The availability of fresh fruits and vegetables is one of the best parts of summer and fall, but sometimes growing plants yourself can be a little tricky.
Luckily, a variety of new gadgets and apps were designed to help your garden reach its full potential. Whether you’re looking to protect your sprouts or are still planning what to put in your garden, these tools can make the job easier.

Sprout It
If you haven’t started your garden yet, it isn’t too late to start planting. Services like Sprout It help determine which plants have the best chance of success in your area. If you enter your postal code on the website or app, it will let you know which plants are easiest to grow and provide details on how much sun and water the plant needs. The app can also be used to set up reminders for care throughout the season.

Parrot Flower Power
You can monitor your plant’s life signs with this smart sensor. When you stick the device into the ground, it tracks conditions like sunlight, air temperature and soil moisture in real time and sends the information to smartphones and other wireless devices.

VegiBee
For those who have a successful garden but wish it was producing more, VegiBee may be able to help. The electronic device is supposed to imitate the movement of bee’s wings during pollination so gardeners can collect pollen and re-distribute it themselves. The creators of the device claim it can boost production of tomatoes, peppers and other veggies by more than 30 percent each year.

Garden Defense Owl
Sometimes even if a garden is doing well, gardeners are still deprived of the opportunity to eat their tasty fruits and vegetables because other critters get there first. The garden defense owl can be set up next to any garden and has a sensor built in to detect the movement of other animals. If it senses movement, the head of the owl shifts to fix the intruder with an icy stare and hopefully scare it off.

Waterbug
For those who struggle to manage their indoor gardens, the Waterbug app was designed to keep neglected houseplants alive. You can create a list of your plants and then the app will remind you when they need to be watered. It also provides tips on pruning and lighting to help your plants stay green.