May 04, 2018
How does your garden grow? It can be better than ever thanks to these high-tech gardening tools.
By: Jessica Roberts
This spring, give your green thumb a boost with a handful of ingenious tech products developed to maximize your garden yield. We’ve found some of the best WiFi enabled solutions for common (and irritating) problems facing gardeners of all skill levels. From apps to robots, you’ll be amazed by these amazing new tools that will save you time and frustration, and help make your dream garden a reality.
Estimating Sun Exposure
Most gardeners aren’t home all day to properly observe their yard and garden’s sun exposure throughout the day. To solve that problem, download the Sun Seeker app, which combines GPS, Earth Mapping, and an unbelievable 3D augmented reality camera overlay, to chart the sun’s positioning over your garden at every hour — all year long. Wonder if that oak tree shades your garden mid-day? Use the camera overlay feature which shows you – in real time — the area’s sun exposure.
Soil pH & Fertility
Sadly, the “plant it and it will grow” philosophy doesn’t always work. One of the hardest challenges gardeners face is getting to know their soil. Soil pH and fertility make a substantial impact on the survival of seeds. For those gardeners who want to scientifically calculate the precise health of their soil, try the Digital 3-Way Soil Analyzer. Not only will the device determine soil pH and fertility rates, it also reads soil temperature — a key factor in germination.
Available at Amazon and other online retailers
What to Plant
As spring approaches and gardeners get ready for prime planting time, the question becomes: what to grow? Get ideas and learn about plants, and find sample planting guides at Homegrown, an app created by the classic American gardening company, Bonnie Plants. They’ve been in the gardening business since 1918, but the information is geared towards green thumbs of all experience levels. The “Help Me Choose” feature makes it easy to create a well-curated kitchen garden you’ll be eating out of all summer.
