FAQ

Subscription

Q: How much does a subscription to the Fantastic Farm and Garden Calculator cost?

A: We have two pricing levels.  The price for the Garden version of the Fantastic Farm and Garden Calculator is $25 for a 1 year period. The Farm version of the Fantastic Farm and Garden Calculator is $35 for a 1 year period and contains a Retail Sales Calculator which the Garden version does not offer.

Q: What method of payment do you accept?

A: You can pay securely by credit card or with you PayPal account.  We use PayPal, the leading provider of secure credit card transactions on the Internet, for all our credit card processing.  You are not required to have a PayPal account to pay by credit card.

Q: Do you offer a trial version?

A: Yes, click on the Demo link under the drop-down Calculator menu at the top of the page for more info.

Q: Can I share my account with others?

A: The Fantastic Farm and Garden Calculator terms and conditions only allow people in the same household to share one Fantastic Farm and Garden Calculator account. We would respectfully ask that you do not share your account details with others.

Q: You mention that 100% of subscription fees go to LandShare Colorado and Colorado Local Sustainability.  Why is that?

A: LandShare Colorado is a free service that was created to help gardeners and farmers connect with landowner who have cultivatable land.  We feel it is extremely important to help create more local food sources.  This can be by connecting gardeners with a backyard where they can grow vegetables their families, or connecting farmers with available farmland so they can grow food for their communities.  While this service is free to use, it does cost money to run it.  Subscriber fees help cover our costs and allow us to provide this service.

Colorado Local Sustainability, www.localsustainability.net publishes the Rocky Mountain Growers Directory, and our website contains an ever growing wealth of information on local food, sustainable agriculture and more. We provide free directory listings to farms in and around Colorado, and provide the printed directory for free to consumers.  The website and online directory are also free for all to use.  This project also costs a considerable amount to run, and Fantastic Farm and Garden Calculator subscriber fees will help cover costs, help to continue to allow free listings for farms and ranches, and help us to continue educating consumers and growers alike.

By subscribing to use the Fantastic Farm and Garden Calculator, you are not only making it easy to plan your garden or farm, but you are supporting two great projects who are doing a lot to help support local farms, and local food economies.

Fantastic Farm and Garden Calculator

Q: Is this a design program?

A: No, the Fantastic Farm and Garden Calculator is not a program that allows you to draw garden beds or farm rows.  It is a calculator that gives you the serious details you need to start growing. It is garden planning software, or farm planning software which quickly allow you to enter the number of people you want to feed, the amount of growing space you have, your frost date, and how much of each vegetable you wish to provide to your family, CSA or retail farm customers.  With just a little detail from you, the calculator will figure out the rest.  For more information, please see the Calculator Details in the menu to the right.

Q: What information does it provide?

A: It provides potential yields for vegetables and herbs, the number of plants required, row space required, plant spacing for intensive planting, planting and harvest dates for your area, successive plantings, how many people or CSA members you can provide for, and a retail sales calculator for farmers and market gardeners.

Q: Is it hard to use?

A: No, it is fairly easy to use.  Just input your basic info, and the calculator does the rest.  Once you subscribe, you will have access to the instructions.  We highly recommend reading the instruction before using the calculator, and watching the training video.  This will help you to get the best results possible.

Q: Do I need to install any software or plugins?

A: No, the Fantastic Farm and Garden Calculator is completely web based and does not require that software be install, and does not require plugins such as Flash.  You just need a web browser, and if you are reading this, you are set!  For best results we do suggest using using Firefox or Safari for your web browser, but Internet Explorer works too.

Q: Can I use the Fantastic Farm and Garden Calculator on a Mac?

A: Yes!  We are Mac users, so that was important to us.  Since it is web based, it is cross platform and has been tested on Mac, Windows, and should also work on Linux.

Q: Can I use several different calculators at once?

A: No, the Fantastic Farm and Garden Calculator you choose in your subscription (beginner, intermediate, advance farm or garden) will be the only one you can access.  Be sure to choose the proper calculator and skill level for yours needs.

Q: Can I save my plans?

A: Yes, you can save up to 15 different variations of your plan.  They are saved to your account on our server.

Q: Can I print my plans?

A: Yes!  Just click the Print link at the top of your calculator.

Q: If I don’t renew, does my account get deleted?

A: No, your account and plans will always remain on our server.  If at some point you want to use the Fantastic Farm and Garden Calculator again, just log in to your account and subscribe for the same version of the calculator you had been using and then you can access your saved data and make changes.

Q: What plants are included in the Fantastic Farm and Garden Calculator?

A: Please see the “Plants” link in the menu to the right for more detail on this question.

Q: What if a vegetable or herb I plant is not in FFGC?

A: Go to our Forum, and suggest a vegetable or herb in the Suggestions forum and we will consider adding in future revisions.