MyGardenPlanner vs Old Farmer's Almanac Garden Planner: Which Is Right for You?
An honest, feature-by-feature comparison to help Canadian gardeners pick the right planning tool for their season.
Why Canadian Gardeners Choose MyGardenPlanner
Province-Level Frost Dates
Canadian hardiness zones and province-level frost dates — not US weather station data repurposed for Canada.
AI Garden Coach
Chat assistant and plant photo analysis included on paid plans. The Old Farmer's Almanac has no AI features.
Succession Planting
Built-in succession planting tools to stagger harvests all season long — missing from the OFA planner.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Old Farmer's Almanac | MyGardenPlanner ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ~$40 CAD/yr (no free tier) | Free tier + from $5/mo CAD |
| Canadian climate data | ||
| Crops in database | 250+ crops | 52+ crops |
| AI features | ||
| Succession planting | ||
| Market / commercial tools | ||
| Visual bed designer | ||
| Free tier | ||
| Mobile app |
The Verdict
OFA Planner is a solid choice for US gardeners with accurate American weather data. For Canadian growers, MyGardenPlanner provides province-level frost dates, Canadian zone mapping, and AI planning that OFA simply doesn't offer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Old Farmer's Almanac garden planner work in Canada?
The Old Farmer's Almanac Garden Planner has limited Canadian support. Its 5,000 weather stations are predominantly US-focused, which means frost date accuracy for Canadian provinces can be off. MyGardenPlanner is built specifically for Canadian provinces and zones, with local frost date data from coast to coast.
Is Old Farmer's Almanac garden planner free?
No, the Old Farmer's Almanac Garden Planner requires a paid subscription at $29 USD/year (~$40 CAD). There is no free tier. MyGardenPlanner offers a free planting calculator with no credit card required, so you can start planning immediately at no cost.
Which has better AI features?
MyGardenPlanner includes an AI Garden Coach — a chat assistant that provides personalised planting advice based on your zone, crops, and frost dates, plus photo analysis to diagnose plant health. The Old Farmer's Almanac Garden Planner has no AI features.
Is $29/yr or $5/mo better value?
It depends on your growing season. At $29 USD/yr (~$40 CAD), the Old Farmer's Almanac is lower cost but lacks Canadian data and AI. MyGardenPlanner's annual plan is $49 CAD/yr for the Home Gardener tier — roughly $9 more — and includes AI coaching, proper Canadian zone mapping, and succession planting tools. For Canadian growers, the extra value is worth it.
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