Gardening with a PDA: A 2003 Perspective on Early Mobile Tech

NOTE: Written for AJC in 2003, before smartphones and apps. Interesting to see how far we've come!

My wife's garden club visited last week. Great time talking and tasting potluck dishes.

"Watch Molly Wilson's cheese muffins," Joyce Cotter whispered. "She brought a big pile... but they're so good, by meeting's end none will be left."

Sure enough, within thirty minutes only crumbs remained.

Frances Mary D'Andrea asked for the recipe. "It's easy," Molly replied. "Get paper and write it down."

Instead of paper, Frances Mary whipped out her Palm™ PDA and furiously pecked as Molly spoke. Afterwards I asked, "I like gadgets but never saw PDA necessity. Do you like yours?"

She answered as if I'd asked if she liked using her legs to walk. "This is my brain! I organize my entire life with my PDA!"

Her emphasis took me aback. I'm a heavy Internet user but no one showed me PDA usefulness in gardening.

Can the calendar remind when to fertilize and apply weed preventer? Could it note bloom dates or pest arrivals? Is there gardening software? Do people truly use it?

Rather than me answering your questions, I need you to answer mine. Tell me how you've used modern electronic tech to make gardening easier. Even programming nursery numbers into your cell phone—I want to hear. Do you have gardening songs for your MP3 player?

Most importantly, here's Molly's cheese muffin recipe:

2 sticks very soft butter
1 cup sour cream
2 cups self-rising flour
2 cups sharp cheese

Add ingredients in order, hand-stirring after each, in big bowl. Spoon into muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 400°F 15–20 minutes until tops brown. Make four times as many as guests.

Three ways to save: tear from newspaper, hand-copy to recipe card, or save at www.ajc.com to computer. Use whichever technology appeals.

My dad gardened with my mother's Allis-Chalmers tractor for fifty years—no hydraulic lift, hand crank start—but he knew it was better than mule power. Progress presents new tools, mechanical or electronic. How we use them is up to the individual—but having different tools always makes life easier.