It’s as if the Mother Nature Could Read Our Minds Heirloom (Smart tools for Small Farms)
What we say: Whether you are an experienced or novice gardener, you will literally have everything you need to plan, track, grow, harvest and regenerate your garden in the palm of your hand. (Even those of us who swear by pen-and-paper tracking had to admit Heirloom has everything we need and more in an easy-to-use, user-friendly format.)
What they say: “Heirloom is a software that helps small-scale diversified growers to plan, manage and operate their farming business,” says founder Jean-Martin Fortier.
What’s That Bird? Merlin Bird ID
What we say: Editor-in-Chief Karine Ewart is a budding birder. (We think it’s because the mother of four is about to become an
empty-nester, pun intended!) Armed with this app on her phone, she takes great delight in learning about and documenting the wild birds she feeds on her three-acre hobby farm. “It identifies birds by description, sound or photo,” she says.
What they say: “Merlin offers quick identification help for all levels of birdwatchers and outdoor enthusiasts to help you learn about the birds in any country in the world.”
Free at the App Store and on Google Play
Don’t Touch (or Eat) That! PlantSnap
What we say: When we learned the developers behind this app are creating the biggest database of plants and strategically partnering with Snapchat (the messaging app all the young kids use nowadays) to encourage and inspire them to be empowered to care about and protect the planet, we couldn’t download it fast enough.
What they say: “A plant expert at your fingertips: Identify plants, flowers, cacti, succulents and mushrooms in seconds with the click of a button on your mobile device.”
