How does Garden Buddy AU work?

Garden Buddy AU works in 5 steps: (1) look up vegetable prices free on /prices/; (2) enter your postcode for your climate zone; (3) read your zone's growing guides with planting months and tips; (4) sign up free for the Gardener Weekly Digest and the Weekly Price Alert; (5) track your harvest and compare savings against supermarket prices. The system remembers your crops year-on-year to improve advice.

Where does Garden Buddy AU get vegetable prices from?

Garden Buddy AU compiles publicly listed prices daily at 10am AEST from four Australian retailers: Woolworths, Coles, Aldi, and IGA. Data is normalised for per-kilogram pricing and unit conversion, with 107,000+ records retained. Today's prices and the 12-month low and high are free for everyone, updated by noon each day. The 3-month trend chart comes with a free account, and the full 12-month history is on Starter.

Can I track my garden with Garden Buddy AU?

Yes. A free account includes a taste of the garden journal: 1 bed and 3 plants. A Starter plan makes it unlimited, with a care log, harvest log, CSV export and a grow-vs-buy ROI report. Starter also adds a "Your crops this week" section to the Monday Weekly Price Alert, with price-drop alerts for the crops you grow. You'll build multi-year history to see what actually works in your climate zone.

What are the newest Garden Buddy AU features?

All live now on the Pro plan: Buddy Check photo pest ID (20 checks a month, photos processed privately on our own Australian server); live pest pressure for your postcode including Queensland fruit fly; weather-triggered pest alerts for your crops; the succession planting planner to avoid harvest gluts; and the Monthly Vegetable Price Report email.

What Garden Buddy AU Does

Q: Is Garden Buddy AU free?

Garden Buddy AU has a free tier forever with no credit card required. Without an account you get live daily vegetable prices for 76 crops across 4 supermarkets, 700+ zone-specific growing guides, the Plant Now tool and the 34-pest library. A free account adds the 3-month price trend chart, the Gardener Weekly Digest (Sunday), the Weekly Price Alert (Monday) and a small garden journal (1 bed, 3 plants). Paid plans (Starter $3.99/month or $29/year, Pro $7.99/month or $59/year) unlock the full 12-month price history, unlimited garden tracking with harvest ROI, and Buddy Check photo pest ID with live pest pressure including Queensland fruit fly.

Everything you need to grow better vegetables in your climate zone. Live price tracker for 76 vegetables, 700+ growing guides, two free weekly emails, and a garden journal you can start free.

Free, no login needed

These features work without an account. No signup, no card.

Live Vegetable Prices

Updated daily from Woolworths, Coles, Aldi, and IGA. See the cheapest store for 76 vegetables, plus the 12-month low and high. A free account adds the 3-month trend chart; Starter unlocks the full 12-month history.

View live prices →

700+ Growing Guides

Complete planting calendars for 100+ crops across all 7 Australian climate zones. Subtropical, Tropical, Warm & Cool Temperate, Mediterranean, Arid, and Cold Highland.

Browse guides →

Plant Now Tool

Enter your postcode once. Get zone-specific recommendations for what to plant this month, with varieties suited to your climate and frost dates.

Try Plant Now →

Australian Pest Database

34+ Australian garden pests with identification, treatment options (chemical and organic), prevention tips, and seasonal pressure calendars for your zone.

See pest guide →

Two Free Weekly Emails

The Gardener Weekly Digest every Sunday (what to plant, harvest and watch in your zone) and the Weekly Price Alert every Monday with the biggest price movers. Both free with an account.

Sign up to opt in (free).

Per-Veggie Detail Pages

Deep dives into 100+ crops: planting months, companion plants, days to maturity, pest watch list, how to harvest, and grow vs buy savings.

Example: Tomato in Brisbane →

Visual Bed Planner

Draw garden beds on a grid, drag crops onto them, and the planner works out how many plants fit and what the harvest is worth at today’s prices. The demo is open to everyone, drag beds and crops around all you like. Starter unlocks saving your own plans.

Try the bed planner →

The free account: free forever (no credit card)

A $0 account adds the 3-month price trend chart on every veggie, the Gardener Weekly Digest (Sunday), the Weekly Price Alert (Monday), and a taste of the garden journal: 1 bed and 3 plants. The journal goes unlimited on Starter. Create a free account →

Paid plans

Everything above, plus personal features for tracking your garden and learning what actually works in your climate.

Starter

$29/year or $3.99/month

Monthly plan cancellable anytime.

✓ All free features
✓ Full 12-month price history per veggie
✓ Price-drop alerts for crops you grow (“Your crops this week” in the Weekly Price Alert)
✓ Pick-your-crops watchlist
✓ Unlimited beds & plants in the journal
✓ Care log & harvest log with CSV export
✗ Buddy Check photo pest ID (Pro only)
✗ Live pest pressure incl. QLD fruit fly (Pro only)

Choose Starter

Pro

$59/year or $7.99/month

Monthly plan cancellable anytime. Best value for serious growers.

✓ All Starter features
✓ Buddy Check photo pest ID (20 a month, private, on our Australian server)
✓ Live pest pressure for your postcode, including QLD fruit fly
✓ Weekly Pest Alert, matched to your zone, season and crops
✓ Succession planting planner
✓ Monthly Vegetable Price Report email

Choose Pro

Common questions

Is Garden Buddy AU free?

Garden Buddy AU has a free tier forever with no credit card required. Without an account you get live daily vegetable prices, 700+ zone-specific growing guides and the Plant Now tool. A free account adds the 3-month price trend chart, the Gardener Weekly Digest, the Weekly Price Alert, and a small garden journal (1 bed, 3 plants). Paid plans ($29–$59/yr) unlock the full 12-month price history, unlimited garden tracking with harvest ROI, and Buddy Check photo pest ID.

Where do the vegetable prices come from?

Garden Buddy AU monitors publicly listed prices daily at 10am AEST from four Australian retailers: Woolworths, Coles, Aldi, and IGA. Data is normalised for per-kilogram pricing and unit conversion, with 12 months of history retained. Today’s prices and the 12-month low and high are free for everyone, updated by noon each day. The 3-month trend chart comes with a free account, and the full 12-month history is on Starter.

How often is the growing guide updated?

Growing guides and planting calendars are generated from Australian climate data and pest pressure analysis. They’re regenerated weekly as pest pressure changes, but the core planting month tables are stable across seasons. Each guide covers the specific zone, Tropical, Subtropical, Warm Temperate, Cool Temperate, Mediterranean, Arid, or Cold Highland.

Can I export my garden data?

Yes. Starter and Pro members can export their care log and harvest log as CSV (a complete list of what you grew, when, and how much). ROI reports can also be downloaded.

What shipped recently?

All live now on Pro: Buddy Check photo pest ID (20 checks a month, processed privately on our Australian server); live pest pressure for your postcode including QLD fruit fly; weather-triggered pest alerts for your crops; and the succession planting planner to avoid harvest gluts. Regular updates based on user feedback, email us your ideas.

Ready to grow better?

Start free today. No credit card, no setup needed. Check prices, read your zone guide, and get planting recommendations in seconds.

View Live Prices Plant Now Guide

Features