5 Helpful Gardening Apps for Spring

Chances are if you read our Rural Mom blog regularly, you either love gardening or wish for a garden. Gardening is probably one of the oldest hobbies (and professions) on Earth, and over the years, this favorite pastime has evolved with technology in amazing ways.

5 Helpful Gardening Apps for Spring #VZWBuzz

As you know, there’s an app for everything, and gardening is no exception. Take a look at this list of apps I found to help make gardening easier and more enjoyable:

1. Garden ID. This is free for both Android and iOS, and it’s sure to change the way you garden. You input your location information, and the app will tell you what are the best plants to grow, and approximately when to plant and harvest them for maximum benefit. If you don’t know a farmer in your area with years of experience with plants, this is the next best thing.

2. Garden Tracker. This is a paid app ($.99 for iPhone and $3.99 for iPad) that’s really helpful for those who have a lot of plants, or for those who are just a little bit forgetful. It tracks what you planted, where you planted it, when you fertilized and fed your plants, and when you should harvest them. The app lays out the plants in a grid, so if you have a nice square or rectangular garden in your yard, this one is perfect.

3. Gardenate. Gardenate is a user friendly app for Android. It gives you a helpful guide for growing over 90 veggies, herbs, and fruits, and then it will give you a calendar on when the best times are for you to plant them according to your climate conditions. You can also take notes and track your garden’s progress. Have friends who garden too? Gardenate lets you share your garden with other app users. It’s available on Amazon for $1.00.

4. Garden Time Planner. This one’s by Burpee, a trusted name in seeds. It’s got a few more features than the apps mentioned above do, so if you’re looking for something more encompassing, this is the one for you. This app tells you what to plant and when, just like the others. In addition, it includes whether or not you’re supposed to start the plants indoors, the best time to transplant, and will even give you a weather report. It’s available for both Android and iOS. Best of all, it’s free!

5. Virtual Garden. If you love the fruits of a garden but getting your hands dirty really isn’t your thing, you may love this gardening app. Available in the iTunes store for $2.99, Virtual Garden allows you to plant flower seeds, take care of plants and send the finished virtual product to anyone you choose. It’s a really cute app and would even be a good learning experience for the kids.

Do you use apps to help with your gardening chores? What’s your favorite?

 
 
Tags: garden
by
Barb Webb. Founder and Editor of Rural Mom, is an the author of "Getting Laid" and "Getting Baked". A sustainable living expert nesting in Appalachian Kentucky, when she’s not chasing chickens around the farm or engaging in mock Jedi battles, she’s making tea and writing about country living and artisan culture.
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Comments

    • Jamie Tomkins
    • March 11, 2015
    Reply

    Wow, I didn’t know about these. I sure wish they would make one for high altitude gardening. I’ve been having problems and just want to have a great crop this year.

    • Daisy B
    • March 11, 2015
    Reply

    My son will be excited to try some of these gardening apps. He planted some marigolds and is super excited. We need to plan some veggies and herbs next.

    • Linda A. Kinsman
    • March 12, 2015
    Reply

    Be still my gardening heart! I don’t use any gardening apps yet. I will change that and add Garden ID and Garden Time Planner to my phone. Thank you!

    • GoFantastic
    • June 2, 2015
    Reply

    Thanks for sharing your gardening apps with us, Barb. Those are just 5 out of hundreds of other examples, but are among the best. Having an extra source of tips, monitoring guides, gardening services and other useful info won’t harm your smart device. And yes you are right – there’s an app for everything nowadays – but a mere 1% of all are worth something…

    As for me – I use SproutIt and Perennial Match to help me manage my garden

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