![]() So, if you're growing organic, for example, choose a company committed to organic growing. Remember that you'll probably be getting regular emails from this garden planner company, and the plant lists in the planner will be based on what the company sells. They aren't too expensive to prohibit changing over, but switching does mean creating all new templates and plans. Second, once you select a digital planner, you are kind of committed to it. Just be aware that most of your planning may not be super mobile. ![]() You may not be able to work outside on your laptop comfortably though, what with screen glare and all. This just means you may need to plan on your laptop, which usually isn't a problem for an urban gardener as your kitchen table is probably pretty close to your little farm. I don't have Android so I haven't tested it, but it looks robust. Let me know if you've found one you like! Happily, Burpee offers an app for Android. ![]() I know there are some planners in the iPhone App store, but either they don't have charting options or the reviews are terrible, so I haven't paid for one yet to test it. First, because the best diagram-type planners use Flash, they won't work on an iPhone or iPad. Digital planner problemsīefore we start talking about specific planners, know that there are some caveats to going digital. But I don't have to do that anymore to keep careful records and plan the coming year. So, using a digital planner won't stop me from sitting in my garden and jotting down plant notes in my Moleskine or sketching my colorful plant babies. Honestly, the feel of a soft pencil on thick paper is one reason I became a writer (is that weird?). Square foot gardening is a technique many urban gardeners use to maximize space. They also mark warning areas for repeat crops, encouraging gardeners to rotate plant types to better protect against pests and disease. Digital planners adapt the suggested planting and grow times for plants grown under row cover and in cold frames, so you can extend your gardening season. This means you get timely reminders to plant and harvest, designed for the specific plants in your garden.Īutomation for advanced techniques like crop rotation, square foot gardening and winter growing. All of the digital planners I've seen include email updates. You can also divide your annual template into months, so you can compare January to June without having to draw 12 separate plans. Simply use last year's hardscape template for this year's plantings. Templates - once you've drawn your hardscape (buildings, fences, cold frames, raised beds, compost bins), you never have to draw them again. It's so easy to make changes! No smudgy erasing, no crossing out and starting over. It also includes a list of what plants grow well together, which is critical information for mixed containers. The one I use lists characteristics and zone-specific grow times for different plants, so I don't have to look that up somewhere else. Here's why:ĭigital planners have lots of resources right at your fingertips. But I've converted to a digital garden planner. Here's the question: What type of planner? Use traditional graph paper and colored pencils? A spiral notebook? Those are lovely, and I do like the tangible feel of paper and soft colored pencils or watercolors. Here is our guide to the best digital garden planners for urban gardens. To maximize yield from a tiny urban space, we have to make every square inch work, and that requires careful advance planning.Įven if you're just planting a few containers, planning in advance will give you lush pots full of edible treats, instead of struggling experiments. Someone in a suburban or rural space can plant willy nilly, or expand the beds to add some new squash that catches their eye in spring. I like to vicariously visit spring by digitally planting rows of new seeds with my digital garden planner.Ĭhoosing the right garden planner is especially important for an urban gardener, because you don't have much room to work with. If you can't be in your back yard during winter's unwelcoming weather, then choosing and using a good garden planner is the next best thing. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |