Victoria Anpilogova, a 42-year-old from Irkutsk, Russia, has gained popularity as a gardening blogger after surviving a coma and clinical death. Her journey from initially disliking gardening to becoming a successful online figure with over 100,000 followers is a testament to her resilience and passion.

Anpilogova, a biologist by training, shares her gardening expertise on various social media platforms, including VKontakte, Telegram, and Instagram. She cultivates a year-round garden, growing a variety of vegetables and experimenting with different varieties.

Her interest in gardening began in 2010 when she and her husband acquired a garden plot. Initially planting just a few greens, her hobby gradually expanded. “At first, I planted one bed with greens, then a little more tomatoes, cucumbers, and all this grew into a large garden,” she explained. During the winter months, she started growing tomatoes indoors, eventually dedicating a room to her indoor garden.

A turning point came on August 23, 2020, when her son accidentally flooded her seed packages, destroying her records of different varieties. This incident prompted her children to encourage her to start a social media page to document her gardening experiments and experiences.

The blog’s popularity skyrocketed after Anpilogova shared her personal story of surviving a coma and clinical death in 2019. This post garnered a million views and attracted 20,000 new subscribers.

Despite her success, Anpilogova remains grounded and committed to providing free gardening advice. She does not delegate social media management and personally responds to questions from her followers. “Therefore, everything has to be done by myself, and, of course, it is very difficult,” Victoria shares.

Anpilogova also emphasizes the importance of growing her own vegetables, highlighting the superior taste and quality compared to store-bought produce. “Homemade vegetables are delicious! What is sold in stores in winter is just awful,” she says.

Anpilogova’s near-death experience in 2019 significantly impacted her life. She suffered from pneumonia, spent a month and a half in a coma, and had to relearn basic skills like walking and writing. “It’s amazing that you can talk and think clearly at all,” doctors told her.

Despite her health challenges, Anpilogova remains positive and dedicated to her garden and her online community. She believes that her experiences have given her a unique perspective and a desire to help others through her gardening advice. She also emphasizes that the support of relatives helped her to get out.

Anpilogova offers practical advice for gardeners in challenging climates, emphasizing the importance of soil quality, seed selection, and efficient use of space. She recommends planting multiple crops in the same bed throughout the season to maximize yield. “The beds should not be empty,” she advises. “One crop was removed – we are preparing the second one. And so in one season you can get three waves of harvest. And this is with our climate!”