The best garden planning tool I have found to date!

One of the YouTube gardening channels I watch is GrowVeg. GrowVeg is hosted by Ben and helps gardeners of all gardening levels be as successful as they can be. GrowVeg is just a part of Growing Interactive Limited. One of their products in a online planning tool. Now, I have been looking for a garden planning too for what seems like forever. I have tried stand alone software. I’ve tried web based software. None of them quite fit what I was looking for. I wanted something that allowed me to place objects where I wanted as well as the ability to snap objects to a grid. I wanted it be easy to use, have a gentle learning curve, and be user friendly. I also wanted it to be free or at least reasonably priced. All the free versions of planners had restrictions on what you could do and if you wanted to get rid of those restrictions, you had to pay upfront. I want the ability to try everything out before I pay. What happens if I buy the software and the things that were restricted on the free version don’t work the way I thought or needed? I just wasted money. The paid software options were very expensive and not having the ability to try before you buy is risky in my opinion.

Enter the Garden planner from Growing Interactive Limited. GrowVeg offers a 7 day, free trial of their garden planner. It is fully functional with nothing locked out until you buy. You don’t have to give any credit card information. I don’t know about you, but I hate it when I forget to cancel a free trial and get charged once the trial is over. If you decide that the planner isn’t for you, do nothing and go on with your life. If you do find the software useful, the cost is reasonable. An annual, automatic, reoccurring subscription is only $35. If you are not comfortable with an annual subscription, you can pay for one year, or two years of access for $50 & $85 respectively. I subscribed before my free trial was up! I think it is perfect.o

This is my plan for 2025. It shows everything I have done to date. My dad and I built the shed 9 years ago. There is a composting ring next to the shed right now, but that will probably change as the summer rolls around. I bought the greenhouse last summer and moved it to its new, permanent location a few weeks ago. There are two 2′ x 6′ raised beds in the greenhouse. One is a herb garden and the other has tomatoes, carrots, and garlic. I have a garden bench in the greenhouse as well. I need a set of shelves so that I can store more in the greenhouse. The black raspberries were donated by birds a few years ago. The two 4′ x 8′ beds to the right of the greenhouse are in place and waiting on soil. The potatoes have been planted and will be prolific this season. Once the season is over, I will duplicate this plan and the software will suggest new locations for all the plants so that I can do crop rotation and not deplete the soil by planting the same plants in the same location year after year. As I add to the garden and backyard, I will update the plan and those updates will also carry over from year to year. What I am calling the orchard is a work in progress. I haven’t planted any fruit trees yet, but that will change this weekend. I might even give the fire pit its first use over the weekend!

This is my master plan. It is only 70′ of the 96′ depth for the back yard.I am trying to create “zones” that all serve a different purpose. I envision the area labeled “lawn” to be reminiscent of an Italian lawn, flanked on both sides by tress with a long table centered in the space for entertaining. There will be some sort of water feature at the far and of the lawn with a shrub fence to isolate the area and give it a feeling of calm. There is the garden area of course. A few more 4′ x 8′ raised beds, rain water collection (which is already in place.), a woven twig fence at the back of the garden to make a separation between it and the orchard. A gate on the left of the greenhouse to separate the work area from the garden completes the garden. There is a huge sycamore tree currently in the work area, which isn’t shown. I am trying to figure out if it needs to be removed for safety, or if it can remain in place. I am hoping to expand on the black raspberries with the addition of some red and golden raspberry plants. There is a fence in the drawing that separates the work area from thew lawn and might be a good place for another garden building. I have a brick structure with ivy, moss, and a corrugated metal pictured in my head. You can never have too much outdoor storage. All of this leaves a space of 20′ x 35′, and a space of 23′ x 60′ to plan out.

The 23′ x 60′ space already has a 12′ x 12′ deck that backs up to the master bedroom. IO have plans for an outdoor shower and a place of a hot tub. There is a concrete patio that backs up the door to the garage on the left side of that space. Maybe another seating area with an outdoor bar would be good there? I have a propane grill, a charcoal grill, a pellet smoker, and a wide body offset smoker that will need homes. I think they need to be close to the garage patio. That gives them a good location for access in the house and the immediate backyard area. The 20′ x 35′ area might serve well as a flower garden, full of flowers to enjoy and to cut for arrangements in the house. It’s know it’s ambitious but doable by taking my time. There is the front yard to consider also, as well as the inside the house. I have many projects inside I would like to accomplish. So, if anyone has spare change, you might consider donating the cause… lol. Maybe I’ll create a wall with plaques for people that help make the dream a reality.

I think I will start posting blogs every Sunday evening, so be on the lookout for more. If you like what I am doing and want to follow along, consider subscribing. I will be releasing a monthly newsletter that summarizes the past month and looks forward to the next. That’s it for this week! See you next Sunday.

— Greg