Getting Started

Think of MyVeggieGarden as a garden journal with a brain. You record what you do, and the app learns from your notes to help you plan smarter next season.

The core loop

Everything in MyVeggieGarden follows this cycle:

1. Plan — Decide what to grow, where, and when
2. Do — Plant, water, tend, harvest
3. Log — Record what happened with notes and status updates
4. Reflect — Review the season, decide what to grow again
5. Repeat — AI uses your logs to suggest better plans

Getting set up

When you sign in for the first time, the app walks you through a setup wizard to get your garden started:

1. Set your frost date — Enter your zip code and the app suggests a last frost date from USDA data. This drives all task timing.
2. Create your first zone — Name a garden space (e.g., "Back Raised Bed"), set sun exposure.
3. Pick your plants — Quick-pick cards show common vegetables, or search the catalog for specific varieties. Plants go directly into a zone.

You can also sign in with Google, Apple, or email magic link — whichever you prefer.

Step 1: Set up your zones

Zones are the physical spaces in your garden — raised beds, planters, in-ground rows, or any area you grow in.

1. On the Plan page, click Add Zone in the center column
2. Give it a name (e.g., "Back Raised Bed", "Patio Planters")
3. Set the sun exposure (Full Sun, Partial Sun, Shade)
4. Add any constraints or notes ("Gets afternoon shade", "Squash borers here last year")

You can always edit zones later. Start simple — you can add dimensions, soil type, and more detail as you go.

Step 2: Add your plants

Plants in MyVeggieGarden are reusable variety templates. "Cherokee Purple Tomato" exists once and can be planted across multiple seasons and zones.

To add a plant:

1. Click the + button on any zone card
2. Search for a plant by name or variety — the catalog surfaces matching varieties
3. If it's not in the catalog, create it manually — just type the name
4. The plant is added to the zone in one step

Plants always show their full name — "Cherokee Purple Tomato", never just "Tomato". This matters when you're growing multiple varieties.

Step 3: Start logging

Once you have plants in zones, click on any planting to open the planting drawer. From here you can:

1. Add a log entry with the date, notes, and optionally a status (Good, Fair, Poor) or milestone
2. See the full timeline of logs and milestones
3. View and complete tasks
4. Ask AI questions about the planting

Your notes are the most valuable data — "transplanted outdoors, 6 inches tall, soil still cold" tells the AI more than any status indicator. The more you write, the better your plans get next year.

Step 4: Track with tasks

Tasks are auto-generated based on your plants' milestones and your local frost dates. They tell you what needs doing and when.

• Tasks appear in the Act column on the Plan page
• Completing a task creates a log entry (with your notes)
• Creating a log that matches a pending task automatically completes it — no double-entry

Frequently asked questions

How do I get started with MyVeggieGarden?

Sign in with Google, Apple, or email magic link. The setup wizard walks you through setting your frost date, creating your first zone, and picking plants. You can be tracking your garden in under 5 minutes.

What is a zone in MyVeggieGarden?

A zone is a physical garden space — a raised bed, planter, in-ground row, or any area you grow in. Zones track sun exposure, soil type, constraints, and all the plants growing in that space.

How do I add plants to my garden?

Click the + button on any zone card and search by name or variety. The catalog surfaces matching varieties, or you can type any name to create a plant manually. The plant goes directly into the zone.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get started with MyVeggieGarden?

Sign in with Google, Apple, or email magic link. The setup wizard walks you through setting your frost date, creating your first zone, and picking plants. You can be tracking your garden in under 5 minutes.

What is a zone in MyVeggieGarden?

A zone is a physical garden space — a raised bed, planter, in-ground row, or any area you grow in. Zones track sun exposure, soil type, constraints, and all the plants growing in that space.

How do I add plants to my garden?

Click the + button on any zone card and search by name or variety. The catalog surfaces matching varieties, or you can type any name to create a plant manually. The plant goes directly into the zone.

What's next?

• Plan your season — The seasonal planning workflow
• Understand milestones — How lifecycle phases work
• Set up zones — Organize your garden spaces