6 Tips to Improve Gardening with Tech

Starting a garden can seem overwhelming. You need to do a lot of research to get the greatest chance of success. You should learn about using the right soil, what kind of environments different plants prefer, the right watering schedule, humidity and weather preferences. It’s easy to get overwhelmed.

The thing is, you don’t have to do it all by yourself. There is plenty of useful information and resources online for you to turn to, not to mention modern tools that can make gardening more effortless.

What is smart gardening?

Gardening is a great hobby that can result in a beautiful looking space. Depending on the type of gardening you choose, you can grow fresh flowers, vegetables, or both. Gardening isn’t supposed to be tiring and take up all of your free time. Enter Smart Gardening – it helps you work smarter, not harder.

Smart gardening means you are using technology in your garden. Gadgets make your tasks more effortless and efficient, without increasing accessibility. So if you have any issues with accessibility or simply need a little extra help in the garden, technology is the way to go.

The simplest example of how smart tech can help with tedious, time-consuming gardening tasks is to consider mowing and watering your space. Smart gadgets can take over and do the work for you while you watch from the sidelines.

1. Plan your garden in advance

The best first step is to make sure you have a plan. If you plan your garden with a virtual garden planner, you will avoid making real life mistakes.

Using a virtual garden planner, you can try different layouts, see what works and if you like it. It’s a fun way to see if you can implement your vision in the real world or if it needs reworking.

If you have an oddly shaped space for your garden, virtual planners are a lifesaver. Whether it’s a front or back yard or patio you’re thinking of using, it’s always a better choice to plan the room ahead of time.

If you are wondering where to find an online garden design tool to help you, you can find many free ones online.

2. Educate yourself

You can find a lot of information online to help you on your gardening journey. There are apps and websites designed to educate you and help you figure out what you need for your garden. Like, the right soil for certain plants to grow or calendars for the best planting time.

For example, Garden Journal at Territorial Seed is a website that offers expert advice, support and an established gardening community.

And Seed to Spoon Gardening is an app available for iOS and Android, perfect for the beginner gardener who wants to learn. It estimates germination and harvest times based on when you planted them, lets you know what will and won’t grow well together, and more.

take down: Seed to Spoon Gardening for iOS | Android (Free)

3. Keep tabs on the weather

Weather can be a big factor in whether or not you are successful in your gardening endeavors. Too much sun, and your garden will burn. Too much rain has drowned. Humidity, wind, everything outside can affect your garden, which is why monitoring the weather is so important.

And, no, simply looking out the window won’t do much. Smart tech, like a smart weather station, can take the data from weather intelligence and give you suggestions on the best course of action you can take.

Most such sites monitor the weather and send notifications directly to your phone. For example, if it’s too sunny, it will let you know that the plant is getting too dry, and you’d better water it.

Or, if it rains, a smart weather station will assess how much rain your soil has received and let you know when is the best time to water your garden based on how much water it has received. It will save you from making the wrong decision and damaging your garden.

4. Save on water and effort

Watering your garden can increase your water bill. Also, even if your garden is not on the big side, it can take hours of labor to go around everything and water everything. That’s why installing a smart irrigation system is well worth the investment.

It’s one thing to physically water with a hose or a tub, and it’s a whole other thing to push a button and water every garden at the same time. An added benefit is that you drink everything in the right amount instead of overdoing it, reducing your monthly payment.

There are many smart gardeners that do the watering for you. Most such hubs are controlled by an app, making them the epitome of convenience. And although it can be expensive to set up a smart irrigation system, in the end it will save you water, time and energy.

5. Identification of plants and diseases

Being able to tell if your plant is diseased and from which one is the difference between garden and dry plants. Fortunately, you don’t need to buy a lot of books or ask your nan for advice. Instead, you can turn to many resources online.

You can find a variety of apps to help you with your garden and identify plants, diseases and pests. Once you know the exact problem, you can act accordingly. And since you can search and find the answer in a few minutes, you have a better chance of solving the problem quickly and saving the plant.

If you are looking for good rated apps, you can try Plantix or Plant Disease Identifier. And, if you prefer to stick to a website or simply don’t have room for another app on your phone, you can try Planet Nature Research Center. The site offers a beautiful section where you can browse the most common plant diseases.

6. Use Smart Mowers and Smart Weeders

Chances are, they come in contact with the grass in your garden, and mowing your yard is time-consuming and tedious. And even if you invest in a great mower that does most of the work for you, you still have to be there and at least steer. This is why smart mowers are a great option.

Smart mowers have a few boxes to adjust to your terrain, such as whether the terrain is uneven or sloped. But if you can find one, it’s a great investment. You don’t have to spend hours in the sun moving the mower, saving time and effort.

And one step beyond smart mowers are smart weeds. Smart weeders often use a focused laser to individually target weeds as they appear, ensuring that you don’t accidentally kill your weeds. Some of the ones on the market are designed for farmers, so they are quite bulky. But the little ones are starting to pop up, too. You can find solar powered ones that can manage a small garden.

Smart weeders and mowers are a godsend if you have health issues and can’t spend hours tending to your garden every day. So, with the help of technology, you can still protect your garden.

Smart gardening is an investment, but worth it

Technology is always evolving, and more and more smart devices are available on the market to help with every conceivable task. Gardening can be a relaxing activity, but it comes with some hard work.

Modern tools in the garden will save you hours of time and effort in everyday work. So, if you can afford to invest in some helpful equipment, go for it. Of course, you don’t have to buy everything under the sun, but consider finding things that fit your lifestyle and your garden.

So think about what is more valuable to you. Are you willing to invest in smart technology for your benefit and convenience? Or prefer to skip all that and do everything manually?