AI saved my time planning my urban farm planting

I run an urban farm and event space in Los Angeles called Little City Farm.

Farming had always been a dream, but I had no farming experience. I had to learn everything from scratch. And it’s the kind of thing that normally takes years, even a lifetime, to understand. I was constantly asking questions. I talked to experienced farmers, read books, searched online, and tried to piece everything together.

The problem wasn’t a lack of information. It was too much information without clarity.

I was dealing with basic but important decisions, like what to plant together, how to rotate crops, and how to structure the garden. I didn’t always have time to research everything properly.

For example, I had thousands of baby plants, “plugs, ”that needed to go into the ground quickly. I needed to figure out which plants could grow together and which couldn’t. I learned about things like companion planting, and that certain plants, like fennel, can actually harm others like tomatoes or eggplants.

At the same time, I was learning details that really mattered, like the difference between determinate and indeterminate tomatoes, which affects how they grow and how you support them. Without that knowledge, you can make mistakes that affect the whole setup.

I started using AI as my first stop for answers while standing in my garden. Instead of searching across different sources, I would just talk to my phone and ask very specific questions.

It helped me quickly understand concepts like companion planting and avoid bad combinations, like planting fennel near tomatoes or peppers. I could go down my list of plants one by one and get immediate, practical guidance.

It made everything easier.

I could make decisions quickly, even when I had limited time, like rushing to plant everything before leaving for the airport or juggling family responsibilities.

Instead of second-guessing myself, I felt confident that I was making good choices about what to plant and how to set things up.

Now, the process is much simpler: I plant and I watch as my plants grow.

Since I was away from my computer and standing in my garden, I would literally talk to the Gemini and ChatGPT apps on my phone and ask questions such as:

“Can I plant artichokes and eggplants together?” “Is this type of tomato determinate or indeterminate?”