As we expanded our digital presence during Covid, we had no idea one project that grew – literally – during that time would become a smashing success. The Facebook series “The Goal is to Become a Gardener” was born when SJ Mag’s Marianne Aleardi saw her friend Toni Farmer posting gardening tutorials on Facebook. It was during lockdown, and Marianne thought trying to garden could be fun – and funny, because she also knew it was likely she wouldn’t be very good at it.
That began Season 1. Because they were in lockdown, Toni would record an instructional video for Marianne, and Marianne would record herself following Toni’s instructions, which although she tried, never went well. The two videos covering one instructional topic were edited to make an episode. In Season 1, Marianne and Toni never appeared in an episode together.
Now in its 5th season, the Facebook series features Marianne and Toni together in every episode. Viewers have followed the friends as they planned a garden dinner party, visited South Jersey wineries, planted, composted and built plenty DIY gardening projects. Marianne would like us to point out that she did grow tomatoes in her backyard (after 4 years!).
Advertisers and sponsors also got on board in 2023, and the series now partners with South Jersey businesses looking to reach gardeners, homeowners and everyone who enjoys funny videos.
In 2024, about 85,000 people watched EACH episode of “The Goal is to Become a Gardener.”
Click here to watch all episodes of “The Goal is to Become a Gardener”
