We usually go to gardens to unplug. But it turns out your mobile gadget can make a pretty good partner out there.

Before you even set foot in the yard, an app can help you figure out what to plant. Landscaper’s Companion, Grow Your Own and GardenID offer reference guides with sowing suggestions, lists of plants native to your area and information about growth rates, bloom times and sun and water needs, among other things.

Landscaper’s Companion runs $4.99 for its Apple version, from Stevenson Software LLC, and the Android version, from Agile Track Software LLC. Grow Your Own, from the Royal Horticultural Society, and GardenID, from MEDL Mobile Inc., are both free for Apple devices.

GardenTrackerGarden Tracker lets you map out your garden and track its progress.

You can also check out apps that offer information on specific types of plants, like Vegetable Garden Guides ($1.99 from Primolicious LLC), Fruit Garden ($1.99 for Apple devices and 99 cents for Android from CleverMatrix Ltd.), Herbs+ ($2.99 for Apple devices from EOBear Software) and FlowerPedia ($4.99 for Apple devices from Muli Mobile Ltd.).

It’s a Dirty Job

Once you’ve decided what to put in the ground, apps like Garden Tracker, Garden Plan Pro and Grow Planner let you plot out your plot. You can create a virtual map of your space and then drop in plants to see how they fit.

The apps also help you keep an eye on your garden’s progress. Garden Tracker, for example, lets you record when you water, fertilize and treat your plants and tells you how long you have to wait to harvest them. The app, from Portable Databases, runs $1.99 for iPhones and $3.99 for iPads. Grow Planner, from Ogden Publications Inc.’s Mother Earth News, and Garden Plan Pro, from Growing Interactive, run $19.99 for the iPad.

If you want just the tracking features without the mapping, Gardening Toolkit and another app simply called Gardening have virtual journals and to-do lists so you can log your findings in the field and know when a plant is ready to be picked. Gardening Toolkit, from Applied Objects, runs $1.99 for iPhones and $3.99 for iPads. Gardening, by developer Jeff Hale, costs 99 cents for Apple devices.

The Fertilizer Calculator, $1.99 for Apple devices from TimesToCome Mobile, lets you record the dates you’ve fed your plants and calculate how much fertilizer you’ll need for your yard. And the Harvest Landscape Calculator, free for Apple devices from Harvest Power, allows you to figure out how many bags of soil to purchase for your plot, among other features. The app also comes with quotes to inspire you, such as John Steinbeck’s line, “There is nothing pleasanter than spading when the ground is soft and damp.”

Still, it’s hard to imagine spading could be pleasant when pests have overtaken your garden. Bugs in the Garden, from developer Justin Davidson, and Natural Guides LLC’s Garden Insects provide lists of common intruders, with information on what plants they affect, the damage they do and how to manage and repel them. You might also find out it’s better to leave them alone: Despite the assassin bug’s menacing name, for instance, it controls a number of pests, including aphids, cabbage worms and Japanese beetles, according to Bugs in the Garden. Both apps are 99 cents; Garden Insects is available only for Apple devices.

Bringing It All Back Home

Assuming you’ve beaten the bugs and watered and fed your plants as necessary, you should have a healthy crop yield. The free Gardening Guide app, from Mother Earth News, offers advice on the best ways to harvest, store and cook your produce, among other things. The Good Food Seasonal Recipes app—$2.99 for Apple devices from BBC Worldwide Ltd.—gives you monthly culinary recommendations based on what’s growing. Similarly, 101 Recipes from Nature’s Garden is a good source for growers who want to find simple, creative ways to prepare their fruits and vegetables. The app, from Aimfire LLC, costs 99 cents for Apple devices.

What if you’ve grown more than you can eat? StoneRaven LLC’s free AmpleHarvest app helps you locate food pantries in your area so you can donate healthful items to hungry people in need.

By MATTHEW KASSEL

COURTESY OF YOUR NUMBER ONE ARCADIA REAL ESTATE AGENT