Gardening Podcast – Garden Smart

By: Cheryl Spencer, Certified Gardener

Last Updated: November 22, 2024

INSIDE: The Garden Smart podcast is packed with quick, time-saving tips for busy gardeners. It shares science-backed advice to help you grow your dream garden!

Welcome to the Garden Smart podcast!

Ready to make gardening simpler and more satisfying? I’m your host, Cheryl Spencer, and on the Garden Smart podcast, I share quick, science-backed tips to help your garden thrive—no matter how busy life gets.

I believe you can grow your dream garden and still have time to enjoy it. That’s why each quick, 10-minute episode tackles everyday gardening challenges—like weeds that outpace your plants or tools that seem to disappear just when you need them.

I’m Cheryl Spencer, a certified gardener with over 25 years of experience and a passion for practical, purposeful gardening. My goal is to help you grow a garden you love—without breaking a sweat (or your back).

Whether you’re new to gardening or have been growing for years, this podcast is for anyone who wants a gorgeous garden that doesn’t take over their life.

You’ll learn how to:

Set goals that keep you growing and inspired all season.
Plant confidently with the right seeds and plants for your space.
Build simple systems to keep your garden thriving year-round.

From planning your garden to prolonging your harvests and blooms, we’ll walk through the gardening year step-by-step. Along the way, you’ll discover how to grow a garden that’s rewarding—not relentless—because gardening should bring joy, not frustration.

New episodes drop every week. So, grab your garden gloves, trusty trowel, or earbuds, and let’s dig into simple strategies that make gardening simple and satisfying —just the way it should be!

Garden Smart: Season one

A year in your garden

Garden Smart: Season 1

We’ll spend a year in your garden together with me as your guide. Each week, I’ll bring you short, focused tips to help your garden adapt and thrive—whether it’s spring garden prep, protecting your plants in summer, or planning for the future.

My goal is to make gardening simpler so you can enjoy a beautiful, healthy garden without the overwhelm!

Season one episodes

Garden Smart Podcast, Season 1 Episode 1

Introducing the Garden Smart Podcast (Episode 1)

Yes! I want to grow my dream garden!

woman holding fertilizer in her hands in the garden to explain what is NPK?

What Is NPK? How N-P-K Numbers Help You Choose the Right Fertilizer for Your Garden

Has this ever happened to you? You’re standing in the fertilizer aisle of your local garden center, looking at all the packages, and your eyes glaze over. There are too many choices. And you’re not sure which one to buy. When you pick up the first package and glance at the label,…

The Best Lawn Care Books for Growing Great Grass This Year

Almost every home has a lawn. And every lawn needs to be maintained. And you want to grow gorgeous green grass. But how do you do it? Buy bags of fertilizer? Spray weed killer? What about mowing and irrigation? There’s so much to learn! And homeowners need trustworthy, helpful information about lawns. So, I’ve compiled a list of…

How to Plant Bulbs in the Fall for a Stunning Spring Garden

When you first see a flower bulb, it can be hard to imagine the glorious show they’ll put on next season. They can seem unimpressive. Small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, they’re dry, covered in papery skin, and seem as lifeless as a moon rock. But inside that…

woman holding phone up to identify dandelions

How to Identify Plants With Google Lens: Quick, Easy + FREE

If you’re new to gardening, struggling to identify plants can feel like reading a foreign language without knowing any of the words. And after a long winter, even seasoned gardeners can struggle to identify some of the plants growing in their garden. But I have good news… With Google…

Red maple tree in front of a white house in October

39+ Tips to Help Make Your October Garden the Best It Can Be

This month the garden is winding down for most of us. It’s the last chance for a major clean up effort before the weather turns wintery. And depending on how far into October it is when you’re reading this, you may have had a light frost or two, and if you…

How to Grow Kale in Your Square Foot Garden [Step-by-Step]

I never understood the appeal of kale until a fellow gardener (who I can only describe as a kale whisperer) showed me his kale. He had two varieties growing side by side: one was a crinkly leafed, Siberian kale, the other, a Tuscan kale with elongated, bumpy leaves. He pointed…

Meet your garden smart guide

Cheryl Spencer

Founder of Simply Smart Gardening and the Garden Smart Podcast

Cheryl Spencer is a writer, podcast host, and Certified Gardener with 25+ years of hands-on experience. She believes you can grow your dream garden and still have time to enjoy it.