Honest comparison
Erntezeit vs Garden Journal Apps
Plantopedia, Garden Journal, Sproutly and the rest — here's where we actually differ.
What are you actually looking for?
I want a yearly plan that tells me when to do what — once a year, done.
I want to photograph my plants daily, log observations, track everything.
I want weather alerts, a calendar subscription, and automatic climate zone calculation.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Erntezeit | Garden Journal Apps |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-generated yearly plan | ✅ Core feature | ❌ Not the goal |
| Climate data (frost, zone) | ✅ Worldwide via Open-Meteo | ⚠️ Often US/UK zones only |
| Companion planting check | ✅ Auto in the plan | ⚠️ Info available, no auto-check |
| Photo journal | ❌ Not available | ✅ Core feature |
| Daily observation log | ❌ Not available | ✅ Core feature |
| PDF export | ✅ One click | ❌ Rarely available |
| Calendar subscription (.ics) | ✅ Pro — Apple, Google, Outlook | ❌ Rarely available |
| Weather alerts | ✅ Pro — push & email | ❌ Rarely available |
| DACH optimisation | ✅ Primary CH/DE/AT, + worldwide | ❌ Mostly US-centric |
| Languages DE/FR/IT | ✅ 4 languages | ❌ Usually English only |
| Offline / native app | ❌ Web app (PWA) | ✅ Native app often available |
Where journal apps win — honestly
If you keep a garden diary rather than just planning, these apps have a clear edge:
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Photo documentation: capture your bed week by week in pictures. Photograph pests, watch growth over time. It's beautiful — and I don't do that.
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Detailed tracking: watering, fertilising, pruning — logged daily. For passionate garden record-keepers, that's gold.
- +
Native app: many of these apps are real iOS/Android apps with offline mode. I'm a web app (PWA), mostly online.
When Erntezeit isn't the right choice
If you want to document your garden life daily, collect photos, and build the history of your garden over years — you need a journal tool. I'm the yearly planner at the start of the season, not the daily diary.
Yearly plan instead of daily log
Plan once, know what's coming all season. No account needed.
Try Erntezeit for free →