From planning raised beds to figuring out why your tomatoes keep dying — these prompts turn AI into your personal gardening coach. We tested each one across ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude so you know which model actually understands soil, seasons, and spacing.
| What you're trying to do | الأفضل لـ |
|---|---|
| Design a garden layout from scratch | ChatGPT |
| Diagnose plant problems from symptoms | Gemini |
| Build a year-round planting calendar | Claude |
| Understand and improve your soil | ChatGPT |
| Identify and manage garden pests | Gemini |
| Grow food in small spaces | Claude |
أوامر
Design a garden layout from scratch
I want to plan a [garden type: vegetable / flower / herb / mixed] garden. Space: [dimensions or description, e.g. 10x20 ft backyard, balcony containers] Climate zone: [USDA zone or city/region] Sun exposure: [full sun / partial shade / mostly shade] Goals: [e.g. feed a family of 4, curb appeal, pollinator-friendly] Give me: 1. A planting layout with companion planting pairs 2. A list of 8-10 plants that thrive in my zone and conditions 3. Spacing and depth for each plant 4. A month-by-month planting timeline 5. One common beginner mistake to avoid with this layout
الأفضل لـ: CHATGPT
ChatGPT generates the most detailed, zone-specific planting calendars and knows companion planting combinations. It also creates visual layout diagrams when asked.
Tested Feb 15, 2026
نصائح احترافية
Include your USDA hardiness zone or just your city — AI uses this to filter out plants that won’t survive your winters. Without it, you’ll get generic suggestions.
Diagnose plant problems from symptoms
My [plant name] is showing these symptoms: - Leaves: [describe color changes, spots, wilting, curling] - Stems: [any discoloration, softness, breakage] - Soil: [wet/dry, any visible mold or insects] - How long: [when did you first notice] - Recent changes: [watering, moved location, new fertilizer] Give me: 1. The most likely diagnosis (and second most likely) 2. What caused it 3. Immediate action to take today 4. A treatment plan for the next 2 weeks 5. How to prevent this from happening again
الأفضل لـ: GEMINI
Gemini excels at analyzing uploaded plant photos and cross-referencing visual symptoms with known diseases. Its multimodal capabilities make diagnosis significantly more accurate.
Tested Feb 15, 2026
نصائح احترافية
Take photos of both the affected area AND a healthy part of the same plant. The contrast helps AI distinguish between disease, nutrient deficiency, and normal variation.
Build a year-round planting calendar
Create a 12-month gardening calendar for [city/region]. Garden type: [vegetable / flower / mixed] Experience level: [beginner / intermediate / advanced] Time available: [hours per week] For each month, give me: 1. What to plant (seeds indoors vs. direct sow) 2. What to harvest 3. Key maintenance tasks (pruning, fertilizing, pest checks) 4. One thing most people forget to do that month 5. Estimated time commitment Format as a clean month-by-month list I can print and pin to my wall.
الأفضل لـ: CLAUDE
Claude produces the most organized, comprehensive calendars with thoughtful explanations for timing. Its output is clean enough to use as-is without reformatting.
Tested Feb 15, 2026
نصائح احترافية
Specify your experience level. A beginner calendar should have half the tasks of an advanced one. Without this, AI assumes you have unlimited time and knowledge.
Understand and improve your soil
Help me understand and fix my garden soil. Location: [city/region] Soil appearance: [color, texture — sandy, clay, loamy, rocky] Drainage: [puddles after rain / drains quickly / average] Current plants that are [thriving / struggling]: [list them] Have I tested pH? [yes: value / no] Give me: 1. What type of soil I likely have based on these clues 2. What nutrients are probably lacking 3. Exactly what amendments to add and how much per square foot 4. Where to buy them (specific products, not just "add compost") 5. How long until I’ll see improvement
الأفضل لـ: CHATGPT
ChatGPT recommends specific amendment products with brand names and quantities. It connects soil symptoms to actionable fixes better than other models.
Tested Feb 15, 2026
نصائح احترافية
Mention which plants are thriving AND which are struggling. Plants that do well in your soil tell the AI as much as the ones that don’t.
Identify and manage garden pests
I’m seeing [describe pest or damage: holes in leaves, white flies, trails on stems, something eating my tomatoes at night]. Plants affected: [list them] Location: [raised bed / ground / container / indoor] Region: [city or climate zone] Organic only? [yes / no] Give me: 1. What pest this most likely is 2. Its lifecycle (so I know when to act) 3. Immediate organic control method 4. A longer-term prevention strategy 5. Beneficial insects or companion plants that naturally deter this pest
الأفضل لـ: GEMINI
Gemini’s image recognition identifies pests from photos with impressive accuracy, even distinguishing between similar-looking insects. Upload a photo for best results.
Tested Feb 15, 2026
نصائح احترافية
Describe WHEN you see the damage — overnight damage points to slugs or deer, while daytime holes suggest caterpillars or beetles. Timing is the biggest diagnostic clue.
Grow food in small spaces
I want to grow [vegetables / herbs / flowers] in containers on my [balcony / patio / windowsill]. Space: [dimensions and orientation] Sunlight: [hours of direct sun per day] Budget: [$amount for setup] Goal: [e.g. fresh herbs year-round, enough salad greens for weekly meals] Give me: 1. Which containers to buy (size, material, with drainage) 2. The best 5-7 plants for my conditions 3. A soil mix recipe (don’t just say "potting mix") 4. A watering schedule by season 5. How to maximize yield from limited space (vertical growing, succession planting)
الأفضل لـ: CLAUDE
Claude provides the most practical, realistic container gardening advice. It understands space constraints and doesn’t suggest things that won’t work on a small balcony.
Tested Feb 15, 2026
نصائح احترافية
Measure your actual sunlight hours — don’t guess. Most people overestimate how much sun their balcony gets. Even one hour less changes which plants will produce.
Based on actual testing — not assumptions. See our methodology
Gemini
Best for visual plant diagnosis. Upload photos of sick plants, pests, or soil and Gemini identifies problems with impressive accuracy. Strong on zone-specific recommendations.
Results from Gemini 2.0 Flash · Tested Feb 15, 2026ChatGPT
Best for garden planning and product recommendations. Generates planting calendars, layout diagrams, and recommends specific products by name. Knows real store inventory.
Results from GPT-4o · Tested Feb 15, 2026Claude
Best for comprehensive guides and realistic advice. Produces clean, well-organized schedules and understands space limitations. Won’t over-promise what a small garden can produce.
Results from Claude 3.5 Sonnet · Tested Feb 15, 2026Grok
Best for no-nonsense gardening advice that cuts through overthinking. Gives beginners practical, direct instructions without burying them in botanical jargon. Less detailed on advanced horticultural science and long-form seasonal planning.
Results from Grok 2 · Tested Feb 15, 2026Always include your climate zone or city. A tomato variety that thrives in Georgia will fail in Minnesota. Without location context, AI gives generic advice that may not survive your first frost.
Upload photos for plant diagnosis, not just text descriptions. Saying “yellow leaves” could mean 10 different problems. A photo lets AI see the pattern, location, and severity — cutting diagnosis time in half.
Ask for the “one thing most beginners skip.” Every garden topic has a common oversight — hardening off seedlings, testing soil pH, mulching depth. This prompt phrase forces AI to surface the non-obvious advice.