Tech in the garden

10 iPhone apps help new gardeners plan, design and troubleshoot

I’m new to this whole food growing thing. And this year is my first with a proper yard with beds waiting to be planted.

Having come from a long line of gardeners, you’d think I would know what I was doing, but alas I didn’t pay attention when I was younger, and now I live too far away from family to really take advantage of that wealth of knowledge.

But maybe that’s where a handy lil’ iPhone app can help. 10 in fact. Mashable recently compiled a list of 10 Great iPhone Apps for Growing a Garden (thank you, Emily Jubenvill, for the link!), which include tools for:

>> Plant identification: Perfect for those saunters through the neighbourhood when scoping out your neighbours’ yards for ideas (iPhone apps: Landscaper’s Companion and Garden Pilot)

>> Fruit growing: For those of us who are totally intimidated by the mechanics of growing berry bushes (iPhone apps: Fruit Garden)

>> Harvesting schedules by zone: So you know when you can finally call the folks over for that asparagus dinner you’ve been promising (iPhone apps: iGarden USA and Botanical Interests)

>> Pest control: Finally an answer to what’s been nibbling at your tomatoes (iPhone app: Bugs and Insects)

>> Tree and shrub identification: So you can build some privacy into your yard for those rare topless gardening days (iPhone app: Botany Buddy)

>> High-yield herbs: Herbs are the cornerstone of any kitchen garden; the trick is to grow them in abundance (iPhone app: Herbs+)

>> Garden design: For turning the mayhem into a zen garden haven (iPhone app: Gardens)

>> Plant 9-1-1: When there’s something strange in your garden bed, who you gonna call? (iPhone app: The Plant Doctor)

>> Gardening tools: Know where to get a good pair of gardening gloves when you spring a hole in your old ones (iPhone app: iLocate – Gardening Supplies)

While I haven’t tried any of these apps out yet, I plan to do some testing when I get my iPhone (crossing fingers it’s this week!).

Important gauges for determining if these tools are useful are: whether the app makes me feel more confident in the garden; whether the information is accurate and definitive, versus being general and unhelpful; whether the information is suited to my specific climate (Lower Mainland); and whether I keep coming back to use the app again and again.