Planting dates, watering schedule, harvesting… Gardening is a busy job. If you don’t get the timing right, your plants could suffer.
But what if you didn’t have to go it alone? Gone are the days when you have to map everything out on paper or hope you remember. Today, there are countless affordable (or often free) apps to help you track every stage of planting, from when to prepare your seeds to when to harvest your fruits and vegetables or prune your shrubs or flowers. But with so many apps available, how do you know which ones stand out from the rest?
We consulted a few gardening experts who had a few recommendations. To round out the list, we then sorted through many different gardening apps, isolating the ones with at least a four-star rating and good customer reviews.
Seedtime
Image Credit: Seedtime.
Jeremy Yamaguchi, CEO of Lawn Love, recommends using Seedtime to keep track of all the tasks associated with growing your garden. He says it “provides a comprehensive calendar where you can plan out everything you need to do for each plant and when” and points to other tools and resources, such as “how-to videos and educational resources.” You can also connect with other gardeners through the Seedtime community, a private Facebook group to interact with other growers and give feedback on the app.
Plantum
Image Credit: Plantum.
If you’ve ever looked at a plant and questioned what it is, you’re not alone. In fact, it’s the entire premise behind Plantum. According to Alesia Chumakova, a PR manager at AIBY and representative of the app, it “can identify over 33,000 plant species.” But that’s not all, it can also “diagnose their states, and give specified care advice.”
The app, which was developed “in collaboration with expert botanists,” has plenty of other features, too. Chumakova explains these include reminders for various gardening tasks, a weather tracker, and measuring pot size and light levels to ensure a plant gets the light it needs.
PlanTAGG
Image Credit: PlanTAGG.
The type of plants you can grow depends largely on your location. Enter PlantTAGG. Founder and CEO Andrew Levi says while it’s good for identifying plants, it’s “built to help gardeners make great plant selection decisions based on their precise location, and then care for every plant they own.”
Levi goes on to explain the app “creates a unique season map” which allows it “to render care tasks for every unique plant” in your garden. Basically, it takes the guesswork out of planting, watering, fertilizing, and soil conditions.
Planta
Image Credit: Planta.
Emily Pettigrew, an expert gardener who works with Stack & Sprout, recommends Planta. She said it’s “a fantastic tool that provides personalized care schedules and reminders” which helps keep plants “healthy and happy.” The app includes several features such as step-by-step guides for plants, helpful identification, individual care schedules, and tools to help measure light levels.
GardenTags
Image Credit: GardenTags.
Pettigrew also recommends GardenTags, which she says “combines plant identification with a community-driven platform,” creating a space where users can convene to share gardening advice. You can catalog the plants you have in their garden and tag them with different categories, so others can see and use the photos for inspiration. It’s like Facebook for plants!
Garden Manager
Image Credit: Garden Manager.
Garden Manager is a web-based app that acts more like a digital journal where you can keep all of your notes on your plants. You can use it to capture photos of your garden and stay organized. Plus, if you’re looking for tips on a specific type of plant, the company has a blog that details how to grow them from seeds or roots. You can also access videos, PDF guides, and eBooks for advice.
PictureThis
Image Credit: PictureThis.
PictureThis professes to be the “botanist in your pocket.” With it, you can snap a picture to identify plants in your yard. But it goes beyond that, too, with identifying and diagnosing plant diseases and giving care instructions to help nurse them back to health.
PictureThis also has detailed guides for information on many types of plants and a toxic plant identifier so you can remove them to safeguard your pets.
Seed to Spoon
Image Credit: Seed to Spoon.
The Seed to Spoon app has several features the company says are designed to help you grow your own food, whether it’s herbs in a container or a boatload of vegetables and fruits in your backyard.
One of the most helpful is a visual garden planner so you can plot out your space before planting anything. It’s available on Google, Apple, and as a web application.
Read more:
March into Gardening: Seeds to Sow Now for a Vibrant Spring
The Gardening Secret to Faster, Healthier Seedlings
