Best Garden Planning Apps 2026: Honest Comparison
We tested every major garden planning app so you don't have to.
Quick Picks
MyGardenPlanner
Canadian zones, AI coaching, succession planting, and a free tier. Built for Canada.
GrowVeg
Drag-and-drop bed designer with 408 crops. Best for US/UK gardeners who want a visual layout.
Planter
Mobile-first companion planting app with a one-time purchase. Works offline.
Full Feature Comparison
| Feature | MyGardenPlanner ★ | GrowVeg | Old Farmer's Almanac | Planter | SeedTime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free + $5/mo CAD | ~$62 CAD/yr | ~$40 CAD/yr | ~$68 CAD lifetime | ~$76 CAD/yr |
| Free tier | Limited | ||||
| Crops | 52+ | 408 | 250+ | 200+ | 200+ |
| Canadian zones | |||||
| AI features | |||||
| Market garden tools | |||||
| Visual bed designer | |||||
| Mobile app | |||||
| Succession planting | Partial | ||||
| Offline |
App Reviews
MyGardenPlanner
Best for CanadiansThe only garden planner built specifically for Canadian growers. Free planting calculator requires no account. Paid plans add AI coaching, photo analysis, and succession planting tools. Built on biointensive methodology with 30-inch standardised beds. Ideal for home gardeners and market farmers in Canada. Missing: visual drag-and-drop bed designer and mobile app.
GrowVeg
Best visual plannerThe strongest visual drag-and-drop bed planner in this comparison. 408 crops with companion planting warnings. Available on web and mobile. Best suited for US and UK gardeners — Canadian zone accuracy is limited. No free tier, no AI features, and no succession planting tools. A solid choice if you want to visualise your garden layout.
Old Farmer's Almanac
Best US weather dataBacked by centuries of almanac data and 5,000 US weather stations. Good visual bed planner and a strong crop library. Web only, no mobile app. Limited Canadian support — frost dates are US-focused. No AI features, no succession planting tools, and no free tier. Best for US gardeners who trust the OFA brand.
Planter
Best mobileA mobile-first companion planting app with a one-time lifetime price. Good for planning companion relationships between plants. No succession or commercial planning. Limited to home-scale gardens. Offline mode is a nice touch. Best for gardeners who want a quick, phone-based companion planting reference.
SeedTime
Best calendar viewCalendar-centric planning app that visualises your entire growing season on a timeline. US-focused frost dates. No AI features, no Canadian zone data, no market garden tools. Higher price point for what you get. Best for US gardeners who think in calendar terms rather than bed layouts.
Our Verdict
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free garden planning app?
MyGardenPlanner is the only major garden planning app with a genuinely free tier — a full planting date calculator with no credit card required. GrowVeg, Old Farmer's Almanac, and SeedTime all require paid subscriptions from day one. Planter has a free version but it's limited to a handful of plants.
Which garden planner works in Canada?
MyGardenPlanner is the only app built specifically for Canadian gardeners. It uses Canadian hardiness zones and province-level frost dates. GrowVeg and Old Farmer's Almanac are built around US/UK data and have limited accuracy for Canadian provinces. Planter and SeedTime are also US-focused.
Is there a garden planning app for market farmers?
MyGardenPlanner is the only app in this comparison designed for commercial and market garden operations. It uses the biointensive methodology with 30-inch standardised beds, succession harvest windows, and yield-per-bed calculations. All other apps are designed for home gardeners.
What garden planning app has AI?
MyGardenPlanner is the only app in this roundup with AI features. Paid plans include an AI Garden Coach for personalised chat advice and plant photo analysis for diagnosing crop health. GrowVeg, Old Farmer's Almanac, Planter, and SeedTime have no AI capabilities.
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