: Science Across America gives that farm-to-lab trip a wider setting, but the questions remain recognizably Anne's: what is going wrong, and what can she learn by getting her hands into it?

Daily viewing across the channel is above its usual level. RuthAnn Zimmerman's homestead visit also remains active, alongside the backyard food-and-flower enterprise featured in an older tour. That latter video has passed a million views, extending Anne's recurring interest in how growing food fits into a working household.

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