PORTLAND, Maine — For countless people who find joy in their gardens, much of the appeal is that it gives them a chance to unplug from technology. No screens. No wacky videos. No pinging phone.
But what if you want to tap into technology, in a modest and restrained way, to make yourself a better gardener? 207’s tech guy, Rich Brooks of Flyte New Media in Portland, offers some tips on how to do that. Here are the bullet points he provided.
207: "How can technology help us grow a more successful garden?"
Rich: "There are plenty of ways in which those of us who may not have a lot of experience in the garden can use technology to quickly improve."
"Let's start with one of my go-to tools these days: AI. I opened up ChatGPT, told it where I live, and that I wanted to start a vegetable garden in my backyard. I asked for advice, the pros and cons of a raised garden bed, which plants would thrive in our zone, and to create a schedule for me to follow for the rest of the summer and fall."
"Seconds later I had a plan in place. Now, while AI can "hallucinate," meaning it can make things up, I don't feel this is a high-risk use of AI. Also, since you can "talk" to ChatGPT I was able to ask follow-up questions, such as "What are nightshades?" as that was a term I was unfamiliar with. ChatGPT provided common examples (tomatoes, peppers, etc.) and gave me nutritional information on those nightshades as well."
207: "What other tech tools can help us?"
Rich: "Of course, there are hundreds of apps out there that can improve our gardens."
"One category of garden apps helps you plan and track your garden. I use Planter to block out my 4 x 8 raised garden. Although the interface was a little challenging, one cool feature was discovering "companion" plants...plants that would help the plants I was planning on growing. For example, I purchased some Carolina Reaper seedlings, and it turns out onions are great to plant nearby because they deter pests, while Brussels Sprouts are combative, as they are both heavy feeders and share diseases."
"The app is free for one garden and costs $1/month for the Pro version."
"Another app that I've mentioned on the show before is Picture This, which allows you to take photos of plants and identify them. This is really helpful to discover if what's growing in your garden is a plant or a weed. Further, it can provide information on whether your plant is healthy or sick, and how you can care for them. It costs $40 for the year."
207: "These are helpful apps, but sometimes you're looking for advice from someone who's been there before. How can technology help us connect to other gardeners?"
Rich: "One of my favorite places to get advice that doesn't come from Google or AI is Reddit. There's a discussion group called a 'subreddit' for just about any subject under the sun...including gardening!"
"In fact, there are subreddits for gardens, gardening, indoor gardening, vegetable gardening, wild gardening, and even savage garden, which focuses on carnivorous plants!"
"These groups are great for discussion or uploading photos and asking the hive mind for advice. If Reddit isn't your thing, Facebook has plenty of gardening groups, including many that focus on the challenges of gardening in Maine."
"Finally, just a shout-out to the UMaine Cooperative Extension website, that I used quite a bit during Covid when I first started trying to garden. Fantastic resource."
207: "So far everything you shared can help from an advice or resource standpoint...do you have any tech tools that can improve our gardening?"
Rich: "If you like tech toys, you can certainly find some that will help with your gardening."
Helpful tools
- Soil sensors will tell you about the moisture in the soil and whether your plants need more or less watering. Many start at under $10.
- There are also automatic watering systems that will control the watering of your garden while you're at work or on vacation. These can include a timer as well as the tubing and sprinklers and you can pick it up for under $40.
- And if you want a time-lapse video of your garden at the end of the season, you can invest in a weatherproof garden cam. Brinno is a popular model that starts at $249.