For people missing a patch of dirt, a new app wants to play matchmaker.
My Gardens Spot, created in Canada by David Cutcher, is designed to connect people with unused garden space to people whose homes do not allow for full gardens. The app is set to launch on May 15.
“Gardening feeds my soul much more than my stomach. I realized that I’m not the only one,” Cutcher said in a recent interview. “I’m in a condo. I am an orphaned gardener. I’d lost my garden.”
Cutcher said the idea came after he downsized from British Columbia four years ago to be closer to family in the Mississauga area. Without outdoor space for gardening, he looked for local community gardens but found many had wait lists.
That led him to see private yards as an untapped community asset.
“I know this platform is needed because I felt that loss personally,” said Cutcher.
The app has two kinds of users: hosts, who are homeowners offering underused garden space, and gardeners, who are looking for space and can set a search radius within their town to find hosts nearby.
Hosts pay an annual subscription fee of $75, although people who sign up before launch get their first year free with no commitment required. Hosts are expected to post at least eight photos of the space they have available and are encouraged to offer tools such as rakes or shovels.
The app’s website also includes information on turning part of a lawn into a garden spot.
Cutcher said hosts and gardeners are encouraged to make their own payment arrangements. Some hosts offer land for free in exchange for maintenance on gardens they do not have time to manage. Others work out a fee or a barter-style arrangement.
For example, someone growing vegetables could share part of the harvest with the landowner as payment.
The app also includes in-app messaging so hosts and gardeners can connect without sharing phone numbers.
“They get to decide how much they’d like to charge. The app is just the matchmaker,” Cutcher explained.
Cutcher said rising food prices could help drive interest in the app.
The app will be available across Canada, and Cutcher said he is interested in promoting it in communities such as Newmarket and Aurora, where there are many people living in condominiums and apartments, as well as people who have downsized after retirement.
“Connection strengthens the community,” he said.
My Gardens Spot will be available on both the Apple Store and Google Play.
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