With the growing season in full swing, now is the perfect time to discover some of the many apps available to gardeners.
Here are some popular apps that fall into categories such as plant identification and care plans, design and journaling, and growing vegetables and herbs for food and health.
Let's start by looking at the plant identification apps that we believe are the most popular among users. The table contains information that was tested for accuracy of identification using the installed camera feature. For this study, only the free portion of the app was tested and reviewed.
–Plant App A lifetime subscription costs $49.99. It uses the on-board camera feature to identify plants. The app also contains articles on different species and subspecies, genetics of plants and their seeds. Click on a plant in the library to see its overview and water and light requirements. It also describes how to propagate the plant and each variety.
–In the Photos app A yearly upgrade costs $35.99 and includes information and accurate photo identification for every plant. The app includes a map of the United States with locations where specified plants are classified as native, cultivated, exotic, invasive, and potentially invasive.
–Upgrading PlantTagg It costs $17.99 per year. Take a photo of part or all of your garden to determine if the plant will grow in that area. Add zones based on the hours of sunlight, add plants, and determine if the plant will grow in that zone. The app includes articles written by other users. You can access information about indoor plants.
–My Plants App It costs $29.99 per year and lets you choose from categories like flowers, weeds, fruits, poisonous plants, etc. The free version is limited in how many you can identify, but the full version gives you plenty of options to search for any plant and read information about how easy it is to grow and its distribution around the world.
–Leaf Snap App It costs $21.99 per year, and while plant identification isn't as accurate, upgrades that also include insect and fungus identification ensure greater accuracy.
Next up: growing, planning, designing and recording vegetables and herbs for a food and health app.
–From seed to spoonSubscription It costs $46.99 per year. Includes a calendar that lets you know when to start seeds or transplants indoors. Choose the type of garden you want to suit your family's diet and eating habits. Check out tutorials on how to best use the app and articles on growing options and garden locations. When you upgrade, you can enter your favorite plants to find out the best time to plant them and when to expect results.
–BD Garden There's only so much you can do for free – it costs $5.99 a year and lets users choose between fruits, roots, flowers and leaves for their plants, and upgrading allows for more future prep days.
–Gardenate Free is completely free and requires no upgrades. Enter your zip code and it will tell you what to start in the ground or in trays. Create wish lists and set calendar reminders. It provides photos of the finished product and gives users information on soil temperature, germination time, spacing, harvest dates and planting instructions. It also includes propagation and compatibility with other vegetables.
–Enjoy farming in your garden Vegetables and the best time to plant them are listed in an easy-to-read table. Click on a plant to see an overview of the conditions it needs to grow.
It also provides growers with an overview of plant uniqueness, uses, crop rotations and companion plants. They are soliciting donations to help add to the library.