Thank you, JeffG:
2.25.2025
It’s feeble but it is here.
Tis the season…
Dead serious:
Get garden seeds. Now. And starting this spring grow some of your own food. Greens, peppers, herbs, some root crops, squash, & cucumbers are fairly easy to grown. If nothing else grow some herbs. It will give you pleasure, both growing & enjoying them as you add them to your food.— Dana Houle (@danahoule.bsky.social) January 25, 2025 at 12:08 AM
I agree. I’m starting seeds for spring this weekend!
It’s worth mentioning for those who use it, plants and seeds are covered by SNAP.— Christina (@cswrawr.bsky.social) January 25, 2025 at 12:24 AM
I did not know that SNAP covered plants/seeds — at least at the moment.
Years of sad experience have convinced me that I’m neurologically incapable of keeping proper garden records, but then my yard is so tiny / chaotic that I’ve never really required them, either. There’s a whole new tech-based world of planners available now, and if I were even twenty years younger… Anyways, the Washington Post had an article on “the five best gardening apps for beginners”, and here’s a gift link:
… I tested 18 apps, looking at ease of use, plant databases and information, and cost. The results were mixed: Many apps were glitchy, slow to load or had nonintuitive interfaces that felt like they were built in 1999. A few, though, stood out from the crowd. Here are the four that I felt worked best, in no particular order, along with a plant identification app that is so well-designed it merited mention.
Seedtime
Free version/$10 per month Basic subscription; best for desktop/tabletThis app, an organizational system for those interested in growing food or flowers, is getting considerable online buzz. To start, you plug in your growing area, which can be as particular as a Zip code, then build a list of desired plants. The app then populates a calendar with seeding, transplanting and harvest times. Features also include daily tasks, notes, email check-ins and videos on soil testing, succession planting and other subjects. The drawbacks include overwhelming filters, which may deter the less tech-savvy, and a limited plant database. For instance, garlic is oddly not included…
iScape
Free version/$29.99 per month Pro subscription; for desktop, tablet, or phoneBuilt for landscapers who need to render ideas for clients, iScape is also simple enough for homeowners. If you want to see how a border of plants works together, texturally and color-wise, this app is a good choice.
With iScape, there is no overhead layout piece. Instead, upload a photo of your space, then drag and place elements, designing over the photo or augmented reality. It’s handy if you want to try out varying surfaces for a patio or compare a white hydrangea versus a pink one by your front door. Duplicating, reversing and layering is easy…
VegPlotter
Free version/$18 Essentials subscription per year; for desktop only, accessed on phone through browserIf Seedtime is a sophisticated answer for crop organization, VegPlotter is its scrappy cousin. You sacrifice flexibility for simplicity here. But gardeners who aren’t technologically inclined will appreciate how effortless it is to use.
VegPlotter keeps a calendar of crops and allows you to draw a layout of your yard. Items are labeled plainly and filters are few. Crop selection is fairly comprehensive. When you click on a plant, you see size information, growing details and suggested harvest times. It also allows users to modify planting or harvest times, which can help you plan around vacations…
Garden Planner (from SmallBluePrinter)
15-day free trial/$48 one-time payment; desktop software for Mac or WindowsWhen it comes to design layout software, there are few satisfying choices. Most apps are either too granular for the average homeowner or too focused on landscape architecture. Garden Planner, designed by an Australian software developer, is in the sweet spot. It’s a bare-bones app that allows you to start designing immediately. The interface is basic, with only tools and objects tabs, but all choices are intuitively labeled. You can easily drag and drop paths, walls, fences, plants and other features. And modifying your choices is simple. The notebook window produces a list of plants with dimensions, which is handy for shopping. A 3D feature is in beta phase…
PictureThis
Free version/varying in-app purchases; for tablet or phone onlyWhile this is a plant identification app, rather than a garden-planning tool, it was so well-designed that I decided to include it here. If you just bought a house and have no idea what plants are in your backyard, a plant identification app can help you learn to care for the garden. PictureThis is the most elegantly designed choice, with only essential features on the streamlined interface. You can identify a plant, diagnose a problem and create a catalogue of plants in your garden. It will prompt you for your city/area to assess what plants work best in your region. Plus, you can identify birds, insects and mushrooms.
To start, you photograph a plant and upload it to the app, which then returns a botanical identification with impressive accuracy. The “notes” section will tell you whether the app thinks your plant is healthy. The care tab offers advice on watering, fertilizing, pruning, etc. Plant info gives a thorough rundown of the plant’s characteristics and native habitat. There’s even a feature that rates how easy or difficult it is to grow a particular plant in your region. In other words, it will tell you that trying to grow a banana tree in zone 5 will be an uphill climb. Whoever built PictureThis not only knew gardening but knew what kinds of information gardeners would want. Highly recommended.
More information, of course, at the [gift!] link.
Any of you who have favorite apps, or your own reviews of the WaPo ones, we’re all curious!
***********
Of course now we’re heading into busy season for many / most of you gardeners here, but: If nobody sends pictures, it’s gonna be nothing but newspaper articles next Sunday(s)…
What’s going on in your garden(s), this week?
satby
Not a seed starting year for me because I’m traveling a lot this spring, so I’m direct sowing some flower seeds and tomato seeds with protection until it’s after the frost date and overseeing my lawn with crimson clover. Adding some hellebores to the shady bed too. Other than redoing my hanging baskets I’m not planning anything else that’s new.
eclare
I wish I could grow food, but my yard is 100% shade.
WereBear
February the month to order seeds! In the mountains, it’s looking forward to Mud Season.
Right now, GREAT cross country skiing with lots of sunshine. I will take the frosties for the sunnies, since right now it is negative too. But that doesn’t matter if you dress for it.
Also, after reading Ultra-Processed People: Why Do We All Eat Stuff That Isn’t Food… and Why Can’t We Stop? by Chris van Tulleken, I paid close attention when he shared a research trip he did near the Arctic Circle.
So, if you are always cold… you probably aren’t eating enough fermented animal fat. Fortunately, this isn’t just a hunk of walrus stuck in the snow. Cream cheese, yogurt, cultured butter, even Italian cold cuts; all can be good sources of what your thermostat needs in the winter.
High bio-available protein and animal fat is what continues to help me recover. Because it’s also brain food.
Princess
I think green beans are one of the easiest things to grow. Also, if you have a bit of dirt and a wire fence behind it, it’s time or almost time to sow peas — snap or snow peas are very rewarding and easy. You can have peas at the back and beans in the front of a 1×3 foot space.
prostratedragon
“You Must Believe in Spring,” LeGrand
Jeffg166
I would like to get to splitting the Pretoria Canna rhizomes up and starting new plants. They are about to split the pot they are in.
Also thinking of bringing the dahlia tubes up from cold storage in the basement and putting them in a south facing window to get them going.
Philadelphia, PA is still in a drought. Spring May be a washout this year.
Am about half done the garden clean up. With the bulbs pushing up I am under to gun to get stuff done before I start to wreck things.
There are still 4 butternut squash in the basement from last autumn to be eaten.
kalakal
Good morning. Thank you for the info on apps, must try picturethis.
CarolM
I have onions, sweet peppers and brussel sprouts started indoors. The brussel sprouts may have been a mistake, after I started the seeds I read that they need a long growing season that is not too hot, and that I should have started them in the summer for a fall crop. I think I’m going to grow sunflowers this year too, I tried once and the seeds didn’t germinate so I need to do some reading up on this. Thank you for the information on the growing apps, Anne Laurie!
Mousebumples
I like LeafSnap – less for planting though, and more for what is this thing growing in my yard.
I also can recommend Merlin Bird ID, if you’re wondering what is that bird (or bird call) in your neighborhood.
Gloria DryGarden
@CarolM: don’t give up on the Brussels sprouts. Some people in Denver succeed w them. They keep growing into fall. I suspect the cold in autumn is part of their season.
eclare, if you have any partial sun, or dappled shade you might be able to grow basil, thyme, spinach, a few other things. I have those in very limited sunlight.
AM in NC
Thanks for the app recs! I am currently moving my couple of flats of seeds inside and outside on the warmer days to get some germination going (my heat mat is buried in our temporary storage unit until we move-doh!) and to let the sprouted babies get some sun and wind stress. I have a T-5 inside for the light needs, but the house we are in is not warm.
Pruned a few shrubs yesterday as well, as the new growth told me to get hopping.
This will be the second growing season without a regular veggie garden space, and it is hard not to over-sow seeds. How does one not want to plant ALL the seeds?
Gloria DryGarden
Yes snap covers seeds n plants. I haven’t tried at the nursery, more at the community gardens sales, and seeds at my health food store.
Ron
I recommend everyone try and watch Gardeners World from the BBC even if you don’t have a garden. It soothes the soul. There are episodes on YouTube and there is a free streaming channel on Roku and maybe elsewhere. Look for “Gardening with Monty Don.”
Josie
My tomato seedlings are coming up. I’m inspired to plant some eggplants and peppers. The weather guy has assured us that we are finished with freezes. Now we get a few weeks of spring before the hot weather sets in.
vigilhorn
I kept records of my veggie garden activities on one of the many free calendars I got in the mail every year. It helped me keep track of my crops’ progress through the season.
Gvg
I am NOT growing certain things because I had too many squash borers. Trying to avoid that whole family for a couple of years to reduce the population. Also doing crop rotation more carefully and soil improvement, growing cover crops of green manure. Florida has nutrient poor sandy soil because of our long warm growing season and rain allowing bacteria to multiply exponentially for a longer time and eat the organic matter all up, whereas in a shorter season the cooling stops the bacteria sooner and in a dryer climate the lack or moisture slows it. I also have clay underneath the sand which is why my area has hills, but a lot of sand growing species can’t get their roots into the clay, and the rainwater tends to go through the sand, then flow downslope the clay without soaking in. I am planting clay buster cover crops if I can to break up the hard pan of the clay and start capturing more of the rain water. This winter I planted daikon radish. I think I should have started earlier than I did though. This summer I am trying sunhemp and cowpeas. Probably other things too. Also expanding a bed so I can do beans. Last year I built pole trellises for them and it worked well, I just want to do it in a different spot.
we had a late frost for us and I just got the damage cleared away last weekend. Just in time. Azaleas have started here, and other things. People have spring fever, that time when non gardeners mob the garden centers and plant everything. They may not do anything else the rest of the year but now they take it seriously. And the pollen is here, my allergies are streaming this morning. Roses are beautiful too. Banana shrub is fragrant.
Maxim
@eclare: Mine too. I’m looking at getting some grow lights for indoors; I know some folks who’ve had success with them.
different-church-lady
Question for the hive mind: some sharp tooth critter did a number on my dormant roses last week. It’s been sub-freezing for a while, and there’s no tender buds or canes on them, just woody canes. Nonetheless I came out to find the wood deeply gnawed up. What am I dealing with here? The wood seems too hard for rabbits, and I’ve never seen the squirrels take an interest. And in places the gnaw marks go up more than a foot.
JAM
This spring I’m starting a new island bed for natives in the back yard. I also have a lot of work to do in the front garden because bermuda grass has invaded it and it has a few plants in it that I want to move out entirely if I get time.
I’ve used an app called Pl@ntnet for plantID but I think I’ll add PictureThis and see how it works.
EmbraceYourInnerCrone
Got a small hydroponic garden kit and just started basil , dill, cherry tomato and Serrano pepper seeds. We moved from a house with a yard to a second floor apartment but I need something green and growing. Have a small balcony so I might start a couple tomato plants in pots if it’s ever above freezing here in the Finger Lakes, so probably mid May or later…
Kayla Rudbek
I’m trying to decide what seeds to get; I have a deck on the east side of my townhouse (sunny from dawn until sometime in the afternoon) and then the front lawn is on the west side of the townhouse (so shade until the afternoon, and a tree on the HOA-owned neutral ground which shades the front lawn as well). The HOA won’t allow vegetables on the front lawn. I’ve had good luck with the heuchera and the hostas in the front but lily of the valley doesn’t want to grow there. Mr. Rudbek is suggesting starting with some basil as I’m in the mode of “buy all the seeds and some berry plants” and realistically I wouldn’t keep up with everything I want to plant.
AM in NC
@Ron: Monty Don has been a fucking balm in Gilead for me this past year.
jimmiraybob
Looking to the Soviet Union era and Lysenkoism (anti science farming), I decided a couple of months ago to start with potatoes this spring. I have a friend a few blocks from me that grows everything under the sun and I get some of the excess.
Doing my research I learned of the diversity of possibilities – different types and yields. I will learn to mix and match and rotate as equitably as I can. I will include many varieties as I go along. Yes, this will be a DEI resistance garden.
Good times.
Jeffg166
@jimmiraybob:
Potatoes get planted St. Patrick’s day. Weather permitting.
moonbat
I’m on the board at a community garden so most of my prep work these last couple of weeks is wrangling contract agreements and dues from the members. But the end is in sight and bed prep will commence this week if the weather cooperates.
Kristine
No seed-starting for me. I’m just checking the yard every so often. The daffs are poking up here and there and the Pink Lady hellebore has green shoots beneath the leaf cover.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
I always get the timing wrong. I think “I really ought to start the garden, I really ought to start the garden” until suddenly one day it’s too late and the stuff I plant doesn’t have time to mature.
I’m trying for the umpteenth time to start tomatoes from seed, even though I know in spring there will be beautiful tall plants for sale at the produce store. I just think it’s cool to watch seeds grow. I found the remainder of last year’s cherry tomato seed packet and put them into pots indoors a couple of days ago. Last frost date here in SE PA is pretty well into April.
We also have a “three sisters” seed bundle that was given to us as a gift by a friend with Lenape ancestry. I want to grow them and do right by them. The first Sister that goes in the ground is corn, which I’ve never grown. I’ll take any thoughts from the BJ community.
Big Fly
@kalakal:
I’ve used “Picture This” for a few years, and I’ve found it very helpful. The database is good, as are the suggested remedies.
Bill Arnold
@EmbraceYourInnerCrone:
The only success I have with pots and tomatoes has been with small tomatoes, either sweet 100s or cherries, preferably the most disease resistant available.
Make sure the soil has calcium; lime it, or like 10+ Tums broken up. Also magnesium. (epsom salts will do.)
Fertilize with liquid fertilizer lowish dose (after first full dose) every few weeks.
Have the pots in a big dish that holds a lot of water; in July, my deck plants use at least a gallon per day per pot on sunny days.