Overview

Plants respond to their environment more than anything else. Temperature swings, humidity levels, soil pH, and nutrient availability determine whether your garden thrives or struggles. garden.gg’s environment monitoring features let you track these conditions over time, correlate them with plant performance, and make data-driven decisions about amendments, watering, and climate management.

Environment monitoring is available across all plans with some limits. The Sprout (free) plan includes basic soil test logging. Bloom and Harvest plans unlock environment readings (temperature, humidity, VPD, CO2) and unlimited soil tests.

Environment Readings

Available on Bloom and Harvest plans.

Environment readings capture ambient conditions in and around your garden. These are particularly valuable for greenhouse and indoor growers, but outdoor gardeners benefit from tracking temperature and humidity patterns as well.

Supported Measurements

Logging a Reading

To log an environment reading:

1. Navigate to the plot you want to record conditions for
2. Tap Environment in the plot toolbar
3. Enter the measurements you have available
4. Save

You do not need to fill in every field. If you only have a thermometer, log just the temperature. If you have a full sensor setup, log everything. garden.gg works with whatever data you provide.

VPD (Vapor Pressure Deficit)

VPD is a calculated value that combines temperature and humidity into a single number representing the drying power of the air. It is particularly important for greenhouse and indoor growing.

garden.gg calculates VPD automatically when you provide temperature and humidity. You can also enter VPD directly if your sensor reports it.

CO2 Monitoring

CO2 levels matter primarily for enclosed growing environments:

Track CO2 alongside other readings to correlate enrichment with growth rates.

Indoor Growing

For indoor gardeners — grow tents, grow rooms, shelving units — environment monitoring is not optional, it is essential. Without the natural regulation of outdoor growing, you are the climate controller.

Key Metrics for Indoor Growing

Track these daily for best results:

• Temperature: Most vegetables want 65-80F (18-27C) during the day, 55-65F (13-18C) at night
• Humidity: 40-60% RH for most stages, higher for seedlings (60-70%), lower for flowering (40-50%)
• VPD: 0.8-1.2 kPa for vegetative, 1.2-1.6 kPa for flowering/fruiting
• Light hours: Not logged as an environment reading, but record in plot notes

Logging Workflow for Indoor Growers

Many indoor gardeners log readings twice daily:

1. Morning reading: Temperature, humidity after lights come on
2. Evening reading: Temperature, humidity after several hours of lights

Over time, this data reveals patterns: how much heat your lights generate, how quickly humidity drops, and how conditions vary across your growing space.

Pairing with Events

The real power of environment monitoring comes from correlating conditions with events:

• Did a temperature spike coincide with that plant wilting?
• Were the days before your best harvest unusually warm?
• Is damping off happening when humidity stays above 70%?

The environment chart overlays event markers so you can visually connect conditions to outcomes.

Soil Tests

Soil testing tells you what is happening below the surface. garden.gg lets you log soil test results and track changes over time.

Test Limits

• Sprout (free): 5 soil tests per month
• Bloom: Unlimited soil tests
• Harvest: Unlimited soil tests

What to Log

A soil test entry includes:

pH

Soil acidity/alkalinity on a scale from 0-14:

Most garden vegetables grow best in the 6.0-7.0 range. If your pH is outside this range, amendments can correct it.

NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium)

The three primary macronutrients, typically reported as low, medium, or high by home test kits, or in ppm by lab tests:

Organic Matter

The percentage of organic material in your soil. Higher organic matter generally means:

• Better water retention
• More microbial activity
• Improved soil structure
• Slow-release nutrient availability

Target: 3-5% for most garden soils.

CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity)

CEC measures the soil’s ability to hold and release nutrients. Higher CEC means the soil holds more nutrients and releases them gradually to plants.

CEC is typically measured by professional lab tests rather than home kits.

Logging a Soil Test

1. Navigate to the plot you tested
2. Tap Soil Test in the plot toolbar
3. Enter the results from your test kit or lab report
4. Add notes about the testing method and conditions
5. Save

Tracking Changes Over Time

The soil test history for each plot shows trends:

• pH trend line: Is your soil becoming more acidic or alkaline?
• NPK levels over time: Are your amendments working?
• Organic matter changes: Is your composting and mulching improving soil health?
• Comparison across plots: Which plots have the best soil?

This data is especially valuable for new gardens where you are building soil over multiple seasons.

Amendments

When soil tests reveal deficiencies, amendments correct the problem. garden.gg logs amendments alongside soil tests so you can track cause and effect.

Logging an Amendment

Amendments are logged as fertilize events with additional detail:

1. Navigate to the plot
2. Add a Fertilize event
3. In the details, specify:
   • Product: What you applied (lime, compost, bone meal, etc.)
   • Amount: How much you applied
   • Purpose: What deficiency you are correcting
   • Notes: Application method, coverage area, etc.

Common Amendments and Their Effects

Before and After

The best practice for amendments is:

1. Log a soil test before applying any amendment
2. Log the amendment as a fertilize event
3. Wait the appropriate period (varies by amendment)
4. Log a follow-up soil test
5. Compare results

garden.gg’s charts overlay amendment events on soil test trend lines so you can see exactly when you applied something and how the soil responded.

Nutrient Logging

For gardeners who mix their own fertilizer solutions — common in hydroponic, container, and intensive growing systems — garden.gg provides detailed nutrient logging.

NPK Mixes

Record the NPK ratio of your fertilizer mixes:

• N-P-K ratio: e.g., 10-10-10, 5-10-5, 0-0-60
• Concentration: Amount per gallon/liter of water
• Application method: Soil drench, foliar spray, drip line
• Frequency: How often this mix is applied

pH In/Out

For hydroponic and container growers who manage solution pH:

• pH In: The pH of your nutrient solution before applying
• pH Out: The pH of runoff after passing through the growing medium
• Target range: Your desired pH range

Tracking pH in/out over time reveals whether your growing medium is buffering pH up or down and helps you adjust your input solution accordingly.

EC/PPM

Electrical Conductivity (EC) and Parts Per Million (PPM) measure the total dissolved nutrients in your solution:

Log EC/PPM alongside pH for a complete picture of your nutrient solution.

Charts and Trends

All environment data is visualized in charts accessible from the plot view under the Environment tab.

Available Charts

Temperature Over Time

A line chart showing temperature readings with:

• Daily high and low if you log multiple readings per day
• Color-coded bands for optimal growing ranges
• Event markers showing planting, harvest, and other activities
• Frost date markers based on your hardiness zone

Humidity Over Time

Similar to temperature, showing:

• Relative humidity readings as a line chart
• Optimal range bands (varies by crop type)
• Correlation with watering events

VPD Chart

Especially useful for greenhouse and indoor growers:

• VPD readings as a line chart
• Color-coded zones (too humid, seedling range, vegetative, flowering, too dry)
• Lifecycle stage overlay showing which VPD range your plants should be in

Soil pH History

• pH readings as scatter points with trend line
• Amendment events marked on the timeline
• Target pH range for the primary crop in the plot
• Seasonal patterns (pH often changes with rainfall and decomposition)

NPK Levels

• Bar or line charts showing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium over time
• Amendment events correlated with level changes
• Deficiency threshold lines

Cross-Referencing with Plant Performance

The most powerful use of environment charts is overlaying them with harvest and event data:

• Does harvest weight correlate with temperature during the fruiting period?
• Do pest events cluster after periods of high humidity?
• Did a pH correction lead to improved yields in the following weeks?

This analysis is manual — you review the overlaid charts and draw conclusions — but the data is there to support evidence-based gardening decisions.

Best Practices

Consistency Matters

Sporadic environment readings are less useful than consistent ones. Set a schedule:

• Indoor growers: Log twice daily (lights on, lights off)
• Greenhouse growers: Log once daily at the same time
• Outdoor growers: Log weekly or when conditions change significantly
• Soil tests: Test each plot at the start and end of the growing season, minimum

Same Time, Same Place

For comparable data, take readings at the same time of day and at the same location within the plot. Morning temperatures differ from afternoon; readings at soil level differ from readings at plant canopy height.

Use the Right Tools

• Thermometer/hygrometer: Inexpensive digital units work fine for temperature and humidity
• Soil pH meter: Probe-style meters give quick readings; laboratory tests are more accurate
• Soil test kit: Home kits provide NPK estimates; send samples to your local extension office for detailed analysis
• EC/PPM meter: Essential for hydroponic and intensive container growing
• CO2 monitor: Only necessary for enclosed growing spaces with supplementation

Act on the Data

Logging data without acting on it is wasted effort. Review your environment trends regularly and make adjustments:

• pH drifting down? Plan a lime application.
• Humidity consistently above 70%? Improve ventilation.
• Temperature swings are dramatic? Add thermal mass or shade cloth.
• Nutrient levels declining? Increase fertilizer frequency or concentration.

API Reference

Log an Environment Reading

POST /api/v1/plots/{plot_id}/environment
{
  "temperature_f": 78.5,
  "humidity_pct": 62.0,
  "co2_ppm": 450,
  "recorded_at": "2026-07-15T08:30:00Z"
}

Log a Soil Test

POST /api/v1/plots/{plot_id}/soil-tests
{
  "ph": 6.4,
  "nitrogen": "medium",
  "phosphorus": "low",
  "potassium": "high",
  "organic_matter_pct": 4.2,
  "notes": "Home test kit. Soil was moist from yesterday's rain.",
  "tested_at": "2026-07-01T10:00:00Z"
}

Get Environment History

GET /api/v1/plots/{plot_id}/environment?from=2026-06-01&to=2026-07-31

Get Soil Test History

GET /api/v1/plots/{plot_id}/soil-tests?from=2026-01-01&to=2026-12-31

Next Steps

• Plant Identification: Use AI to identify plants and extract growing data
• Harvest Tracking: Correlate environment conditions with harvest yields
• Plots & Plants: Manage plots with environment-informed decisions