Library Program Helping Individuals Over 50 with Technological Literacy

COBLESKILL- Cobleskill Community Library Director, Kim Zimmer, recently learned that loneliness is the number one health issue, significantly among older individuals. You are not alone when you need assistance overcoming frustrations and overwhelm from technology for financial literacy, exercise, and other important daily activities. 

Zimmer is a certified Senior Planet program instructor. Senior Planet is supported by AARP and helps individuals over 50 strengthen mind & body, have opportunities to be more engaged, and work toward building an appreciation of the technology that Zimmer reminded we all carry around in our pocket now.

Zimmer introduced attendee input and conversation as an important part of the program, making for an enjoyably interactive lecture. Garden hobbyists and master gardeners discussed what technology would be most helpful for them and what gardening apps and gadgets they have tried in the past. Attendees were seeking technological help for getting rid of weeds, diagnosing plant illnesses, reminding when to water plants, and help with watering plants when out of town. Zimmer personally finds it important to be able to identify if plants are toxic around kids and pets, and kept the community in mind when preparing to talk about solutions saying, “I think about Cobleskill and some of the apartments, how do they be able to create a garden for themselves?”

This program lecture was given with the intention of supplying information; The library and Senior Planet do not endorse any of the products mentioned, and each option has varying costs and subscription rates. They urge you to always do your homework by looking at ratings & reviews, accessibility to customer support, level of ease and intuitiveness of app features, and what accessibility to your information you are approving before downloading any app. And don’t forget about Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schoharie and Otsego Counties as a helpful backup to your gardening technology accuracy questions and concerns.

When using garden design and management apps, keep in mind the USDA website plant hardiness scale shows Cobleskill to be in Zone 5B. 

Seed to Spoon has recipes and information about organic pest treatments and beneficial insects. 

Plant Parent allows you to set water & fertilizer reminders and identify plants and plant illnesses.

iScape uses augmented reality to overlay plants and trees over photos of your garden plot for planning. 

Planter uses a grid format, claims to be great for beginners, offers a web version to view on a bigger screen than a phone, and tells which vegetables complement each other for better growth results when planted next to each other.

Smartdraw has garden plan templates.

Plan-a-Garden was originally through Better Homes and Gardens, but is now though Garden Puzzle, and also uses augmented reality to visualize plant and tree placements. 

Plant and pest identification & care apps like PictureThis can be tried for free and tells all about a plant and if it’s toxic. Similar apps include PlantSnap, PlantNet (which is free), Plantix, Garden Answers, and Planta. You can also use your phone camera with Google Lens and Visual Look Up with iOS 17 for plant identifications.

Outdoor technology can promote water conservation with Wi-Fi compatible smart irrigation systems like RainPoint. 

Indoor system options include AeroGarden grow kits that come with LED grow lights, seed pods, and a built-in watering basin.

Additional conversation brought up rain barrels, soil & plant sensors, and watching the weather station is another way you can use technology to help with gardening. Some were surprised to find out about the existence of seedling heat mats, electric composters, and robotic lawn mowers available on Amazon, as well as Tertill Weeding Robots.

Zimmer said that as a librarian, she always goes to “old technology” of books, and had some recommendations in addition to all the garden technology introduced in the lecture: All New Square Foot Gardening (The Revolutionary Way to Grow More In Less Space) by Mel Bartholomew, Ortho’s All About Houseplants, Pearls of Garden Wisdom (Time-Saving Tips and Techniques from a Country Home) by Deborah S. Tukua & Vicki West, and The Healing Garden (Herbs for Health and Wellness) by Deb Soule; Avena Botanicals.

Within the Mohawk Valley Library System, Technology and Growth Consultant, Mary Carrier, is also a certified Senior Planet instructor in the area. Carrier and Zimmer conduct complimentary Senior Planet workshops and lectures for individuals over 50. Zimmer is still setting up Color Your World Summer Reading Program classes for Adults and the Cobleskill Community Library’s Fall schedule; you can create your own account on seniorplanet.org and email Zimmer at cob-director@mvls.info to let her know which class options would be most helpful to select. Some Senior Planet lecture options include how to use your phone, how to use Google Chrome, and how to use Google Docs. You can search “Gardening group” on Senior Planet’s site for more information on this topic, and both Senior Planet and The Library have newsletters you can sign up for to receive updates straight to your email. Sign up for the Community Library’s monthly newsletter at bit.ly/CommunityLibraryNews.

The Community Library is located at 110 Union Street and the next class in this Senior Planet series is on June 26th at 2:00 PM; Intro to Booking Vacation Stays Online. Register at: https://forms.gle/ANRDzXMeJv8Bw7qr8.