Originally published in TEACH Magazine, July/August 2021 Issue
By Kelsey McCallum
There’s no better way to spend time outside in the summer than by tending to a garden. Whether you’re a gardening expert designing a meticulously landscaped flower garden, or a newbie wanting to grow some fresh fruits and vegetables, there are plenty of gardening apps that can provide a wealth of information to help you make the most of your patch of soil. Here are a few notable apps that can be used for your personal garden, or with students to show them how much fun gardening can be!
From Seed to Spoon
(Free – iOS, Android, Website)
This app was developed by a family in Oklahoma who wanted to share their knowledge of how to grow food sustainably in their urban backyard. It has since turned into a growing guide for over 100 fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Not only does the app provide in-depth details about planting, harvesting, and how to cook with each plant, it also includes information about their various health benefits. By creating a free account, users can track their garden’s progress, receive seed sprouting and harvest estimates based on their location, and even create their own log of fertilizations, watering times, garden pests, and more.
KidsGardening
(Free – Website)
This non-profit has been a leader in the youth gardening movement since 1982. Their website offers a variety of garden-focused activities and lesson plans for Grades K–12. Students can learn about sustainable gardening, pollinators, hydroponics, and edible landscaping—to name just a few of the dozens of topics available. KidsGardening also provides in-depth growing guides, gardening tips for beginners, steps for designing a school garden, and more.
LeafSnap
(Free – iOS, Android, Website)
Plant identification has never been easier, thanks to LeafSnap. Quickly and easily identify any plant you come across—just by taking its picture! Users can upload photos of leaves, flowers, fruits, or bark to the app and watch as this high-tech plant identifier instantly recognizes the species of plant or tree. LeafSnap has access to a massive online plant database, and currently identifies plants with 95 percent accuracy.
New York Botanical Garden
(Free – Website)
The New York Botanical Garden (NYB) offers an online resource, School Gardening 101, which is meant to help educators teach gardening concepts to their students. Within this resource, teachers can access lesson plans, videos, activities, and helpful links that relate to gardening. NYB also provides a Garden Calendar that can act as a monthly guide for how to create and manage a school garden.
Planter
(Free – iOS, Android, Website)
Make blueprints for your own vegetable garden with the help of Planter. This garden planning app allows users to design the layout of their garden and identify plants that should or should not be grown together. It also provides information on planting times, how to grow each plant, and when to harvest them.
Kelsey McCallum is an Associate Editor for TEACH Magazine. She holds a BSc from the University of Guelph and a Graduate Certificate from Centennial College. She currently lives in Toronto, ON, with her partner and their cat, Banksy.
