This TikToker Built a Jungle in His Backyard

Some people dream of having a huge backyard garden, filled with fruits, veggies, and tons of flowers. But one gardener wanted something a bit different — TikTok user ThatPlantDad (@thatplantdad) decided to build an actual jungle in his backyard and just over two years since he broke ground, his backyard jungle is thriving and nearly bursting at the seams. 

“About two years ago, in the middle of COVID, that spot was home to a really butt ugly storage shed,” ThatPlantDad said in a March TikTok video. “And I decided the storage shed is not making anybody anywhere feel better. I’ll build a jungle.”

After doing a bunch of research online and buying a huge greenhouse from a company out of Belgium, ThatPlantDad began accumulating plants that thrive in hot, humid conditions (and “that Dr. Suess would approve of”), and “it worked!” according to ThatPlantDad. “I actually have a jungle.”

ThatPlantDad, located in the Pacific Northwest, has been able to grow tropical plants like blue banana and pink lemon trees, black pepper, pineapple, blood orange, ginger, snake plants, carnivorous plants, and more, all in his new greenhouse. And he wants others to be inspired by his wild idea.

“My girls told me that if I recorded my rants and blurts and mindless yammerings, other people would enjoy the process of trying to figure out how to build a jungle as much as I did,” ThatPlantDad said in the video. “And that’s working, too!”

ThatPlantDad has been actively building and bettering his backyard jungle since 2021, so there is a lot of content to discover if you’re interested in doing something similar and learning from someone who was in your same shoes just a few years ago. 

As long as you have the drive to get it done and learn a lot in the process, then you can definitely follow in ThatPlantDad’s footsteps.