Source: Rick Durham, UK Horticulture Extension Specialist 

Kentucky gardeners can download a free tool in the Apple and Google Play app stores to help them decide what to plant and harvest in their home garden. 

The app SOW—A Planting Companion is largely based on ID-128 Home Vegetable Gardening in Kentucky from the University   of Kentucky Cooperative Extension. The app also has information from the Cooperative Extension services in Alabama and North Carolina for users in those states.  

The app provides growing information for Plant Hardiness Zones 6a–9a. Some parts  of Kentucky are in zones 6a or 7a, but most of the state is in zone 6b.  

When you get the app, enter your state and county for plant information specific to your hardiness zone. You can always go back to the settings menu and change the information if you are interested in looking at data specific for other hardiness zones. 

The app has three main parts: Library, My Garden and Journal. 

Library: 

The library has informational sheets and pictures of almost 40 common home garden vegetables. You can arrange the vegetables by planting date, vegetable name or harvest date.  

When you click on a vegetable in the library, more information about that vegetable will appear. This information includes how many plants you need to grow for a good harvest, how far apart you should plant them, how deep you should plant them, and the range of pH levels in the soil.   

There are also specific cultivars of each crop recommended for Kentucky gardens. 

My Garden: 

You can also add plants to the My Garden area. You can design more than one garden at the same time. For example, you could have a spring garden, a summer garden and a fall garden. My Garden helps you remember when you planted, whether you used seeds or transplants, what cultivar or variety you planted and when you should be able to harvest it.   

You can also plan and enter a date to plant in the future. This is beneficial when you are planning transitions from the spring to summer garden, or from summer to fall. The app will then let you add that scheduled planting date to your phone's calendar as a reminder. 

Journal: 

Once a crop is harvested, use the Journal section to write down the yield, the harvest date and any other information that might help you plan your garden for next year. 

The app can also link you to your local Cooperative Extension office, where you’ll find staff information and ways to contact extension agents with questions.