Sometimes, when you are gearing up to work in your garden and trying to think about what you should do next, it can feel a little overwhelming to choose a different direction to head in.
Other times some questions come to mind that you just can’t quite feel you have an answer to, or you saw some strange new variety of insect or plant and just had to know how to identify it.
One of the main ways to overcome any gardening question or hurdle is good old fashion information, and gardening apps are literally information and utility right at your fingertips.
With the large variety available through digital storefronts, they make a great tool for any gardener.
This article will go through some of the best free to download gardening apps and examples of what they offer when you are spending time in your green spaces.
1. iScape
Landscaping gardens is one of the most intimidating parts of developing outdoor space, because it is a huge commitment when something does not work or look right with the rest of your landscape and green space.
What the iScape app allows you to do is utilize the power of your smart phone to show you your garden in AR (augmented reality) for landscaping that is all simulated.
This allows you to make changes on the fly, and really play with the way you want your green space to look like before you pull the trigger.
Another aspect of iScape that is very interesting and unique, is that it allows for collaborative landscaping with others in your virtual green space.
You can really share your vision with others, and learn what is best for everyone before you commit to doing anything to the space.
It can work for any landscapes, whether or not a plant, you can also add fences, benches and really map out your space and make any future additions ahead of time to see what those would look like.
2. Seek (by iNaturalist)
This application stands out as one of the most broadly valuable applications on this list, as it can be utilized outside in nature at any point in time, not just while gardening.
Seek allows you to snap images of creatures and plants outside that it will recognize for you and give you information for.
If you had to relate the app to something else, it would be similar to Shazam for plants and animals.
I am sure that there have been instances outside where you have observed a beautiful beetle or bird you have never seen before, and you just must discover what it is and what makes it special.
For gardening specifically, this app can be a great tool in helping identify creatures that are pests or other wildlife that are invading or disrupting your green space.
You simply take a picture of the offending creature and can identify it and then figure out a pest management solution for your newly identified pest.
What is also great about this app is that it will keep a record of all the wildlife you encounter and add your and pictures to your records, so you can reflect on all the interesting kinds of life you have encountered in the outdoors.
3. Animal Poision Control Center
Developed by the ASPCA, this app is an extremely beneficial tool to ensure your safety in a green space and while exploring the great outdoors in a more adventurous sense.
You can come across things like poison ivy and other plants, such as rhubarb, that could present challenges if approached inappropriately.
With this app, you can look up harmful information about any plant you encounter outside, whether it is harmful to you, an animal that may be in your care.
We know dogs will eat anything they can, but their determination can sometimes lead them to sickness.
The app will provide information about roughly 300 different toxins, what their source is, and how they can affect you and others that might be near you.
This is terrific information to have while trying to get the most out of your time gardening, while also making sure everyone remains safe!
This app will even allow you the benefit of a color-coded chart to assess each toxin by the level of concerns it should evoke within in you, complete with a button press to get through to the ASPCA hotline for your serious needs.
4. Bonnie Plants
If you ever struggled to keep timings of your gardens various harvest or bloom times, you may find an app to help you organize it all and keep everything on track.
Bonnie Plants could very well be the app to help you with this, and it has a great set of tools to help you maximize your garden!
In addition to being very useful for beginners in their gardens, this app can help you determine what you should start growing with its database of many various vegetables and other edible plants.
There is information about what time of year to plant them, how long they take to grow to harvestable size, what kind of fertilizer to use (and not use), and when you can pick your plants.
Additionally, you can take ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos to keep track of your progress and share photos with friends on social media of your accomplishments, and note important things within the app, just incase it isn’t something you want to forget later!
As stated above, an app like Bonnie Plants, can work wonders for both beginner and novice gardeners that need a little help organizing tasks they have to perform in order to keep their garden in top shape.
5. SunCalc
One of the most important things to consider in the gardening activity is how much sunlight your plants are receiving to grow to their maximum capacity.
For the most part, you will find that the best spots for getting sunlight in your garden will come from trial and error, but this app offers a more calculated approach.
What SunCalc will allow you to do is find the best spot for sunlight in your garden space to make sure your plants receive those hours of sunlight for proper growth.
You can put in your address into the app and it will be able to project the average sunlight for your location and forecast it relative to the time of year and time of day.
This way, you can know exactly when you should be planting in your garden and where is the best spot to do so.
It can also let you know, where exactly the sun will start shining into your yard and where shadows might fall, which is helpful in making sure you try to avoid those darker areas of the yard.
6. LAWN to WILDFLOWERS
Pollination is something that “gets lost in the shuffle” during the gardening experience.
If you are looking for a vibrant and healthy green space, you will need to ensure lots of pollination is taking place, and one of the best ways to ensure pollination is to have wildflowers within those spaces.
This app is a great resource for learning about plants and their pollinators specifically native to your area.
As you can imagine, there are drastically different species all over the country that will do the job of pollinating, so the app can help narrow down what you might be able to expect or work towards getting more of, to enhance your garden.
The other great part about the app is it also has links to seeds which you can order to help enhance your green space and to make it a more desirable location for the local pollinating wildlife to come,.
Additionally, you can even learn about the pollinators, not just identify them in your own area, with pictures and information to help you identify them; and then help you understand how to respect and help them thrive.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, there is an abundance of free gardening apps that will lend a different but exciting way to enjoy your green space.
Whether you need to identify a pest that has been ruining your garden, record some rare flowers, check on sunlight in your garden or see if you have a garden that is pollinator friendly, there will be an app for that.
Hopefully, this article has given you some helpful links to great resource tools for your time gardening, and that will help you make sure that you are truly providing the optimal conditions for whatever space you have spend time and care on.