Terms of Service

Last updated: May 19, 2026

30-second summary. GardenAR is a free garden-planning tool that lives in your browser. It gives you rough estimates — planting dates, yields, market values, fertilizer doses, watering amounts — based on widely cited US averages and third-party APIs. It is not professional agricultural, financial, regulatory, or legal advice. Don’t bet your livelihood on it without your own verification.

1. Acceptance

By using GardenAR (https://gardenar.app), you agree to these Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, stop using the service.

2. The service

GardenAR is a free, browser-based garden planner. It includes plot measurement, plant catalog, auto-layout, 3D mature-bed preview, USDA-zone planting calendar, fertilizer schedule, weather-driven watering recommendations, frost alerts, photo journal, harvest log, yield potential, and profit-estimate features. Most data lives only on your device. See the Privacy Policy for full details.

3. Disclaimers — please read

3.1 Yield estimates are rough

The expected-yield ranges (e.g., “8–15 lbs per tomato plant”) are widely cited US averages. Your actual yields will depend on variety, soil, sun exposure, weather, pests, irrigation discipline, and a hundred other factors. Use the ranges as planning guidance, not as a forecast.

3.2 Market value estimates are rough

The market values used in the profit-potential section are rough US national averages (farmers-market-ish retail). Actual prices vary significantly by region, variety, season, and where you sell (wholesale, CSA, restaurant direct, florist direct). Costs in the profit calculation explicitly exclude labor, soil amendments, compost, irrigation, containers, fencing, insurance, certification, fuel, and other materials — do not treat the profit number as a business forecast.

3.3 Planting calendar dates are approximate

The planting calendar uses approximate frost dates for each USDA hardiness zone. Your specific microclimate (urban heat island, elevation, exposure, marine influence) may shift the actual safe planting dates by weeks. Cross-reference with your county extension office before betting a big planting on these dates.

3.4 Fertilizer recommendations are general

The pre-plant amendment and side-dress recommendations are general guidance for a balanced vegetable garden. Follow your soil test lab’s specific recommendations and any guidance from your local extension office. Over-application of nutrients can damage plants and pollute waterways.

3.5 Watering and frost alerts depend on third-party data

The weather forecast and historical rainfall used by the watering recommendation and frost alert come from open-meteo.com. Forecasts can be wrong. Always verify before taking protective action like deploying frost cloth or pre-watering ahead of an expected dry spell.

3.6 Commercial growing requires additional compliance

If you plan to sell produce or flowers to restaurants, florists, CSAs, or at farmers markets, you are responsible for complying with all applicable laws. Cottage food laws vary significantly by US state. Restaurant supply often requires commercial kitchen certification. Organic claims require certification. Sales tax registration may apply. Consult your state department of agriculture and county extension office.

4. Acceptable use

You may use GardenAR for personal or commercial garden planning. You agree not to:

Use the app to violate any law or regulation
Submit false or misleading data to the third-party APIs the app calls (phzmapi.org, open-meteo.com)
Attempt to overload, abuse, or circumvent rate limits on those APIs
Modify the app in a way that endangers other users when the multi-user backend launches
Misrepresent yourself in any grower or market-host profile fields

5. Your content

You retain ownership of the data, notes, and photos you enter into GardenAR. Because content lives on your device today, there is no license grant to GardenAR. When community-sharing features launch, you will be asked at that time to grant a limited license for the specific content you choose to share. You will retain ownership.

6. Third-party services

The app calls phzmapi.org (USDA zone lookup) and open-meteo.com (weather). Those services have their own terms. GardenAR is not responsible for their availability, accuracy, or data-handling practices.

7. Changes to the service or terms

GardenAR may add features, remove features, change pricing (currently free), or change these terms at any time. Material changes will be announced in-app. Continued use of the service after a change constitutes acceptance.

8. Termination

You may stop using GardenAR at any time by closing the browser tab and clearing site data. We may discontinue the service or restrict access at any time without prior notice.

9. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, GardenAR is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to fitness for a particular purpose. In no event will GardenAR or its operators be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages — including but not limited to crop failure, lost revenue, spoiled produce, damaged equipment, lost data, or business interruption — arising from or related to your use of the service, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

10. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless GardenAR and its operators from any claim arising from your use of the service, your violation of these terms, or your violation of any law or third-party right.

11. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the United States and the state of residence of the operator, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles.

12. Contact

Questions? Email hello@gardenar.app.

Prototype disclaimer. GardenAR is currently a prototype. These terms are offered in good faith but are not a substitute for legal advice. Review with an attorney before relying on this document for any business or commercial purpose.