Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) - Used for Gardening

Back in the dark ages of computers I owned a Sinclair TS 1000. It had a blazing 3 MHz processor and 2 k of RAM. Forget flat panel displays...my Sinclair used the family Motorola as its monitor. For data storage it used a Radio Shack cassette tape recorder. Sound was nonexistent. For all of its primitivity, I was fascinated by it.

Fascinated by its ability to run simple typing programs via a modified IBM Selectric. Fascinated that I could actually write simple programs for it. Fascinated by my intuition that it could be a really useful tool... but I was sorely limited by my imagination of what it could actually do for me.

Imagination has always been the hallmark of computer users and gardeners. Little wonder then, that gardeners have discovered a number of ways to use electronic technology in their horticultural pursuits.

A few weeks ago I asked readers to respond with the ways they use a personal digital assistant (PDA) in their gardens. As expected, I got several enthusiastic answers.

Patrick Bartkus says his wife, Trudie, calls his PDA a “Palm-passie” (parents of infants can translate) because it never leaves his side. He uses a program called Convert to calculate how much pesticide to use when he only needs a small amount. He also uses the Notes function to remember the dimensions of their front yard, back yard, and garden plot to figure out how much product to buy.

Judson Preuss is in the process of starting his own landscape business and uses a PDA to make appointments, take notes, find addresses, see what is on his schedule, etc. while he is on the road. “When I get home I can plug it into my computer and with a touch of a button all my work is transferred to my computer. On the other hand if I make appointments or add a client into my computer I can easily transfer it into my PDA and have their information whenever I need it. I can also take pictures with my digital camera of jobs I have completed. I can put them on my PDA and take my future clients through a beautiful slide show.”

Similarly, Karen Howells uses her PDA to jot down ideas and notes about what her landscape customers want. “As a gardener, I am constantly seeing a plant I like, or combination of plants, and I put it in the notepad of the PDA. It's the same for names of books when I am talking with my horticulture friends or taking a class at Gwinnett Tech. I know I can find all these bits of information in the same place.”

Terri Smith and Lynne James use their PDA’s as I originally imagined: to keep reminders of when to do garden tasks. Their calendars tools can prompt when to fertilize plants and remember yearly chores, like when to prune a hydrangea, when to when to plant caladiums or when to apply a pre-emergent herbicide to the lawn.

Jim Lawton stores notes on plants he’s heard recommended so he’ll know what to ask for at the garden center. A PDA is a great place to store botanical names alongside common names. Philip Griffin uses his PDA to keep track of parts for his tools. “When I buy a new tool, like a chain saw, I enter all the replacement part facts. When I need a new chain, I know which one to get. I do this for everything: the vacuum cleaner, the filters for the car, etc.”

As Jay Riski began landscaping his yard he realized that he was losing track of what he’d planted, when he’d started cuttings, etc. During a walk through the yard with his PDA he “sketched out the garden beds and recorded the plants and dates planted. This transfers nicely to a desktop computer for more serious graphics and database work. Since the pictures of plants in books never quite look like what I buy, I scan the pictures and instructions that come with the plant. I import the pictures and instructions into FileMaker Pro(tm) along with date purchased, etc. Then I can export the database back to the PDA for a knowledgeable garden walk."

Judy Gardner goes further out the PDA limb than I had imagined. She scans my monthly garden planner and puts it into her wordprocessor. She then downloads it to her PDA and adds her own notes to each week. “If I need a break while I'm working in the yard I might use my PDA to listen to music, read the ebook I'm currently enjoying or drink a glass of tea and watch Andy Griffith episodes that I've downloaded. If I have my PDA, I'm never at a loss for electronic entertainment. However my first choice in the yard is to watch the birds around the bath and feeder or to look for butterflies that are just starting to come around.”

“I must admit,” says Jann Rubio, “I am an e-gardener. I purchased a house two years ago from a woman who cherished her flowers and trees. I knew nothing! The web has taught me about container gardening and what vegetables will thrive in a pot. For the past two years I have had glorious summer tomatoes, green beans, eggplant and herbs all grown in pots on my deck. My “I only plant in the dirt” friends are amazed at the produce. My computer and Palm manage my life, my money and my garden. And we are all doing quite nicely!”

Karen Howells, though, summarizes my attitude about computers in the garden: “Technology is a BIG part of my life as a gardener. It saves me time, reminds me of things, makes me more effective and efficient. However, there's nothing like the feeling of playing in the soil or smelling the fragrance of a moonflower. Technology won't ever be able to do that!”