Gardening is not for everyone, and for the few who seem to have greener thumbs than others, there may simply not be enough time to get out and enjoy their hobby. Having a garden takes a lot of time, effort, and energy.
It is not a “weekend” project that you can watch and enjoy over the rest of the year. They require constant attention and tending to. The work can be a great relief of stress and quite enjoyable, despite the physical labor.
For those who have the knack without the time, there are a few ways to help. The help is right in the palm of your hand, a device that you use every day for a growing number of different uses. Your cell phone has advanced into a music player, a social media hotspot, and the all you can garden advice and planning tool. Here are some of the apps that are mandatory for anyone who is looking to spruce up their lawn.
New Sunset Western Garden Book
If you are looking for the number one app to transform your dream garden into a reality, than the New Sunset Western Garden Book app is a must have. While the cost may seem steep at $19.99, it can save you hundreds of dollars every year in maintenance and other costs.
The Western Garden Book was initially written as a book and has recently been transferred into a digital format, making all of the book available right on your cell phone or tablet.
There are over thirty different videos to teach and show you different methods of planting your garden vegetables and how utilize the space in your garden. In addition to the videos, there are over 100 slideshows to showcase different gardens, give expert opinions and layouts; use them to spark your imagination and find the best new addition to your garden.
Landscapers Companion
The Landscaper’s Companion app is truly that, a wonderful companion to any gardener or landscaper. Even for those who are more involved, such as an aspiring botanist or the more elaborate landscaper, this app will show you more tips and tricks than you already know.
There is a reference guide that houses over 26,000 different plants. Of those twenty-six thousand, over twenty-one thousand of them have detailed pictures. The search options are very elaborate and give you many different ways to investigate. You can browse by common or specific name, height, color of the flowers, and region of natural plats.
If you are unsure of what exactly it is you want to plant, you can look by the style of plant you are looking for; whether it is a tree, shrub, annuals, perennials, and many other choices.
Each plant requires specific requirements in order for your garden to thrive. The Landscaper’s companion app reveals the sun requirements, how much water they require, and the average mature height and width. With all this information available to you for a price of $4.99, you can assure your garden will not only look great, but you know the requirements for each individual garden.
Mother Earth News
The Mother Earth News app is the perfect start for any beginner who is looking to try their green thumbs in gardening. There is plenty of information explaining different “how-to” information and is being expanded continuously. There are also Do-it-Yourself plans and ideas that can spark new ideas and elaborate on others.
The Mother Earth News app is a great Green Building Practices. It shows you the best way to not only build your garden, but how to do it while saving the planet.
Leafsnap
Leafsnap is a great way to maintain and manage your already existing garden. You can ID the unknown plants in your garden immediately and know where they came from. You can use the Google Goggles, or take a picture of a leaf with a white background. It will analyze the leaf and will name the plant for you.
It is very possible, that even through tilling and preparing your garden for a new season, that there are existing seeds and therefore, plants springing up in your garden. Strawberries and pumpkins are very resilient and can take roots almost anywhere they can find a reliable water source.
If you don’t have access to your camera or a white background, you can search for the leaf in their characteristics list. You can look up the shape, flower color, and height of the plant in an effort to identify.
In addition to maintaining the garden, it can be essential for enthused botanists whom are looking to expand their knowledge. By going out on hikes and strolling through the woods, you may come across plants and trees that are new to you, and could be foreign to the land. It is a great way to expand your knowledge.
Garden Squared
It can be difficult to lay out your garden while you are sitting right next to your garden. You may run out of space before you realize you left out the cucumbers you wanted to plant as well. With Garden Squared, you now have the opportunity to fully lay out your garden before you take a single step outside.
Put in the measurements of your garden (up to 4×8), and you can lay out the plants on your phone or tablet and make sure everything will fit. It is a great way to plan out multiple gardens and utilize all of the packets of seeds you bought on sale.
Organic Gardening Magazine
Now you can fully prepare your garden before you take one shovel to the dirt. You have faced all of the challenges of organizing your garden while waiting for your next meeting to start. The only aspects that remain are going out and getting your hands dirty. The fun and exciting part about your garden is starting it and getting the seeds (or small plants already) into the ground.
From there you have all of the tips and tools that you need in order to successfully transform them into a magnificent garden that will produce beautiful flowers or yield a promising harvest.
Jake Smith is a freelance writer who loves gardening, technology, apps and smartphones. He also lends his pen to www.globalsyntheticgrass.com.au among various other businesses.