Garden Planner
Frequently Asked Questions
groO™ Association Membership
Our Garden Planner is just one of the benefits of a groO™ Association Membership. Further details are available on this page.
Most of our packages are planned using the Square Foot Gardening method. In the Garden Planner this can be selectd by clicking the SFG button on your first plan.
Subscription Questions
Q. How much does groO Association Membership cost?
A. groO Assoication membership costs $99 for a year and a full list of the benefits can be viewed on this page.
Q. My membership has lapsed. How can I renew it?
A. Please visit our groO Store where you can order your groO Association Membership.
Q. Can I share my account with others?
A. Our Terms and Conditions only allow people in the same household to share one Garden Planner account. We respectfully ask that you do not share your account details with others. Special accounts are available for educational organizations who need multiple-user access or more plans per year. Please Contact Us for more details.
Q. Will you continue to take subscription payments out of my bank account each year?
A. No, we simply send you a reminder asking you to re-subscribe via our website.
Emails and Privacy
Q. How do I receive planting reminder emails from the Garden Planner?
A. You need to start the Garden Planner and log in to your account once to activate your account. If you have not already done this then you will be prompted to have your activation code sent to you by email when you log in. If you don't have your password just click the Forgot Password link under the login box.
Q. Will I receive junk email if I sign up for an account?
A. You will only receive emails you opt-in to, such as reminders of when to sow and plant the vegetables in your garden. We also send two introductory emails to help you learn to use our site and reminders if your subscription is about to expire. We never sends spam or give your details to any third party except where you selected an option to receive offers or we are required to by law or for the normal operation of our business. Full details are set out in our Privacy Policy.
The Garden Planner
Q. Do I need to install any software?
A. No, the Garden Planner simply uses Adobe Flash player, version 9 or above, which is installed on well over 98% of all internet-connected computers. Adobe Flash works with Windows PCs, Apple Macs and Linux, in all major browsers. If you need to update your version of Flash player, then you will be notified when trying to launch the Garden Planner, with a link to the page for the free download.
Q. When I click to start the Garden Planner it doesn't work
A. As long as you have tried waiting for the Garden Planner to load then you probably need to give your computer a bit of a helping hand. Our Technical Help page gives all the details you need with practical steps and details of how to contact us so that we can help you sort it out.
Q. Do you have a stand-alone version of the Garden Planner that I can install?
A. No, at the moment we only provide an online version so that all our customers are using our most up-to-date software and we can keep backups of the data.
Q. Can the Garden Planner adjust planting times for the Southern Hemisphere?
A. Yes, when you specify that you live in a country in the Southern Hemisphere the planting seasons are adjusted automatically.
Q. A vegetable I plant is not shown in the Garden Planner
A. In order to keep the loading speed of the Garden Planner to a minimum we have only been able to put the most common vegetables and fruit into the Garden Planner. If one that you plant isn't there then you can:
- Choose the closest vegetable to it and use that picture instead. You can then double-click it to specify a 'variety' of that vegetable.
- Use one of the generic vegetables we have provided such as 'Other', 'Herb', 'Fruit Bush' or 'Tree' and give it a variety name for the new plant.
If we receive a lot of requests for a particular vegetable it may be added in the future so feel free to Contact Us if you wish.
Q. What is the difference between 'Spacing' and 'Spacing in Rows'?
A. This is often something that confuses people and gardeners have many different opinions on it. A basic description is as follows:
Spacing: the distance between plants when planted individually or in blocks.
Spacing in rows: (the distance between plants down the row) x (the gap between rows).
By spacing plants closer in rows but the rows further apart it means that they still get the root space they need but you get more access to them and they are easier to weed due to the gap between the rows.
Q. I want to grow more than one crop in the same space. Is that possible?
A. Yes, just view the Succession Planting video on the start page of the Garden Planner for details of how to do this.
Q. Why am I getting no sow/plant/harvest times for a vegetable I have added to my plan?
A. Based on the frost dates you have chosen, our system has calculated that you do not have a long enough growing season to grow this crop. Please note that with protection such as cloches, a greenhouse, glasshouse or polytunnel you may still be able to grow it.
Problems
Q. My garden plan won't save. What should I do?
A. Please follow the instructions on our Technical Help page.
Q. The Garden Planner runs slowly on my computer
A. Try restarting your computer and making sure that other demanding programs are not running at the same time. The Garden Planner does slow down with very large garden plans but speed can be increased by using the Settings button on the toolbar and selecting to 'Show only end plants in rows and corner plants in blocks'. Alternatively a large garden or plot can be split into separate smaller plans.
Q. Scrolling is very slow on my garden plan
A. Again, try the steps mentioned above. Also, click and drag the scroll bar itself, rather than the end arrows.