Getting to Know The Smoke Ring + Fixing the Autopots

This week on The Grateful Nerd Show, we welcomed a new friend of the community, The Smoke Ring, for a laid-back conversation that hit on everything from getting started in gardening to experimenting with growing tobacco.

We kicked things off by digging into The Smoke Ring’s background—how he first got into growing, what pulled him deeper into the hobby, and how that curiosity turned into a passion. One of the more interesting parts of the conversation was his experience growing tobacco, which isn’t something you hear talked about every day. It opened up a broader discussion about growing outside the typical lane, experimenting with different plants, and just enjoying the process of learning as you go.

On the home front, Nerd is still on his ongoing mission to dial in his autopot system. If you’ve ever tried a new setup and expected it to run perfectly out of the gate… you already know how that goes. We talked through what’s been happening, the issues he’s been running into, and the adjustments he’s making to get things back on track. It’s one of those real-time learning experiences that a lot of growers can relate to—figuring things out as problems pop up instead of pretending everything is perfect.

Overall, this episode felt like exactly what the show is about: real conversations with real growers, sharing experiences, troubleshooting issues, and picking up new ideas along the way. If you’re into gardening, experimenting with different plants, or just like hearing how other people approach growing, this one’s worth checking out.