30 ChatGPT Prompts for Home Gardeners, Zone by Zone

My balcony is [BALCONY SIZE] and faces [DIRECTION]. My sun hours are [SUN TIMES], listed for my brightest corner and my dimmest corner. I want to grow [CROP LIST] in [NUMBER] containers that are [CONTAINER SIZE] each. Give three layout options. For each option, show where each container sits and which corner it uses. Then pick the layout I should use and give the reason in 3 sentences. If [SUN TIMES] does not give both corners, write [VERIFY] and tell me to measure the sun at midday for one day. Never invent sun hours.

Draw a planting grid for a raised bed that measures [BED LENGTH] by [BED WIDTH], using one cell per square foot or per 30 centimeters, whichever matches my tape measure. Do not invent plant spacing. Show it as a text table with the crop in each cell. Put the tallest crop on the [NORTH OR SOUTH] side of the bed, away from the midday sun, so its shadow falls outside the bed. Keep shade-tolerant leafy crops next to it. Use only the crops in this list: [CROP LIST]. If a crop's spacing is not in my notes, write [VERIFY] in that cell and say to check the seed packet.

Compare [CONTAINER A] and [CONTAINER B] for growing [CROP]. Make a table with the rows Depth in centimeters, Volume in liters, Drainage holes, How fast it dries out in a heat wave and Fit for this crop. Fill each cell from my description only, and say in one sentence which container I should use. Do not invent root depths or liter volumes. If I did not give the crop's root depth or a container size, write [VERIFY] and point me to the seed packet or the plant tag.

Plan a vertical growing setup for [CLIMBING CROP] on [SPACE], using a trellis or a stake frame. Do not invent the weight a trellis can hold or the height the plant reaches. Give 6 numbered steps, from choosing the support to tying in the first stem. In each step name the tool or material I need from this list: [MATERIALS I HAVE]. Keep the whole answer under 180 words. If I did not give the support size or the crop's mature height, write [VERIFY] in that step.

Here is my draft layout for [SPACE]: [PASTE YOUR LAYOUT NOTES]. Critique it. Score the draft out of 10 on three points: sun use, access for watering and harvesting, and whether tall plants shade short ones. Give each score one sentence of reason. Then rewrite the layout as a list of no more than 8 lines. Any gap I did not fill in my notes should be marked [VERIFY]. Never invent sun hours or plant sizes.

Make a table of companion pairs for these crops: [CROP LIST]. Do not invent research findings or yield numbers. Use the columns Pair, Why they are often grown together, and Watch out for. Keep each reason under 12 words and limit the table to 8 pairs. Only include pairs that gardeners commonly report, and say plainly which ones are folk advice rather than tested results. Mark any pair you cannot confirm with [VERIFY] and point me to my extension service's companion planting guide.

Build a four year rotation for a [BED SIZE] vegetable bed, grouping my crops by plant family: [CROP LIST]. Split the bed into 4 sections. Show a table with one row per section and one column per year, Year 1 to Year 4. Put the plant family name in each cell. Move every family to a new section each year, so it returns to the same section only in year 5. If you are not sure which family a crop belongs to, write [VERIFY] in its cell and ask me to check it against a plant family list from my extension service. Never invent family names.

Rewrite my rotation notes for a helper who has never grown food: [PASTE ROTATION NOTES]. Do not invent facts that are not in my notes. Keep it under 150 words, use short sentences, and swap each plant family name for an example crop the helper will recognize. Keep the bed names and dates exactly as I wrote them. If the notes lack a bed name or a date, write [VERIFY] in its place.

Write a hardening off schedule for my [SEEDLING] seedlings, which move out from a [INDOOR SPOT] starting on [START DATE]. Give 8 numbered days. For each day state the time outside, the light level (shade, morning sun or full sun) and the sign that means bring them back in. Keep each day to one line. If the seed packet or my extension service gives a different schedule, use theirs and mark the day [VERIFY]. Never invent day counts for my climate.

I am deciding whether to direct sow or transplant [CROP] into my [BED OR CONTAINER] on [DATE]. Do not invent days to maturity. Give three routes: direct sow from seed, transplant my own seedlings, or buy transplants. For each route list the workload, the main risk and the days it adds or saves. Then pick one route for my case and explain the pick in 2 sentences. Days to maturity from my packet: [DAYS TO MATURITY]. If I left it blank, write [VERIFY] in the risk line.

My [PLANT] shows [SYMPTOMS], on [WHICH LEAVES OR PARTS], and it started [WHEN]. It gets [SUN HOURS] hours of sun and I water it [WATERING PATTERN]. Give the 5 most likely causes, most likely first, in a table with the columns Cause, What to check to confirm it, and Organic first step. Say what I would need to see to tell the causes apart, and mark anything you cannot confirm with [VERIFY]. Never invent a diagnosis.

I need a yes or no checklist to work out why my [TOMATO OR PEPPER] fruit has dark, sunken patches at the blossom end. Do not invent a cause from one symptom. My watering pattern is [WATERING PATTERN], my soil test note says [SOIL TEST NOTE], and the patches started [WHEN]. Give 7 checklist items, each a question I can answer by looking, feeling the soil or measuring. If the answers point somewhere, say what to check next and mark [VERIFY] where my local extension office should confirm it.

Ask me exactly 5 questions to narrow down which pest is on my [PLANT]. Ask one at a time: what the damage looks like, where on the plant I see it, what time of day I notice it, whether the leaves feel sticky, and whether I can see any insects when I lift the leaves. Wait for my answer after each question. When I have answered all five, list the 3 most likely pests in a table with the columns Pest, Confirming check and Organic first step. Mark each uncertain pest with [VERIFY]. Never invent an identification from a description.

Give me a numbered plan of organic first steps against slugs and snails on [CROP] in [BED OR CONTAINER]. Use 6 steps, each one sentence, ordered from the least work to the most. Include a dusk check with a flashlight and the damage to look for on the leaves. If I ask about a slug product, tell me to follow its label for rate and timing, and mark [VERIFY] for the label check. Do not invent product names, doses or success rates.

Compare two approaches to powdery mildew on [PLANT]: changing the growing conditions (spacing, airflow, pruning and watering at soil level) and using a fungicide product. Make a table with the rows What it changes, Time to see a result, Main risk and What I must check. Say plainly that any product must be used exactly as its label says for rate and timing. Mark any figure I cannot confirm with [VERIFY]. Never invent results, success rates or timings.

Make a 7 day watering schedule for a heat wave with highs around [TEMPERATURE AND UNIT]. Do not invent temperatures or water volumes. My beds are [BED TYPE] with [MULCH TYPE] mulch, and my containers are [CONTAINER SIZE]. Output a table with the columns Day, Morning check, Watering and Evening check. Add a note under the table on what to test before each watering, such as finger depth or a moisture meter reading. If I did not give a number, write [VERIFY] and point me to my local extension service's heat advice.

Here are my soil test results from [LAB NAME]: [PASTE RESULTS]. Make a table with the columns Test, My result, Plain meaning and Question for my extension office. Use the target ranges printed on my lab report, and mark any missing range [VERIFY]. Tell me to ask the lab or my extension office for rates, and keep each cell under 15 words. Never invent ranges or units that are not on the report, and do not give amendment rates.

Build a starter list for a compost pile in a [BIN TYPE] bin at [LOCATION]. I have these materials: [MATERIALS]. Include how I sort browns and greens, a moisture check, a turning schedule and one sign that the pile is ready to use. Give 10 items, each under 14 words. If you give a ratio, label it a starting point and mark it [VERIFY] for a check with my extension service. Do not invent fixed ratios.

I need mulch for [BED OR CONTAINER] during [SEASON]. My options are [MULCH OPTIONS]. Score each one out of 10, as a table, on how it holds moisture, how it breaks down over a season, and how it affects slugs. Then pick the three best of my options and say which of the three I should buy first, with the reason in 3 sentences. Mark any claim you cannot confirm with [VERIFY]. Never invent local availability or effects I did not list.

My [LETTUCE VARIETY] lettuce has started to bolt: it has a tall flower stem and bitter leaves after [NUMBER] days of [TEMPERATURE RANGE] weather. It sits in [BED OR CONTAINER] with [SUN HOURS] hours of sun. Give me a numbered list of what to change this week, in order of effort, and then what to do with the bolted plants. Give 6 items, each under 15 words. Mark any timing I cannot confirm from my notes with [VERIFY]. Never invent a single cause; list the causes I can check.

Create a garden journal template I can copy each week. Use these fields in a fill-in form: date, zone, weather summary, what I sowed, what I transplanted, what I watered, pests seen with a photo label and one thing to change next week. Add one line per crop for my main crops: [MY MAIN CROPS]. Put square brackets around each field I must complete. Keep the template under 150 words. Leave the date as [DATE], and add a [VERIFY] line for any frost date I copy in. Never invent dates or frost days.

Build a harvest and storage plan for these crops from my garden: [CROP LIST]. Do not invent keeping times. Output a table with the columns Crop, Pick stage, Storage method, How long it keeps and Check before eating. Keep each cell under 12 words. If you do not know a time for a crop, write [VERIFY] in that cell and say to check the storage guidance from my extension service.

Give me numbered steps to save seed from [CROP] in my garden, from picking the seed heads to storing the dry seed in a labeled envelope. Use no more than 8 steps, each one sentence. Add one line on how to keep two varieties of the same crop apart, and name any crop you think crosses easily, marking the ones you are unsure of with [VERIFY]. Point me to a seed saving guide from my extension service. Never invent cross pollination distances.

Act as a garden teacher planning for a child aged [CHILD AGE] and their parent. The space is [BED OR CONTAINER]. Choose 4 crops from this list: [CROP LIST], picking ones that are quick to grow, easy to handle and fun to pick. Give a one-page plan with a short list of crops, 5 weekly jobs for the child, and one safety rule about never eating a plant the child cannot identify. Growing times differ by variety, so mark any time I cannot check with [VERIFY]. Do not invent growing times.

Give me a checklist for getting my [BED SIZE] bed ready for winter in [ZONE]. Do not invent a frost date. Include clearing old plants, adding compost, covering with mulch or a cover crop, labeling the beds, and checking drainage after rain. Give 9 items, each starting with a verb and under 14 words. My first frost date is [FIRST FROST DATE]. Mark it [VERIFY] until I confirm it locally.