Mike's NBC-TV stories

Gardening Apps for 2017

Anyone who’s taken on gardening with little to no success may take some solace in knowing that they aren’t alone.

Need proof? A growing number of apps are available to help gardeners with, well, their growing. This week, I have three of the latest.

The SmartyPlants app provides a ton of information about just about any plant you can get your hands on. Simply take a picture of the plant and the app will recognize what it is, and help guide you on caring for it. Set your smartphone or tablet to receive alerts when it’s time to water, fertilize, and weed you plants. The app is free for iOS.

Homegrown with Bonnie Plants tracks your garden’s progress through the seasons, reminding you when to plant, water, feed, and harvest. It also has a series of guides that provide the basics for success. It even provides info about current and future weather conditions. The app is free for iOS and Android.

The app called Gardening Companion offers thousands of articles on gardening, as well as photos and YouTube videos. The app helps users tackle everything from how to plant to fighting garden pests. There’s journaling and social media features to track and share your successes. The app is free for iOS with premium features available for purchase.

Mike is a veteran journalist whose video "PC Mike" reports have been distributed weekly to all 215 NBC-TV stations since 1994, making him one of the most experienced tech reporters in the country. His tech stories and videos have appeared on MSNBC, CNBC, the Today Show, The New York Times, USA Today and in numerous national newspapers and magazines. In addition to the PC Mike tech blog, he also publishes the Roadtreking.com RV Travel Blog in which he travels North America in an RV reporting about interesting people and places.