How Tech Can Help Green Your Garden

Green thumbs across the country are about to get a whole lot greener. A host of new iPhone apps, online tools, and gadgets aim to help gardeners eco-fy their growing experience. So whether you're an avid vegetable producer and more of a flower aficionado, check out our picks for the best tech to help green your garden.

Herb Garden App

It doesn't get much more local than your own backyard or windowbox. Eating local foods benefits the environment by cutting back on the carbon emissions it takes to ship food all over the place-produce in the U.S. travels an average distance of 1,300 to 2,000 miles before it reaches consumers! Combat that carbon by planting your own indoor or outdoor herb garden. The Herb Garden app provides detailed instructions on how to grow hundreds of different herbs. It also provides cooking and preserving advice, so you can be sure your bounty of spices isn't just for show.

iGarden USA App
Once you master herbs, move on to more local eating through a vegetable garden. The iGarden USA app makes it easy to plant and track your garden. The app provides information on the best times to plant various kinds of veggies based on your specific climate zone. The handy tool also provides info on how seeds should be planted, and lets users record when they plant the seeds. The app tracks the garden's progress and suggests harvest times based on the planting date. It's a lot of info all from your iPhone, and just think about how much paper and space you'll save by eliminating the need for gardening books.

Check the Weather
Gardening is one of those events that really relies on the weather. You can have your bulbs all set for planting, but if it's going to downpour that day, sticking those seeds in the ground is a bad idea. Make sure the forecast is fair and safe for planting by using Weather.com. The site updates its information constantly, and allows users to type in their zip code and access the local forecast for that neighborhood. You can also request a 10-day, extended forecast so you can plan your gardening adventure in advance.

Get Help from Farmers
If you want a one-stop spot for all things gardening and growing, check out Almanac.com. The online site gives you most of the detailed information from the tried-and-trued Farmer's Almanac all from the comfort of your laptop. The information gold mine offers tips to get rid of pests; instructions on how to grow fruits, veggies, and flowers; extensive weather information including frost charts; details on the sun and moon cycles; and even recipes and lifestyle tips.

Know Your Soil
If gadgets are your thing, try using the EasyBloom Plant Sensor Plus. The sensor sticks right into the ground and monitors sun, soil moisture, soil fertility, and temperature. That information lets growers know if they're placing plants in optimal regions, or if they're over- or under-watering. The sensor can also "read" your soil and recommend flowers, trees, and veggies that will thrive in those conditions. The tech also offers an online, plant-care library featuring information on more than 6,000 plants.

For Those Lacking a Green Thumb
Not everyone is blessed with the gardeners' spirit, but that doesn't mean non-growers can't get in on the fun, too. The Flower Garden app lets users virtually "grow" flowers, then send bouquets to friends and families. And unlike real, live gardens, these flowers don't rely on resources like water, soil, or farming equipment. They're also a much greener alternative to using florists to ship cut, exotic flowers.

What are your favorite gardening apps and sites?

Green Tech to Help You Relax

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Inhabitat is an online magazine devoted to the future of design, tracking the innovations in technology, practices and materials that are pushing architecture and design towards a smarter and more sustainable future. Written by a young tech-savvy team designers and design journalists, Inhabitat delivers fresh content daily, showcasing emerging work from the cutting-edge of the global design community.