💳 Subscription Tiers: Choose Your Growing Journey

My Garden Planner offers three subscription tiers designed to grow with your gardening journey - from complete beginners to commercial market gardeners. Start free and upgrade as your garden expands.

📋 Overview

Our freemium model ensures everyone can access professional garden planning tools. The Free tier provides full functionality for small gardens, while premium tiers unlock advanced features for larger operations.

Pricing Philosophy

• Free Forever: No credit card required, no trial limitations
• Transparent Pricing: No hidden fees or surprise charges
• Flexible Upgrades: Change plans anytime with no penalties
• 14-Day Free Trial: Test premium features risk-free

🆓 Free Tier - Perfect for Getting Started

Cost: $0/month forever

Best For: Beginners, small gardens, testing the platform

The Free tier gives you complete access to all garden planning features with a 1-bed limitation. Perfect for apartment gardens, small backyard plots, or testing the system before committing to larger operations.

✅ What's Included

Core Planning Features:

• Complete season planning for 1 garden bed
• Access to 38+ crop database with detailed growing information
• Backwards planning from harvest dates to seed starting
• Automatic bed space calculations and plant quantity estimates

Smart Planning Tools:

• Smart crop rotation automation to maintain soil health
• Succession planting support for continuous harvests
• Visual timeline view of entire growing season

Essential Features:

• Save and manage your season plan
• Season notes with photo uploads and timestamping
• Weather integration with frost date calculations
• Mobile-friendly interface for garden center and field use

❌ Free Tier Limitations

Restricted Features:

• Limited to 1 garden bed maximum
• No CSV or calendar export capabilities
• No multi-bed optimization algorithms
• No advanced analytics or reporting
• AI garden assistant is a premium feature only available to Homesteader and Market Gardener subscriptions

Upgrade Prompts:

• Gentle reminders of premium features
• No forced interruptions or time limits
• Always optional - free tier is permanent

🏡 Homesteader Tier - Family-Scale Growing

Cost: $9/month ($90/year with annual billing)

Best For: Home gardeners, homesteaders, family-scale operations

The Homesteader tier removes all limitations for serious home gardeners who want to maximize their growing potential with multiple beds and advanced planning features.

✅ Everything in Free Tier, Plus:

Expanded Capacity:

• Up to 20 garden beds for comprehensive planning
• Multi-bed optimization and automatic crop assignments
• Advanced bed utilization analytics and space planning
• Crop rotation planning across multiple beds and seasons

Enhanced Planning:

• AI garden assistant for personalized recommendations
• Supports succession planting across all beds
• Advanced conflict detection and resolution suggestions
• Season-to-season plan copying and template creation
• Multi-year garden planning and rotation tracking

Export and Integration:

• CSV export for external spreadsheet integration
• Calendar export (iCal) for Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook

Professional Features:

• Advanced analytics with yield tracking and performance metrics
• Season comparison reports for year-over-year improvement
• Priority email support with faster response times
• Community access for sharing plans and getting advice

🎯 Ideal For

Home Gardening Scenarios:

• Large backyard gardens with multiple growing areas
• Homesteaders managing diverse crop rotations
• Families planning for food preservation and storage
• Gardeners who want detailed records and planning history

Common Use Cases:

• Planning 4-season growing with succession crops
• Managing separate herb, vegetable, and flower gardens
• Coordinating garden work with busy family schedules
• Exporting plans for family members and garden helpers

🚜 Market Gardener Tier - Commercial Operations

Cost: $29/month ($290/year with annual billing)

Best For: Market gardeners, CSA operations, commercial growers

The Market Gardener tier provides enterprise-grade tools for commercial operations, including unlimited beds, multi-plot management, and advanced business analytics.

✅ Everything in Homesteader, Plus:

Unlimited Scale:

• Unlimited garden beds for any size operation
• Multi-plot management for separate growing locations
• Individual bed tracking across different fields or greenhouses
• Scalable infrastructure for growing businesses

Commercial Planning:

• Standardized planting schedules (e.g., Sunday planting, Friday harvest)
• Market demand planning and crop scheduling (coming soon)
• Labor optimization with task grouping and timing (coming soon)
• Harvest planning coordinated with market days and CSA deliveries (coming soon)

Advanced Analytics:

• Revenue tracking per crop and per plot (coming soon)
• Profitability analysis with cost and income tracking (coming soon)
• Production forecasting for market planning
• Yield optimization recommendations based on historical data

🎯 Commercial Features in Detail

Multi-Plot Management:

• Define separate growing areas (home garden, market field, greenhouse)
• Independent bed counts and management per plot
• Different crop rotations and timing per location
• Separate analytics and reporting by plot

Market-Focused Planning:

• Plan crops based on market demand and pricing
• Coordinate harvest timing with farmers market schedules
• CSA box planning with variety and quantity management (coming soon)
• Seasonal demand forecasting and crop selection (coming soon)

Team Collaboration:

• Multiple user access with role-based permissions (coming soon)
• Shared planning and note-taking capabilities (coming soon)
• Task assignment and completion tracking (coming soon)
• Communication tools for coordinating farm work (coming soon)

📊 Feature Comparison Table

💰 Billing and Payment Information

Payment Methods

Accepted Payment Types:

• All major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover)
• PayPal for convenient payment processing
• Secure processing through Stripe with industry-standard encryption
• Automatic recurring billing with easy cancellation

Billing Cycles

Monthly Billing:

• Charged monthly on your subscription date
• Cancel anytime with no penalties or fees
• Changes take effect at next billing cycle
• Prorated upgrades applied immediately

Annual Billing: (Available with 10% discount)

• Homesteader: $90/year (save $18)
• Market Gardener: $290/year (save $58)
• Paid annually with immediate feature access
• Refundable within first 30 days

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Trial and Cancellation Policy

14-Day Free Trial:

• Full access to all premium features
• No credit card required until trial ends
• Cancel anytime during trial with no charges
• Automatic downgrade to Free tier if cancelled

Cancellation Process:

• Cancel with one click from account settings
• Immediate confirmation with no waiting periods
• Access continues until end of current billing period

🔄 Upgrading and Downgrading

When to Upgrade

From Free to Homesteader:

• You want to plan more than 1 garden bed
• You need export capabilities for planning and record-keeping
• You want advanced succession planting across multiple beds
• You need detailed analytics and year-over-year comparisons

From Homesteader to Market Gardener:

• You need more than 20 beds for commercial operations
• You want multi-plot management for separate growing areas
• You need revenue tracking and business analytics
• You want team collaboration features

Upgrade Process

Immediate Access:

• Premium features activate instantly upon payment
• All existing data and plans preserved
• Prorated billing for mid-cycle upgrades
• Email confirmation with receipt and feature summary

Data Migration:

• Existing plans automatically available in new tier
• No data loss or recreation required
• Enhanced features applied to existing content
• Seamless transition with no downtime

🔧 Account Management

Subscription Settings

Account Dashboard:

• Current plan status and billing information
• Usage statistics and bed utilization
• Payment method management
• Billing history and invoice downloads

Plan Changes:

• Instant upgrades with immediate feature access
• Scheduled downgrades effective at next billing cycle
• Trial status and remaining days
• Feature comparison for plan selection

Support and Assistance

Getting Help:

• Homesteader: Email support with 48-hour response
• Market Gardener: Priority support with 24-hour response
• All tiers: Comprehensive documentation and tutorials

Billing Support:

• Dedicated billing assistance for payment issues
• Refund processing and account adjustments
• Invoice customization for business accounting
• Tax documentation and receipts

🚀 Getting Started

Choosing Your Tier

Start with Free If:

• You have 1 garden bed or small growing space
• You're new to garden planning and want to test the system
• You prefer not to commit to paid subscriptions initially
• You want to learn the platform before upgrading

Choose Homesteader If:

• You have between 2-20 raised beds (30" raised beds)
• You want export capabilities and advanced features
• You're serious about garden planning and optimization
• You value detailed analytics and multi-year planning

Choose Market Gardener If:

• You have more than 20 beds or commercial operations
• You need multi-plot management and team collaboration
• You want revenue tracking and business analytics

Sign-Up Process

Simple Registration:

1. Create account with email or OAuth (Google)
2. Complete garden configuration (location, beds, preferences)
3. Choose subscription tier and start trial (premium tiers)
4. Begin planning your first season immediately

Trial Experience:

• Full access to all features during trial period
• No credit card required until trial conversion
• Comprehensive onboarding and feature tours
• Support available throughout trial period

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Billing and Subscriptions

Q: Is the free tier really free forever? A: Yes! The free tier provides complete garden planning functionality for 1 bed with no time limits, credit card requirements, or forced upgrades. It's our commitment to making garden planning accessible to everyone.

Q: What happens during the 14-day free trial? A: You get full access to all premium features of your chosen tier. No credit card is required to start the trial, and you can cancel anytime with no charges or obligations.

Q: Can I change my subscription plan? A: Absolutely! Upgrade anytime with immediate access to new features. Downgrades take effect at your next billing cycle to ensure you get full value from your current subscription.

Q: How do refunds work? A: We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee on all subscriptions. If you're not completely satisfied, we'll provide a full refund with no questions asked.

Features and Limitations

Q: What exactly is limited in the free tier? A: The free tier is limited to 1 garden bed and doesn't include export features (CSV, calendar) or AI assistant. Other features like succession planting, crop database, and season planning are fully available.

Q: Do I lose my data if I downgrade? A: No data is lost when downgrading. However, some features may become read-only if they exceed your new tier's limits (e.g., plans with >20 beds on Homesteader tier).

Technical and Support

Q: Is my payment information secure? A: All payments are processed through Stripe, a leading payment processor with bank-level security. We never store your credit card information on our servers.

Q: What kind of support do I get? A: Free tier users have access to documentation and community forums. Paid tiers include email support (Homesteader: 48hr response, Market Gardener: 24hr priority response).

Q: Can I export my data if I cancel? A: Yes, you have 30 days after cancellation to export all your data in multiple formats. We want to ensure you always own your garden planning information.

🌟 Ready to Choose Your Plan?

Whether you're just starting with a small garden or managing a commercial operation, we have a tier that fits your needs and grows with your gardening journey.

Quick Decision Guide:

• Just starting or small garden? → Start with Free
• Home garden with multiple beds? → Try Homesteader
• Commercial or large operation? → Go with Market Gardener

Next Steps:

1. Start with Free tier - no commitment required
2. Try premium features with 14-day free trial
3. Upgrade anytime as your garden grows
4. Cancel or downgrade with one click if needed

Start planning your perfect garden today - choose the tier that matches your growing ambitions!