Imagine…
Always knowing when to
plant, prune, and harvest.
All you need is the right checklist.
It’s time to start gardening smart, not hard.
Say goodbye.
To your struggles with weeds. To disappointing garden layouts and plants that bite the dust. To time and money wasted on gardening tips and products that don’t work.
And say hello to a garden you’ll love and have time to enjoy!
I created Simply Smart Gardening to help you spend less time working in your garden so you have more time to enjoy it.
You’ll discover:
- The best tools to help you garden more effectively.
- Easy ways to save money in your garden.
- Simple strategies to get more done in less time.
Hi! I’m Cheryl.
I believe you can grow your dream garden and still have time to enjoy it. All you need are a few simple strategies and a little know-how. You CAN have a garden that fits into your lifestyle, wows your neighbors, and makes your family say “more veggies, please!” Get ready to grow your best garden ever!
What do you need help with?
Readers’ Favorites
Want a Weed-Free Garden? Here’s How to Weed a Garden but Not Spend Hours Weeding
Sometimes gardening can feel like one long war against the weeds. And even though it can sap your morale, you can’t stop fighting. If you let the weeds outflank you, they’ll steal nutrients from your soil, crowd out your plants and even grow tall enough for the neighbor’s dog to…
What You Need to Know About Your Microclimate
As a beginning gardener, one of my biggest frustrations was getting things to grow in parts of my yard that were too dry, shady, hot, or windy. Sun, shade, heat, wind, slope, precipitation, and soil type all work together to create microclimates in your yard. Do you struggle to understand…
How to Test Your Soil Like an Expert
Garden soil seems mysterious, doesn’t it? It never hops up says, “hey, I’ve got a problem!” No, it just sits there waiting for you to figure out why your tomatoes have blight, your grass isn’t as green as you’d like, or your hydrangeas aren’t periwinkle blue like the ones you’ve…
24 of The Best Gardening Books for Beginners
We live in an era of instant everything. Instant rice, instant communication, and most importantly … instant-dry nail polish! But one thing that can’t be sped up is your garden. I learned that when my fourth-grade teacher had us start sunflower seeds in a paper cup. I woke up each…
The Best Flowers and Vegetables to Plant in April
April is here and that means glimpses of green will pop up in the garden this month. The first green to appear in my garden comes from the earliest bulbs – snowdrops. Soon after the daffodils make an appearance, yellow as egg yolks. And I love watching the bees buzz…
March Gardening: What You Need to Do This Month
Typically, March is a hard month for us gardeners. The longer days always fool me into thinking that spring has arrived. Oh yes! Spring is finally here, I think to myself. Well, it is, and it isn’t. Even though my soil is starting to warm up, March is our snowiest…
What’s New
What to Plant in May: Everything You Need to Know
It’s time to get serious about planting! This is the month when heat-loving veggies like tomatoes and peppers can go into the ground unprotected. Cool-season annual flowers can be planted early in the month, but wait until after your last frost to plant tender annuals. Keep reading to get the…
How Long Do Seeds Last? Here’s What You Need to Know
As you thumb through half-empty seed packets left over from last year, or even several years ago, you wonder if they’re still good. You shrug, plant the seeds, and cross your fingers. If they don’t germinate, you’ll buy some new ones. But here’s my prediction. By the time you notice…
The Best Flowers and Vegetables to Plant in April
April is here and that means glimpses of green will pop up in the garden this month. The first green to appear in my garden comes from the earliest bulbs – snowdrops. Soon after the daffodils make an appearance, yellow as egg yolks. And I love watching the bees buzz…