P. Allen Smith has recently teamed up with Bonnie Plants to make an app for iPhones and iPod Touches called Grow & Go Together. The app has encyclopedia-type information on herbs, vegetables, recipes, projects, and containers. Each of these subjects is accessed from the main menu and then broken down into further subtopics in subsequent screens.
I asked 10 Life on the Balcony readers to help me review the app, and boy did they take this task seriously! It was a lot of fun to chat with the other reviewers, I will definitely look for more opportunities to review things this way.
Adding the App
Right now the app is only available “the old fashioned way.” You have to open up the Safari web browser, navigate to the app website, and add a bookmark to your phone’s desktop. I know the app creators are waiting for Apple to approve their app for download through iTunes, which is good because the overwhelming response to this method of adding an app to your iPhone or iPod was negative. Katie pointed out that she would never find an app if it wasn’t in the app store and Maggy mentioned that she perceived Safari apps as less legit than iTunes apps.
Usability
Overall, the app was deemed easy to use, but had several annoying quirks. On the positive side, the reviewers liked that you can sort the information by season. Cliff said, “I like the concept of setting a season, and then seeing a plant list that is relevant…simple and useful.” The favorites features was also useful for saving specific information in the app for future use.
Jakeb said “I think it is very usable, but I think in the next version they need to lock the nav bar down.” The buttons in particular were a point of frustration. Ellen thought there should be a back button at the bottom of the page in addition to the top. It seems to me that there should always be a way to get back to the main screen without having to press “back” a bunch of time (i.e. a “main menu” button).
Several reviewers were annoyed that the app doesn’t take advantage of the fact that iPhones can switch between portrait and landscape viewing. Katie discovered that if you try to view the app with the phone held horizontally, you have problems switching back to vertical viewing: “[it] bothers me because you have to exit out and start the whole app again to get it to fit back in the window.”
Graphics & Design
Jennifer succinctly summed up the general consensus on the graphics, “I have to say I liked it overall but those wooden stake nav markers didn’t do it for me: too cartoony.” Cliff also had some insightful commentary, “There’s a disconnect between navigational elements of the cartoon signs, and then a cleaner style when you get to an item like a recipe or projects using a photo… I think they should rationalize their look and feel.” Personally, the app felt more like Bonnie’s style and not as sophisticated as P. Allen Smith’s usual way of presenting himself and his ideas.
The Information in the App
Overwhelmingly the favorite part of the app was the recipes, and how the plant info linked to relevant recipes. Cliff tried the broccoli ginger recipe and thought it tasted great. But the way the recipes were presented was difficult to use. Ellen pointed out that the information wasn’t presented in an app-like manner, but rather “like a number of documents imported.” Katie said the recipes would be a lot easier to use if you could quickly jump to the ingredients or instructions, instead of having to scroll (and scroll, and scroll) to navigate through the recipe.
The actual plant information left most of the reviewers wanting more. Juliet said, “There definitely needed to be more in depth info. There wasn’t much as far as varieties of plants and the various types that might be suited for different areas. Very limited as far as varieties go – at least for veggies.” It seems that the app only included plants that Bonnie sells and no info on growing plants from seed. Oh, and as Adriana noted, Bush Beans are not herbs (they’re in the wrong section).
The projects and container sections were probably the biggest disappointment. If an app is going to be the resource that someone turns to to show them how to complete a project, numbered steps and step-by-step photos or illustrations would be helpful. As Bob said, “projects need steps. NUMBERED STEPS. And more illustrations to follow.” It wasn’t all bad though, Jennifer noted that the projects section “gave me great ideas.”
The Reviewers
- Helen & Sarah – The sister team behind Toronto Gardens brought some Canadian flair to our review session.
- Maggy – An iPod Touch wielding organic farmer.
- Bob – A lover of orchids, succulents and clematis. His better half is a professional chocolatier (I highly recommend the dark chocolate peanut butter cups).
- Jennifer – A blogger over at Stuck in Lodi Again. She thinks she has to have several successes under her belt before she can call herself a gardener, but I beg to differ.
- Cliff – an iPhone devotee who is cheating on his phone with an iPad. Cliff has a really snazzy looking gardening website called Dig the Dirt.
- Ellen – A garden coach, writer, and teacher who lives on a New England horse farm. She blogs about habitat gardening.
- Juliet – An iPhone user from Nor Cal that can be tracked down on Twitter at LadyJuliet23.
- Jakeb – A pretty talented photographer who is starting to get involved in the green movement and learn about gardening.
- Katie – A talented food photographer and cook who blogs over at Good Life Eats.
- Adriana – *The* punk rock gardener of So Cal. Need I say more? Oh yeah, she blogs as Anarchy in the Garden.
You Might Also Like:
