How Growing in the Garden Uses Live Events to Build a Loyal Community

For thousands of gardeners, Angela Judd is the trusted voice behind Growing in the Garden. Based in Arizona, she helps people successfully grow food and flowers in one of the world's most challenging climates - sharing practical advice that's often difficult to find elsewhere.

Her most dedicated followers can join the Growing in the Garden Academy, where they attend monthly live classes, access years of previous sessions and become part of a thriving learning community. Crowdcast powers the live experience that keeps members coming back month after month.

Teaching a Different Kind of Gardening

Gardening advice is often written for temperate climates, but Arizona presents a completely different set of challenges.

"My focus is teaching people to garden in a hot, dry climate. A lot of advice you find elsewhere simply doesn't work here because the timing is different and we have different challenges."

Angela created the Growing in the Garden Academy to give gardeners access to more in-depth learning than she could provide through social media or blog posts.

Members receive twice-monthly Garden Journals, packed with seasonal updates, seed-starting schedules, lessons from Angela's own garden - and even her “more than occasional” gardening failure!

"It's all the behind-the-scenes things you don't necessarily see. Not just the end results, but what I'm learning in my own garden."

Alongside those journals, members are invited to monthly live classes hosted on Crowdcast.

From Local Classes to a Global Community

Before launching her online membership, Angela regularly taught gardening classes in person. When COVID limited those opportunities, she began looking for a way to continue teaching online - not just for local gardeners, but for people who had been asking for access from further afield.

At the same time, she wanted to build a more sustainable business.

"The Academy membership lets me spend more time preparing helpful classes and less time trying to sell tickets each month”

Instead of treating every class as a separate event, Angela built a membership that provides ongoing value throughout the year.

How Crowdcast Fits Into the Membership

Every month, Academy members join a live Crowdcast session focused on a specific gardening topic.

Members can submit questions before the event, allowing Angela to prepare thoughtful, detailed answers, before moving into a live Q&A where attendees can ask anything related to their gardens.

Afterwards, the recordings are organised into a growing library inside Patreon as well as being available on her Crowdcast channel.

Today, members have access to years of previous classes, creating an ever-growing resource they can return to whenever they need it. New members can watch recordings months - or even years - after they were first broadcast.

Why Crowdcast?

Like many creators, Angela has explored other options.

She recently trialled Patreon Live to see whether she could simplify her setup by keeping everything on one platform.

It didn't take long to make her decision.

"I still haven't found a platform that I like quite as well as Crowdcast."

Several Crowdcast features have become an important part of how she teaches.

One of her favorites is allowing members to submit questions before the session begins.

"People can ask questions ahead of time, which I really like."

Another is the way replays are organised around audience questions.

"I enjoy that people can scroll straight to their question in the replay. They don't have to listen to the whole thing if they just want their answer."

These seemingly small features help make each class valuable long after the live session has ended.

Angela's Advice for Other Creators

Angela believes the success of her live events comes from treating every class as a genuine learning experience.

"I prep and I take these really seriously. I try to provide a good class. It's information they may not get anywhere else."

Rather than simply repeating information from her blog, she researches each topic carefully and builds every session around the questions and challenges her community is facing.

That commitment has helped her create a membership that delivers value month after month.

Looking Ahead

Crowdcast remains central to how she teaches online. For her, it's more than somewhere to host a live video. It's where conversations happen, questions are answered and years of gardening knowledge continue to grow.

"It's a good platform. I like it as a host, and my learners like it. I have people who have been here the whole time."