Save Time on Garden Planning with Chat GPT
The days are getting longer, and the time for gardening is just around the corner. Just last week, I started 400 onion seeds and finalized my garden plans. What used to take me hours of planning – writing down how many plants I needed, where to plant them, and when to start them inside or outside, now takes me a matter of minutes. In this article, we will explore using AI “artificial intelligence” to grow the biggest garden by maximizing your time and garden space with Chat GPT.
Chat GPT Friend or Foe?
Many folks are against artificial intelligence, and I can understand why. The fear that it will replace jobs, steal artwork, and produce subpar content is concerning. Unfortunately, nothing is going to stop it. We have been using AI for years, and anytime we pick up our smartphone, we ask Siri or Alexa to search the internet for something. In this method, I suggest utilizing Chat GPT for the good of the people, the planet, and your garden.
Kaizen Means Continuous Improvement
The idea of Kaizen stems from the practice of continuous improvement in ancient Japanese farming. Many people have replicated this process, from the Toyota Factory model to modern regenerative agriculture. I implement it in my business and homestead and highly recommend you do the same. If you haven’t read Ben Hartman’s book The Lean Farmer, grab it today and learn more about this method of efficiency. Take a page from his book and improve your workflow by reducing “muda,” or waste, and increasing your efficiency through “kaizen.” One way I have increased my efficiency is through technology, from Google Drive to Chat GPT, where we can use our modern computers to organize our minds and gardens.
Use Google Drive to Organize Your Garden
Over the past few years, I have begun using Google Drive to organize my business endeavors, Queen of the Sun Grown and Happy Plant Organics and High Life Realty. I write my articles in a Google document—in fact, I am doing so right now—and save space on my computer's hard drive. Last week, I tried something new, though, and I used Chat GPT and Google Sheets to create my garden plans. Previously, I had written down everything in a notebook last fall, but when it came time to start planting my onion seeds, I could not find that notebook. That’s when I decided to create a spreadsheet, but why do it myself when I hate computers and can easily use Chat GPT to do it for me?
Use Chat GPT to Plan Your Garden
I plugged in the necessary information to produce the spreadsheet and shared it with my patrons last week. I also shared a quick story on Instagram and you wouldn't believe how many people asked for a copy. That’s why I am sharing the Google sheet for free here, and I will teach you how to create the correct prompt for your garden.
Using the Correct Prompt Matters
Chat GPT is artificial intelligence that scours the internet organizing information and presenting to you in seconds. To get the information you need, your prompt must include the right data. For instance, this year, I plan to grow half of my family's food supply you can follow along on my YouTube channel.
With inflation rising and the poison in our food system, I understand that taking this responsibility will help my family's health and financial stability. That being said, I have a million and one projects going on and can use all the help I can get from technology. That’s why I let Chat GPT know my goal when entering the prompt.
Example Prompt
“Help me create a garden plan to feed my family of two adults and one 4-year-old with food for a year. I have 5000 square feet of garden space and live in Eastern Washington in Zone 6b. Create a spreadsheet that includes Crop, Planting Method, Special Considerations, and Number of Plants needed to produce food for two adults and one toddler. Include the dates for starting seeds indoors and direct sow outdoors dates. Include notes on companion planting, such as which plants do well next to each other and which plants shouldn't be planted next to each other. Arrange the plants according to the planting date. Include a temperature column that specifies the required germination and growing temperatures.”
Review the spreadsheet, and if anything seems weird, call it out. For example, the initial response gave me a really high number of plants. I responded, “These numbers seem high. Is this accurate for two adults and one toddler?” Chat GPT responded with:
“You're right to question the numbers! Let’s refine them based on realistic consumption estimates for a family of two adults and one toddler. The original estimates leaned toward a more self-sufficient, surplus-producing approach (factoring in storage, preservation, and potential losses). Now, I'll adjust them for a more practical yearly supply while still accounting for preservation needs.
I'll recalculate and display a more precise plan.”
Refine Your Garden Plan
After you start your garden plan, review the plant species and ensure they include everything you want to grow. Sometimes, it will make incorrect recommendations. Make sure you review the data and insert your knowledge. This is not true intelligence; it is artificial intelligence that needs to be edited and corrected. But the speed at which it creates a spreadsheet with the information you provide is extremely useful, especially for us tech-unsavvy individuals.
The More You Know, The More You Grow
As stewards of our land, providers for our families, and caretakers of our bodies, it is more important now than ever before to fill our gardens with bountiful harvests that provide health and prosperity to our homes and communities. Remember that while the world may seem grim at times, we can find solace in our plants growing a little more each year.
The more we know about the science of our plants and what makes them happy, the easier it will be to identify issues and improve upon them, resulting in larger yields and healthier ecosystems. The goal is continuous improvement, and we can achieve this by constantly learning and improving our processes.
I hope this article has helped you gain actionable knowledge to improve your gardens and grow more. Together, we are stronger, but divided, we fall.