3 Free Apps To Help You Enhance Your Garden Skills

Guest post by Wendy Dessler

They say that some people are just born with a green thumb. These are folks who can grow anything, anywhere. Then there are the rest of us.

If you want to have a beautiful flower garden, plant fall veggies, or grow an herb garden, you can. The following apps make it easy. These apps will tell you what to do, or more importantly, what not to do for a successful crop.

The first thing you need is a professional supplier. The seed shop you choose is very important. You want pros that know what they are doing and seeds that are hearty. You will need to build a relationship with your seed store because you will return again and again as the seasons and the planting needs change.

They will need information in order to help you. Be ready to answer these questions.

• Do you want flowers that bloom late in the year and come back next year, or do you want plants that produce all year?
• Is your garden going to be inside or outdoors?
• How much space you have to work with.
• What plants grow well together and which will not get along?

Once you have determined where your garden will be and what materials you need to gather, you are ready to begin.

There are tons of free apps online for the new and the experienced gardeners. These apps walk you through every step, making your project fail proof. You can try them one at a time and then select the one that works the best for your life.

The top 3 apps (in my humble opinion)

Gardening Know How

This app is the mac daddy of all gardeners apps. If you need to know something, it is in there. Regardless of your gardening skill level, this app will take you from planting to harvest. Get tips on everything from soil to pests control. If you have a question, chances are, they have the answer.

Garden Squared

This free app has it all. It has step-by-step instructions on how to plant just about anything. If you don’t know what it is, the app can help you identify it. It has a place for you to add notes and it can remind you when something is going to need something. Garden Squared is available at Google Play.

Forest

You can do everything right when you plant, but if you do not care for your plants properly they will not thrive. That is where this app comes into play.

This free app help keeps you on target. It reminds you of the needs of your plants are. Luckily, plants are pretty resilient, but they still need to be cared for and this app will help. As a matter of fact, it may help with other duties too. 

So, now you are ready to start your garden. There are always answers to your questions in the groups and from planting to blooms and even how to deal with pests. Be brave, you can do this. Everything you need is at your fingertips. If you make a mistake, nature is pretty kind and you will recover.

GMG's Friday Find: Roll Out the UrbMat and Welcome the Produce

Photo Credit: Urbnearth.com

With spring around the corner, are you starting to think about planting delicious herbs and veggies to harvest for that farm to table freshness? Are your excuses no land, no time, and no green thumb? Then roll out an UrbMat and welcome the produce.

An ingenious idea from UrbnEarth, the UrbMat is an outdoor growing system designed to take the labor and fuss out of gardening. Created for urbanites with small spaces, the 2'x3' UrbMat is exactly that, a mat that rolls out onto soil or a raised bed with a complete diagram of 12 plant types. The holes on the map are spaced and labeled so there is absolutely no guesswork. You just push the seed ball starters, called GrowUps into the holes (with your brown thumb), water, and voila!  Herbs, flowers and veggies will soon be sprouting and producing for your dining pleasure.