Artifical Intelligenece and Chat GPT are officially here for everyone, not just tech geniuses!.
You may have already dipped your toes in, using a fun filter on a photo, gotten help for the perfect wording for a tricky e-mail or an idea for what to make for dinner. But did you know it can even help you with your gardening? While it won’t pull weeds for you, it can be a great planning and maintenance tool.
AI, Chat GPT and other apps can be accessed online or in apps and are likely more user-friendly than you think.
Try one out and the more you work with it, the easier it will be to get the results you’d like.
With any app, details are key.
Think about how specific you need to be when you have to explain where the ketchup is to your husband, when he’s been looking for over a minute. The more information you give it, the more successful your results will be.
An easy starter project could be brainstorming plants for your garden. Instead of asking, “What should I plant this year?,” give some more guidance. “What are some colorful annuals that grow in shade in Zone 7?” “What plants can I grow indoors that need little water?” or “What shrubs are best near my house in the full sun in Zone 7?”
From there, the program will scour thousands of internet pages and data that would take you hours to review, cross-reference all that data and considerations, and give the best info possible.
Once you get your original answer, it may ask you for clarification, such as how much maintenance you’d like, clarification on hours of sun and other questions for a tailored response.
Other good prompts and projects it can assist with are designing and laying out your flower bed for visual appeal. You could also list the vegetables that will be in your food garden and ask it to give you the best arrangement to plant them.
Having a plant problem? Use an AI or an app as a pest identifier and get suggestions for treating it. Not seeing any visible pests but still not getting the results you want? Scan in a picture of your plant and leaves to get a diagnosis and suggestions for adjusting soil, getting more light and more.
Can’t visualize what a finished project might look like? You can also get visual help as well by uploading a photo. Thinking about a deck? Ask for a few designs that meet your design wants, space and even your budget and see options magically added to your house. Want to see how a border of lavender would look along your sidewalk? Reduce some trial and error and get a sneak peek.
Any task where you may be researching the best way to do it, or a problem you are searching for a solution for, you can ask AI to assist.
If your interests are primarily gardening, you can also use some of the new gardening apps with AI technology.
Many will have you plug in your location details and from there can set reminders of when to plant, suggest companion planting combinations and even track the weather to remind you when to water for your needier plants.
One popular all-around option is Seed to Spoon. Others specialize in calculating exactly how many hours of sun hit different spots of your yard, like Suncalc or Find My Shadow.
For really next level technology, you could invest in an AI assisted app that communicates with smart sensors.
These technologies can help monitor soil moisture, pH, temperature. If you travel often, look into one that can hook up to your irrigation system and can use weather data to skip if there’s been too much rain or have it run a little longer if it’s been particularly hot.
With the shift towards AI and internet based resources, it has affected other traditional ways folks get their information.
The Farmer’s Almanac out of Maine, which has been around for over 200 years, has announced that 2026 will be the last year of publication, citing reasons of declining readership due to other resources, making it a financial struggle to produce.
Lastly, while AI can be a great tool and quite accurate, be sure to check it’s work.
Like the photo that looks good at first glance but ends up with an extra finger or even hand, make sure the info is correct and go with your gardening gut. Use the info as a springboard to then research or follow up at your local gardening center.
Technology doesn’t necessarily mean flying drones doing your watering or robots pulling your weeds, but it can certainly help you with your gardening tasks, leaving you with all the satisfaction and sunshine of getting your hands dirty.