I first came across the gardening app Seedtime from an ad well placed between watching some of my favorite gardening videos on YouTube. There are some things that I really like about this program and some things that I don’t. I hope this will be a useful guide if this is a tool you are consider using or purchasing for your garden planning.
Seedtime is a garden planning app that started as a Kickstarter campaign which launched in March of 2021. It was fully funded in minutes and they ended up raising over three hundred thousand dollars. There are both free and paid versions of the app, but I have only used the free version.
One of the first problems I have with this app is when you go to their website to sign up for it, you’re hit with these little pop ups in the corner. Conveniently, before you sign up for an account they are all so-and-so signed up for their free account. After you create your free account, they are suddenly all so-and-so upgraded their account to the paid version. It comes off as a bit shady or sketchy. It doesn’t effect using the app, it just seems disingenuous. It’s got the same kind of vibe as those webinars that have the free limited time offer at the end.
One of the first things the app has you do is help you figure out your first and last frost dates which is great.
One of the thing that I do like about the app is it is very easy to use. Not everyone who is into gardening finds it easy to use computers and apps but everything seems clear on how to use it. There are even a few how to get started videos which is very nice.
With the free version you don’t have access to everything. Some of these limitations include: you can only have one garden, you cannot create custom varieties, and there is a limit to how many plants you can add.
One of the features that I really do like is that it is really easy to schedule succession plantings. Which is something that I tend to forget out. They also have many the the varieties information pulled for you which is great. They don’t have them all, but there are a lot of them.
It is a little difficult to figure out exactly what features are included in the free version and the paid version. It would be great if there was a side by side table. It looks like you get access to a private Facebook group and some videos with the paid versions as well as a discount on the seeds that they sell. The paid versions run from $10 a month or $84 if you pay for a year for the basic plan or right now $13 a month or $109 a year for the Unlimited plan.
It sounds like they are planning on adding some features that include a visual layout and weather stuff.
There are loads of Facebook and other social media gardening groups out there. There are also loads of free resources out there on gardening wether its from visiting your local library or watching YouTube videos. Personally, I would rather put my money towards some seeds than pay for the upgraded version.
Overall, if you don’t have too many plants and maybe don’t mind about getting the specific variety, the free version should work great for you. If you are interested in trying the app out, I have a referral link which can get you a $5 credit on some of their seeds.
https://seedtime.us/jkmel4ukl4tonac09iap-5fs?ref=circlecityseeds
Happy Gardening!