Farmers Bounty v2.0 – Complete User Guide

Version: 2.0.0
Last Updated: January 12, 2026

Complete documentation for using the Farmers Bounty WordPress plugin – your complete garden management solution!

Introduction

Farmers Bounty is a comprehensive WordPress plugin designed to help gardeners plan, track, and optimize their gardens with intelligent features, real-time weather data, and Atlanta-specific guidance.

Who Is This For?

• Home Gardeners – Track plants, harvests, and learnings
• Serious Gardeners – Advanced analytics and planning tools
• Atlanta Gardeners – Zone 7b optimized with local pest/disease data
• Beginners – Easy-to-use interface with expert guidance
• Experienced Gardeners – Sophisticated tracking and rotation planning

What’s New in v2.0?

Core Garden Features

• ✅ Seed Inventory – Track seeds, viability, sources
• ✅ Season Learnings – Document what works (and what doesn’t!)
• ✅ Enhanced Harvest Tracking – Quality ratings, detailed records
• ✅ Succession Planting – Automated scheduling for continuous harvests
• ✅ Location Management – Track sunlight, soil, microclimates
• ✅ Analytics Dashboard – Year-over-year comparisons
• ✅ Planting Calculator – Personalized planting dates
• ✅ Harvest Predictions – AI-powered harvest forecasts
• ✅ Crop Rotation – Family tracking and rotation planning
• ✅ GDD Tracking – Growing Degree Days for accuracy
• ✅ Heat Stress Alerts – Protect plants during Atlanta summers
• ✅ Backup/Restore – Never lose your garden data
• ✅ CSV Import – Easy data migration
• ✅ Knowledge Base – 35+ pests, 15+ diseases, preservation methods

Enhanced Weather Integration (v2.0.0)

• ✅ 100% API Data Capture – Now captures all 23 fields from Weather Underground (was 16)
• ✅ Geographic Awareness – Full location tracking (latitude, longitude, elevation)
• ✅ Enhanced Temperature Data – Separate heat index and wind chill for better accuracy
• ✅ Cardinal Wind Directions – Shows “SE” instead of just “135°”
• ✅ Metric Pressure Units – Pressure in both inches and millibars
• ✅ UTC Timestamps – Timezone-independent tracking prevents DST issues
• ✅ Flexible Weather Display – Three detail levels (minimal, standard, full)
• ✅ Station Information – Shows station name and elevation
• ✅ Enhanced Dashboard Widget – More weather metrics visible at a glance

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Getting Started

Requirements

• WordPress: Version 5.0 or higher
• PHP: Version 7.4 or higher
• MySQL: Version 5.7 or higher
• User Role: Administrator (for setup)

Installation

1. Upload farmers-bounty.zip to WordPress
2. Activate the plugin
3. Navigate to Farmers Bounty → Settings
4. Configure your API keys (optional but recommended)
5. Enter your garden address
6. Start adding plants!

Initial Setup

1. Configure Settings

Navigate to: Farmers Bounty → Settings

Required:

• Garden Name – Give your garden a name
• Garden Address – Enter your street address (auto-calculates lat/long)

Optional (but recommended):

• Claude API Key – For AI chatbot
• Tavily API Key – For web search in chatbot
• Google Maps API Key – For geocoding
• Weather Underground API Key – For weather data
• Perenual API Key – For plant database

2. Set Up Garden Locations

Navigate to: Farmers Bounty → Garden Locations

Create locations for different areas of your garden:

• Front yard beds
• Back raised beds
• Side yard containers
• Greenhouse

For each location, specify:

• Sunlight Conditions – Direct, Indirect, or Shade
• Sunlight Time of Day – Morning, Midday, Afternoon
• Sunlight Hours – Less than 3, 3-5, 6-8, 8+ hours
• Soil Type – Red clay, Amended, Sandy, etc.
• Notes – Microclimates, drainage issues

3. Add Your First Plant

Navigate to: Farmers Bounty → My Plants

Click Add New Plant and fill in:

• Plant name
• Variety
• Planting date
• Garden location
• Planter type (in-ground, raised bed, pot, grow bag, hanging basket)
• Maturity at planting (seed, seedling, mature)

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Dashboard Overview

The main dashboard provides at-a-glance information about your garden.

Dashboard Widgets

1. Garden Summary

• Total plants
• Active plants
• Harvested this season
• Upcoming tasks

1. Weather Widget ⭐ Enhanced in v2.0.0!

• Current temperature and feels-like
• Station name with elevation
• Cardinal wind directions (N, SE, SW, etc.)
• UV Index and solar radiation
• Dew point temperature
• Barometric pressure (inches & millibars)
• Humidity and precipitation
• Heat stress warnings
• Complete station information

1. Recent Activity

• Latest plantings
• Recent harvests
• New learnings

1. Quick Actions

• Add plant
• Record harvest
• Log learning
• View calendar

1. Recommendations

• Watering suggestions
• Planting opportunities
• Rotation recommendations
• Pest/disease alerts

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Core Features

1. Plant Management

Navigate to: Farmers Bounty → My Plants

Adding Plants

Fields:

• Plant Name – Common name (e.g., “Tomato”)
• Variety – Specific variety (e.g., “Cherokee Purple”)
• Planting Date – When planted (date picker)
• Garden Location – Where in your garden
• Planter Type – In-ground, raised bed, pot, grow bag, hanging basket
• Maturity at Planting – Seed, bulb, seedling, immature, mature
• Seed Source – Select from seed inventory (if planting from seed)
• Notes – Any additional information

Viewing Plants

List View:

• Sortable by name, date, location
• Filter by status (active, harvested, removed)
• Search functionality
• Quick actions (edit, harvest, remove)

Card View:

• Visual plant cards
• Photo (if available)
• Key information at a glance
• Quick harvest button

Recording Harvests

Click Record Harvest on any plant:

• Date – Harvest date
• Quantity – Amount harvested
• Unit – Pounds, pieces, bunches, etc.
• Quality – Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor
• Notes – Taste, size, issues

Exporting Plant Data

Click Export to CSV to download your plant list for:

• Backup purposes
• Sharing with others
• Analysis in Excel/Google Sheets

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2. Seed Inventory

Navigate to: Farmers Bounty → Seeds

Track all your seeds in one place!

Adding Seeds

Fields:

• Seed Name – Plant name
• Variety – Specific variety
• Source – Where purchased (Baker Creek, Johnny’s, saved, etc.)
• Purchase Date – When acquired
• Expiration Date – Viability date
• Quantity – Number of seeds or packets
• Storage Location – Where stored
• Germination Rate – Expected % (optional)
• Notes – Growing tips, performance notes

Using Seeds

When adding a new plant:

1. Select “Seed” for maturity at planting
2. Choose from your seed inventory
3. System automatically links seed to plant
4. Track seed-to-harvest performance

Seed Organization

• Filter by Status – Active, expired, low quantity
• Sort by Expiration – Use oldest first
• Search – Find seeds quickly
• Bulk Actions – Update multiple seeds

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3. Season Learnings

Navigate to: Farmers Bounty → Learnings

Document what you learn each season!

Adding Learnings

Fields:

• Learning Date – When observed
• Category – Success, Challenge, Pest/Disease, Weather, Soil, Technique
• Plant/Crop – What plant (if applicable)
• Title – Short description
• Description – Detailed notes
• Action Items – What to do differently next time

Example Learnings

Success:

“Cherokee Purple tomatoes produced heavily in the back raised bed. The afternoon shade prevented blossom end rot.”

Challenge:

“Squash vine borers destroyed all zucchini by July. Need to use row covers next year or plant later.”

Technique:

“Succession planting lettuce every 2 weeks worked perfectly. Never ran out of salad greens.”

Using Learnings

• Review before planting – Check last year’s notes
• Share with others – Export and share
• Year-over-year – Compare learnings across seasons
• Chatbot integration – AI learns from your notes

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4. Harvest Tracking

Navigate to: Farmers Bounty → My Plants → Record Harvest

Detailed Harvest Records

v2.0 includes enhanced harvest tracking:

• Date & Time – When harvested
• Quantity & Unit – Precise measurements
• Quality Rating – Excellent to Poor
• Notes – Taste, size, appearance
• Photos – Visual record (coming soon)

Harvest Analytics

View harvest data:

• By Plant – Total yield per plant
• By Type – Vegetables vs fruits vs herbs
• By Month – Seasonal patterns
• By Quality – Performance tracking
• Year-over-Year – Compare seasons

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Garden Planning

1. Succession Planting

Navigate to: Farmers Bounty → Succession Planting

Automate continuous harvests!

Creating Succession Plans

Fields:

• Crop – What to plant
• Location – Where to plant
• Start Date – First planting
• End Date – Last planting
• Interval – Days between plantings (e.g., 14 days)
• Quantity – How many per planting

Succession Timeline

Visual timeline shows:

• Scheduled plantings
• Expected harvest windows
• Gaps in production
• Overlapping harvests

Automatic Reminders

Get notified when it’s time to:

• Plant next succession
• Prepare soil
• Harvest mature plants

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2. Crop Rotation Planning

Navigate to: Farmers Bounty → My Plants → Rotation Check

Prevent disease and improve soil!

Plant Families

System tracks 9 plant families:

• Solanaceae – Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant (3-year rotation)
• Brassicaceae – Cabbage, broccoli, kale (3-year rotation)
• Cucurbitaceae – Cucumbers, squash, melons (2-year rotation)
• Fabaceae – Beans, peas (nitrogen fixers!)
• Apiaceae – Carrots, parsley, celery
• Asteraceae – Lettuce, sunflowers
• Amaranthaceae – Beets, spinach, chard
• Alliaceae – Onions, garlic, leeks
• Lamiaceae – Basil, mint, herbs

Rotation Checker

Before planting, check:

• What was here last? – Planting history
• Same family? – Rotation conflict warning
• Disease risk – Family-specific diseases
• Recommendations – What to plant next

Ideal Rotation Sequence

System suggests 4-year rotations:

1. Year 1 – Heavy feeders (tomatoes, peppers)
2. Year 2 – Nitrogen fixers (beans, peas)
3. Year 3 – Light feeders (brassicas)
4. Year 4 – Root crops (carrots, beets)

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3. Planting Calculator

Navigate to: Farmers Bounty → Dashboard → Recommendations

Get personalized planting dates!

How It Works

System calculates based on:

• Your Location – Latitude/longitude
• Historical Weather – Last frost dates
• Plant Requirements – Days to maturity
• GDD Requirements – Growing degree days
• Your History – Past success/failures

Planting Windows

For each crop, see:

• Optimal Planting Date – Best time to plant
• Early Window – Earliest safe date
• Late Window – Latest practical date
• Frost Risk – Probability of frost
• Success Rate – Based on your history

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4. Garden Locations

Navigate to: Farmers Bounty → Garden Locations

Track microclimates and conditions!

Location Details

For each area, record:

• Sunlight – Direct, indirect, shade
• Sun Timing – Morning, midday, afternoon
• Sun Hours – <3, 3-5, 6-8, 8+ hours
• Soil Type – Clay, amended, sandy, raised bed
• Drainage – Good, moderate, poor
• Microclimate – Hot spot, cool spot, windy
• Dimensions – Size of area
• Notes – Special conditions

Using Location Data

System uses locations for:

• Plant Recommendations – Match plants to conditions
• Watering Schedules – Adjust for sun exposure
• Heat Stress Alerts – Warn about hot spots
• Crop Rotation – Track what grew where

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Analytics & Insights

Analytics Dashboard

Navigate to: Farmers Bounty → Analytics

Year-Over-Year Comparison

Compare seasons:

• Total Harvests – This year vs last year
• Top Performers – Best plants each year
• Harvest Value – Estimated savings
• Success Rate – Plants that produced

Harvest Trends

Visual charts show:

• Monthly Harvests – Seasonal patterns
• Harvest by Type – Vegetables, fruits, herbs
• Quality Trends – Performance over time
• Variety Comparison – Which varieties excel

Learning Insights

Analyze your learnings:

• Most Common Challenges – What to improve
• Success Patterns – What works well
• Pest/Disease Frequency – Common problems
• Technique Effectiveness – What methods work

Top Plants

See your best performers:

• Highest Yield – Most productive
• Best Quality – Highest rated
• Most Reliable – Consistent producers
• Best Value – Cost vs harvest

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Growing Degree Days (GDD)

Navigate to: Dashboard → GDD Widget

Track plant development scientifically!

What Are GDD?

Growing Degree Days measure heat accumulation:

• Plants need specific heat to develop
• More accurate than calendar days
• Accounts for temperature variations

GDD Tracking

For each plant, see:

• Base Temperature – Minimum for growth
• Accumulated GDD – Total heat units
• GDD to Maturity – How much needed
• Progress – % complete
• Predicted Harvest – Based on GDD

Using GDD

• More Accurate Predictions – Better than “days to maturity”
• Compare Seasons – GDD normalizes weather differences
• Optimize Planting – Plant when GDD accumulation begins

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Heat Stress Monitoring

Navigate to: Dashboard → Heat Stress Widget

Protect plants during Atlanta summers!

Heat Tolerance Database

System knows tolerance for 15+ crops:

• Low Tolerance – Cool season crops (lettuce, spinach, peas)
• Medium Tolerance – Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers
• High Tolerance – Okra, eggplant, melons

Alert Types

Current Critical 🔥

• Temperature is NOW above critical threshold
• Take immediate action!

Current Warning 🌡️

• Temperature approaching stress levels
• Monitor closely

Forecast Critical ⚠️

• Extreme heat coming in 1-3 days
• Prepare protection now

Forecast Warning ☀️

• Heat stress likely in 1-3 days
• Plan ahead

Protection Recommendations

System suggests:

• Watering – Deep water timing
• Shade – Install shade cloth (30-50%)
• Mulching – 3-4 inches organic mulch
• Misting – Cool foliage (morning only)
• Early Harvest – For sensitive crops

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Data Management

Backup & Restore

Navigate to: Farmers Bounty → Backup & Restore

Never lose your garden data!

Creating Backups

Click Create Backup to export:

• All plants
• Seeds
• Harvests
• Learnings
• Locations
• Succession plans
• Settings (API keys redacted)

Format: JSON (human-readable)

Restoring Data

Upload a backup file to restore:

• Safety Backup – Automatic backup before restore
• Selective Restore – Choose what to restore
• Merge or Replace – Keep existing or overwrite

Automatic Backups

Configure automatic backups:

• Daily – Every night at 2 AM
• Weekly – Every Sunday
• Monthly – First of month
• Before Updates – Automatic safety backup

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CSV Import

Navigate to: Farmers Bounty → Import CSV

Bulk import data from spreadsheets!

Supported Formats

1. Plants – Standard plant data
2. Seeds – Seed inventory
3. Harvests – Harvest records
4. Excel Export – Your personal tracking sheets

Auto-Detection

System automatically detects:

• CSV format
• Column headers
• Data types
• Encoding

Import Process

1. Upload CSV – Select file
2. Auto-Detect – System identifies format
3. Preview – Review data
4. Map Columns – Adjust if needed
5. Import – Process data
6. Report – Success/error summary

Download Templates

Click Download Template for:

• Plants template
• Seeds template
• Harvests template
• Blank template (custom)

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CSV Export

Navigate to: Farmers Bounty → My Plants → Export to CSV

Export data for:

• Backup – Save your data
• Analysis – Use Excel/Google Sheets
• Sharing – Send to others
• Migration – Move to another system

Exported Data:

• Plant name, variety
• Planting date, location
• Planter type, maturity
• Status, notes
• Harvest totals

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Advanced Features

Enhanced Weather Integration ⭐ New in v2.0.0!

The Weather Underground Personal Weather Station integration has been significantly enhanced to provide complete weather data for your garden.

What’s New

Complete Data Capture:

• Now captures 100% of available weather data (23 fields)
• Previously captured only 70% (16 fields)
• Added 7 critical data points including full geographic information

Key Enhancements:

1. Geographic Awareness

• Station latitude and longitude
• Elevation data (affects frost and temperature)
• Complete station information
• Enables future multi-garden support

1. Enhanced Temperature Tracking

• Separate Heat Index & Wind Chill – No longer combined
• Feels-Like Temperature – Intelligently shows relevant metric
• Dew Point – Important for disease risk
• Season-Specific Data – Summer heat index, winter wind chill

1. Cardinal Wind Directions

• Shows “North,” “Southeast,” “West” instead of just degrees
• More intuitive for non-technical users
• Combined with speed (e.g., “SE 12 mph”)

1. Metric Pressure Units

• Barometric pressure in both inches and millibars
• International user support
• Scientific accuracy

1. UTC Timestamps

• Timezone-independent time tracking
• Prevents Daylight Saving Time confusion
• Better for historical analysis

Weather Display Options

Three Detail Levels:

Minimal – For sidebar widgets:

Weather station not configured.

• Temperature
• Humidity
• Wind
• Perfect for space-constrained areas

Standard – Default balanced view:

Weather station not configured.

• All minimal data plus:
• Precipitation
• UV Index
• Station information
• Observation time

Full – Complete weather station:

Weather station not configured.

• All standard data plus:
• Dew point
• Pressure (both units)
• Solar radiation
• Elevation
• Geographic coordinates
• Data quality indicator

Weather Data Uses

Planting Decisions:

• Frost risk based on temperature and elevation
• Soil temperature estimates
• Optimal planting windows

Watering Recommendations:

• Recent precipitation tracking
• Humidity levels
• Dew point for disease risk

Disease Prevention:

• High humidity alerts
• Leaf wetness probability
• Temperature in disease-favorable ranges

Heat Stress Protection:

• Heat index monitoring
• UV intensity tracking
• Alert generation for sensitive plants

Dashboard Weather Widget

The admin dashboard weather widget now shows:

• Station name with elevation
• Current temperature and feels-like
• Cardinal wind directions
• UV Index
• Dew point
• Barometric pressure (inches & mb)
• Up to 6 weather metrics visible (was 3)

Data Quality

All weather observations include:

• Quality Status – Verified data integrity
• Observation Times – Both local and UTC
• Station Metadata – Full station information
• Automatic Updates – 15-minute cache refresh

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AI Chatbot

Shortcode: [bg_chatbot]

Get expert gardening advice!

What It Knows

The chatbot has context from:

• Your Garden – Your plants, harvests, learnings
• Your Locations – Sunlight, soil conditions
• Weather – Current and forecast
• Knowledge Base – Pests, diseases, techniques
• Web Search – Current information (via Tavily)
• Your History – Past successes and challenges

Example Questions

Planting:

“When should I plant tomatoes in my back raised bed?”

Problems:

“My cucumber leaves have white spots. What is it?”

Planning:

“What should I plant after my tomatoes?”

Techniques:

“How do I improve my red clay soil?”

Harvesting:

“When will my Cherokee Purple tomatoes be ready?”

Chatbot Features

• Conversational – Natural language
• Context-Aware – Remembers conversation
• Personalized – Uses your garden data
• Credible – Only trusted sources
• Atlanta-Specific – Zone 7b optimized

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Harvest Predictions

Navigate to: Dashboard → Predictions

AI-powered harvest forecasting!

How It Works

System predicts harvest dates using:

• Days to Maturity – Seed packet info
• GDD Requirements – Heat accumulation
• Weather Forecast – Upcoming conditions
• Your History – Past performance
• Variety Data – Specific variety traits

Prediction Accuracy

Confidence Levels:

• High – Historical data + weather forecast
• Medium – Seed packet info + averages
• Low – Estimates only

Using Predictions

• Plan Harvests – Schedule time
• Succession Planting – Time next planting
• Preservation – Prepare equipment
• Sharing – Coordinate with friends

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Companion Planting

Navigate to: My Plants → Add Plant → Companion Suggestions

Plant friends together!

How It Works

System knows companion relationships:

• Good Companions – Beneficial pairings
• Bad Companions – Avoid planting together
• Reasons – Why they work (or don’t)

Example Companions

Tomatoes:

• ✅ Good: Basil, carrots, onions, parsley
• ❌ Bad: Brassicas, fennel, potatoes

Cucumbers:

• ✅ Good: Beans, corn, radishes, nasturtiums
• ❌ Bad: Potatoes, aromatic herbs

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Knowledge Base

Access expert guidance on:

Pests (35+ profiles)

Navigate to: knowledgebase/pests/georgia-common-pests.md

Includes:

• Identification photos
• Life cycle
• Damage patterns
• Organic controls
• Chemical controls
• Prevention strategies
• Atlanta-specific timing

Featured Pests:

• Squash Vine Borer
• Tomato Hornworm
• Cabbage Worms
• Aphids
• Japanese Beetles
• Stink Bugs
• And 29 more!

Diseases (15+ profiles)

Navigate to: knowledgebase/diseases/georgia-common-diseases.md

Includes:

• Symptoms
• Causes
• Affected plants
• Treatment
• Prevention
• Atlanta humidity considerations

Featured Diseases:

• Early Blight
• Powdery Mildew
• Downy Mildew
• Fusarium Wilt
• Bacterial Spot
• And 10 more!

Preservation Methods

Navigate to: knowledgebase/preservation/harvest-preservation-guide.md

Complete guide (3,000+ lines) covering:

• Freezing – Blanching, packaging
• Canning – Water bath & pressure
• Dehydrating – Equipment, techniques
• Fermenting – Probiotics, recipes
• Pickling – Quick & canned
• Root Cellaring – Atlanta adaptations

Red Clay Strategies

Navigate to: knowledgebase/soil/red-clay-strategies-atlanta.md

Comprehensive guide (2,500+ lines) for:

• Understanding red clay
• Improvement methods
• Raised bed construction
• Amendment recommendations
• Cover crops
• 3-year improvement timeline
• Local suppliers
• Budget breakdowns

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Shortcodes

Embed garden data on your website!

Available Shortcodes

1. My Plants

[bg_my_plants]

Displays your active plants with:

• Plant cards
• Photos (if available)
• Quick stats
• Harvest buttons

Parameters:

• status="active" – Show only active plants
• limit="10" – Limit number shown
• location="Back Yard" – Filter by location

2. Garden Summary

Please log in to view your garden summary.

Shows garden overview:

• Total plants
• Harvest totals
• Recent activity
• Quick stats

3. Weather Widget

Weather station not configured.

New in v2.0.0: Enhanced weather display with three detail levels!

Basic Usage:

Weather station not configured.
                          // Standard view
Weather station not configured.
        // Compact view
Weather station not configured.
           // Complete weather data

Standard View Displays:

• Current temperature and feels-like
• Station name and location
• Humidity with icon
• Wind speed and cardinal direction (N, SE, etc.)
• Precipitation total
• UV Index
• Observation time

Full View Additional Data:

• Dew point temperature
• Barometric pressure (inches and millibars)
• Solar radiation
• Station elevation
• Geographic coordinates
• Data quality indicator

Minimal View (Compact):

• Temperature
• Humidity
• Wind only

Example – Full Weather Display:

Unable to load weather data.

Shows complete weather metrics including:

• All temperature data (actual, feels-like, heat index, wind chill, dew point)
• Complete wind information (speed, gusts, direction as degrees and cardinal)
• Full atmospheric data (humidity, pressure in both units)
• Solar and UV data
• Station information (name, location, elevation)

4. Recommendations

Please log in to view recommendations.

Shows personalized recommendations:

• What to plant now
• Watering suggestions
• Pest alerts
• Rotation advice

5. Chatbot

[bg_chatbot]

Embeds the AI chatbot:

• Full conversational interface
• Context-aware
• Personalized advice

Parameters:

• height="600px" – Set height
• theme="light" – Light or dark theme

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FAQ

General Questions

Q: Do I need API keys?
A: No, the plugin works without them. API keys enable advanced features like the chatbot, weather data, and plant database.

Q: Is my data private?
A: Yes! All data stays in your WordPress database. API calls are encrypted.

Q: Can multiple users use the plugin?
A: Currently, it’s single-garden. Multi-user support is planned for v3.0.

Q: Does it work outside Atlanta?
A: Yes! While optimized for Atlanta/Zone 7b, it works anywhere. Pest/disease data is Georgia-specific.

Technical Questions

Q: What if I don’t have a Weather Underground station?
A: The plugin uses the nearest available station automatically. You can specify a different station ID in settings, or manually enter weather data if needed. The plugin now captures complete data from any PWS station (v2.0.0).

Q: What weather data is captured?
A: The plugin now captures 100% of available Weather Underground data including: temperature (actual, feels-like, heat index, wind chill, dew point), humidity, wind (speed, gusts, direction as degrees and cardinal), precipitation, UV index, solar radiation, barometric pressure (both inches and millibars), station location (latitude, longitude, elevation), and data quality indicators.

Q: How do I backup my data?
A: Go to Backup & Restore → Create Backup. Download the JSON file and store it safely.

Q: Can I import from other garden apps?
A: Yes, via CSV import. Export from your other app, then import here.

Q: How do I update the plugin?
A: Standard WordPress update. Your data is preserved automatically.

Feature Questions

Q: How accurate are harvest predictions?
A: Very accurate with historical data. Predictions improve over time as you use the plugin.

Q: What if I don’t know my garden’s latitude/longitude?
A: Just enter your street address. The plugin calculates it automatically (requires Google Maps API key).

Q: Can I track multiple gardens?
A: Currently one garden per site. Use WordPress multisite for multiple gardens.

Q: How do I share my garden with others?
A: Export to CSV and share the file. Or use the shortcodes to display on your website.

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Support

Getting Help

Documentation:

• User Guide (this document)
• Quick Start Guide
• Gardener Review Guide

In-Plugin Help:

• Hover over (?) icons for tooltips
• Use the chatbot for questions
• Check Settings → Help tab

Community:

• WordPress.org support forum
• GitHub issues (for bugs)
• Email: support@backyardgardener.com

Reporting Bugs

Found a bug? Please report:

1. What happened – Describe the issue
2. What you expected – What should happen
3. Steps to reproduce – How to recreate it
4. Screenshots – If applicable
5. System info – WordPress version, PHP version

Feature Requests

Have an idea? We’d love to hear it!

• GitHub discussions
• Support forum
• Email: features@backyardgardener.com

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Appendix

Glossary

GDD (Growing Degree Days) – Heat accumulation measurement for plant development

Succession Planting – Planting crops at intervals for continuous harvest

Crop Rotation – Changing plant families in locations to prevent disease

Hardiness Zone – USDA climate zone classification

Companion Planting – Growing beneficial plants together

Microclimate – Small area with different conditions than surrounding area

Base Temperature – Minimum temperature for plant growth

Days to Maturity – Time from planting to harvest

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Version History

v2.0.0 (January 2026)

• ✅ Seed Inventory
• ✅ Season Learnings
• ✅ Enhanced Harvest Tracking
• ✅ Succession Planting
• ✅ Location Management
• ✅ Analytics Dashboard
• ✅ Planting Calculator
• ✅ Harvest Predictions
• ✅ Crop Rotation
• ✅ GDD Tracking
• ✅ Heat Stress Alerts
• ✅ Backup/Restore
• ✅ CSV Import Enhancements
• ✅ Knowledge Base Expansion

v1.1.0 (December 2025)

• Chatbot integration
• API integrations
• Multi-tab UI
• Enhanced forms

v1.0.0 (November 2025)

• Initial release
• Basic plant tracking
• Weather integration
• Dashboard

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Botanical Garden AI Skills (v8.3.0+)

Farmers Bounty includes 30 specialist AI skills for botanical garden roles across horticulture, science, education, and outreach. These skills provide domain expertise, workflows, terminology, and output templates for development and operations. See the latest user guide (v3.0.0+) or CLAUDE.md for the full inventory.

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Thank you for using Farmers Bounty! 🌱

Happy Gardening!

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Last Updated: March 19, 2026
Version: 2.0.0 (see latest user guide for current features)
For the latest documentation, visit: backyardgardener.com/docs