Planting a garden? There’s an app for that!

For many, the arrival of May means the start of summer gardening (although here in Maine, it’s still relatively chilly, especially at night)! Whether you’re just starting to think about planting, or if you’ve already begun to dig in the dirt, there are several new mobile apps that are specially designed to help you get your garden off to a green, healthy start!

Mediterranean Garden in May by Old Itch, on Flickr

As described in the New York Times, the Garden Tracker for iPad and iPhone is a neat new app for those planning to plant large, rectangular gardens with several different varieties of plants. You simply enter the desired number of rows and columns to create a grid representing your garden, where each box represents one square foot. After clicking inside a box, you can choose the plant you’re planning to add in that space. The app then tells you how many plants can fit inside the square foot area, and provides information about watering, soil temperature needs and the planting depth required. It even tells you if two plants are incompatible in an area!

Another handy (and eco-conscious) app is the Rain Harvest app for iPhone and iPad. Particularly helpful for growers in dry climates, this app calculates how many gallons of water you can obtain from a rain gutter. Or, if you’re trying to grow the ultimate vegetable garden, the Clean Air Gardening Blog recommends checking out the Botanical Interests app. It offers tips for growing your favorite veggies and provides information on almost 300 varieties. For those who are gardening in the city, Apartment Therapy suggests checking out the Urban Gardening app. It tells you all you’ll need to know about growing plants right in your apartment.

If you’ve already started gardening, our Waterproof Gardening Clogs are ideal for keeping feet comfy and dry, and our Straw Sun Hat has a wide brim to shield your face and neck. Plus, both of these stylish items are now on sale for 30% off!

Tell us, are you planning to plant a garden this spring? We’d love to hear from you!