Crowd source your green thumb with Folia
Curious about gardening? Check out Folia, a social network for plant enthusiasts who want to share and learn tips from the successes and failures of those around them.
Much like Ravelry, the social network for knitters, Folia's claim to fame is that it lets you share and track your gardening with others whether they're near or far. It's also been built up to help you keep an inventory on all your plants and aid you in making swaps with other growers for plants you'd normally have to go out and buy yourself. Think of it like a giant swap meet for plants.
One of the site's biggest assets for newbie gardeners is that it's set up to help you learn about a plant you've just acquired, or are thinking about getting, and let you see how well it will work in your region based on the USDA zoning--a list of the ideal growing conditions. While this is helpful, the site can be even more useful if people nearby are posting information on plants that have been successfully grown in your area--something you're unlikely to find on the back of a seed bag. There's also a built-in wiki that will give you information on each variety and tips on growing it.
Besides being a reference service, Folia throws in some publishing and productivity tools like a garden blog and a scheduling tool. It ties into Flickr and Google services like Picasa Web Albums and Blogger, so you can take pictures of your plant and post them to your virtual gardens to show to others. This goes along with a tracking tool that notes how many days each plant has been growing since you put it in the ground and when you should water and tend to it based on your care preferences.
Folia launched in earnest in late 2007. Competing gardening social networks include The Garden Network and GardenWeb.
[via Unclutter via Lifehacker]
Gardening goes Web 2.0 with Folia, a tracking and plant resource side with a great social twist.
(Credit: CNET Networks)
Josh Lowensohn is an associate editor for Webware.com, CNET's blog about cool and otherwise useful Web applications and services. If you've found a site you'd like profiled, shoot him an e-mail. E-mail Josh.
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