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Gadgets for Green Thumbs

By Kate Pruitt (from Design Sponge) on April 12, 2011

I need to admit right here and now that I am not a green thumb, by any means. I have the desire and the motivation, but my track record for keeping my plants alive is, in all honesty, pitiful. This year I'm determined to create a thriving herb garden and introduce new plants into my home, but I'm not going to do it alone--I've rounded up some of useful garden gadgets and apps to help me cultivate my skills.

Indoor planters, grow lights, and self-watering pots can help plants thrive in an indoor environment. For those with lawns or gardens, there are automatic water timers, plant sensors, and humane pest control devices to help you tame the great outdoors. Whether you live in a small, high rise apartment or a home with a sprawling backyard, there are many gadgets available these days to help you bring greenery to your life. Happy Spring!

While I've scoured the market for great garden gadgets, I'm sure I've missed a few that only seasoned growers know about. To all you true green thumbs out there-- what gadgets would you recommend for making a garden grow?

1. Cuisipro herb keeper, $20
2. Orbit garden hose digital water timer, 26
3. LusterLeaf 1820 Rapitest soil moisture meter, $13
4. AeroGarden 7 high output indoor planter, $100
5. NatureMill Pro XE automatic compost bin, $399
6. PocketGarden app for iPhone and iPad, $1
7. Click and Grow electronic flower box (ships in May), $85

EasyBloom 1000 Plant Sensor, $70:
I desperately wish that plants could speak directly to me and tell me what they need, but in lieu of that, this amazing plant sensor gizmo helps me to help my plants. EasyBloom gives you the ability to create a thorough inventory of your own garden, and turn the readings from the sensor into instant recommendations of for how to revive and maintain each plant. Pretty neat!

1. Garden ToDo app for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, $2
2. EarthBox hanging mini-garden, $60
3. Solar Lantern, $20
4. 6-pack arch inlay lights, $120
5. Hydrofarm germination station with heat mat, $27
6. Hydrofarm Jump Start T5 grow light system, $73
7. Contech electronic motion-activated sprinkler, $49

iPlant app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, $2:
For all the budding botanists out there, iPlant is a fun educational app that contains tons of useful information on common plants and herbs. There are over 300 plants listed, with beautfiul color images and facts pertaining to culinary usage, medicinal properties, alternative plant names and more.

[Top Image Source: Project for Public Spaces]

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Design*Sponge is a daily website dedicated to home and product design run by Brooklyn-based writer, Grace Bonney. Launched in August of 2004, Design*Sponge features store and product reviews, sale and contest announcements, new designer profiles, trend forecasting and store/studio tours. In addition, Design*Sponge features a unique section dedicated to covering student design, national and international design shows. The site is updated constantly throughout the day (with an average of 6-10 posts a day), and attracts a core group of devoted readers. Design*Sponge currently has over 60,000 daily readers. As a Contributing Editor at Design Sponge, artist Kate Pruitt shares DIY projects each Wednesday. Kate lives in Oakland, California and has a background in art/art history and recently left her job creating window displays to pursue her own work full time. Growing up in New Hampshire, Kate spent a lot of time building machines out of paper and scotch tape, and thus discovered her first DIY impulses.

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