Farmers Bounty User Guide – Getting Started

🌱 Farmers Bounty User Guide – Getting Started

Welcome to Farmers Bounty v3.5.0!

Farmers Bounty is a comprehensive WordPress plugin designed for serious residential gardeners, developed by IT Influentials. Whether you’re managing a backyard garden, raised beds, containers, or a combination of growing spaces, this plugin provides professional-grade tools to help you succeed.

Last Updated: February 14, 2026

📋 What You’ll Learn

  • Installing and activating the plugin
  • Initial setup and configuration
  • Choosing your gardener persona
  • Understanding the dashboard
  • Creating your first garden location
  • Adding your first plants
  • Key features overview
  • What’s new in v3.5.0

🔧 Installation

Method 1: WordPress Admin Panel

  1. Log in to your WordPress admin panel
  2. Navigate to Plugins → Add New
  3. Click Upload Plugin
  4. Choose the farmers-bounty-plugin-v3.5.0.zip file
  5. Click Install Now
  6. Click Activate Plugin

Method 2: FTP Upload

  1. Unzip the farmers-bounty-plugin-v3.5.0.zip file
  2. Upload the farmers-bounty-plugin folder to /wp-content/plugins/
  3. Go to Plugins in WordPress admin
  4. Find Farmers Bounty and click Activate
⚠️ Important: Farmers Bounty requires PHP 7.4+ and WordPress 5.0+. Please verify your server meets these requirements before installation.

🎯 Initial Setup

Step 1: Database Setup

After activation, the plugin automatically creates 37 database tables for managing all garden data. If you encounter any issues:

  1. Go to Farmers Bounty → Database Setup
  2. Check the table status
  3. Click Create Database Tables if any are missing
💡 Tip: The database setup page shows all 37 tables organized by version. You can verify each table was created successfully and view its status.

Step 2: Configure Settings

  1. Navigate to Farmers Bounty → Settings
  2. Enter your location information:
    • Location: Atlanta, GA (default)
    • Coordinates: 33.7701°N, 84.3706°W
    • USDA Zone: 7b/8a
  3. Configure API keys for enhanced features:
    • Weather Underground: For hyperlocal weather data from your Personal Weather Station
    • Perenual API: For comprehensive plant database access
    • Claude AI (Anthropic): For AI-powered chatbot and recommendations
    • Tavily API: For web search-enhanced knowledge
    • PlantNet API: For photo-based plant identification
  4. Set your preferred units (imperial/metric)
  5. Configure notification preferences
  6. Click Save Changes

Step 3: Choose Your Persona

Farmers Bounty offers 9 personalized experiences based on your gardening style:

  1. Go to Farmers Bounty → My Persona
  2. Select the persona that best matches your gardening approach:
    • Weekend Gardener: Casual gardening with minimal time commitment
    • Urban Farmer: Intensive small-space food production
    • Plant Parent: Focus on ornamental and houseplants
    • Homesteader: Self-sufficiency and food preservation
    • Plant Collector: Rare varieties and botanical diversity
    • Landscape Enthusiast: Aesthetic design and curb appeal
    • Community Garden Manager: Multi-gardener coordination
    • Therapeutic Gardener: Wellness and accessibility focus
    • Retirement Gardener: Leisurely pace with deep knowledge
  3. Click Save Persona
💡 Tip: Your persona customizes which features appear in your menu and what recommendations you receive. You can change it anytime!

🏡 Creating Your First Garden Location

  1. Navigate to Farmers Bounty → Garden Locations
  2. Click Add New Location
  3. Enter location details:
    • Name: e.g., “Backyard Garden”, “Front Porch Containers”
    • Type: Choose from 4 types:
      • In-Ground: Traditional garden beds
      • Raised Bed: Elevated planting areas
      • Container: Pots and planters
      • Grow Bag: Fabric growing containers
    • Size: Dimensions or square footage
    • Sunlight: Full Sun, Partial Shade, Full Shade
    • Soil Type: Clay, Loam, Sandy, etc.
    • Notes: Any special characteristics
  4. Click Save Location

🌿 Adding Your First Plants

Method 1: Search Plant Database

  1. Go to Farmers Bounty → My Plants
  2. Click Add Plant
  3. Search by common or scientific name across multiple databases:
    • Perenual: 10,000+ species with cultivation data
    • Trefle: 400,000+ global species
    • GBIF: 1.8M+ biodiversity records
  4. Select the plant from results
  5. Choose the location where it’s planted
  6. Enter planting date and notes
  7. Click Save Plant

Method 2: CSV Import

  1. Prepare a CSV file with columns: Common Name, Scientific Name, Location, Planted Date
  2. Go to Farmers Bounty → Import CSV
  3. Upload your CSV file
  4. Map columns to fields
  5. Click Import

Method 3: HuggingFace Dataset Import

  1. Go to Farmers Bounty → HuggingFace Import
  2. Enter the HuggingFace dataset ID
  3. Map dataset fields to plant attributes
  4. Process import in batches
🎨 Pro Tip: Use the Garden Designer to visually plan your layout before adding plants!

📊 Understanding the Dashboard

The main dashboard (Farmers Bounty → Dashboard) provides an at-a-glance view of your garden:

Dashboard Widgets:

  • Weather Summary: Current conditions from your Personal Weather Station (PWS)
  • Today’s Tasks: Planting, watering, harvesting reminders
  • Plant Health: Alerts for plants needing attention
  • Upcoming Harvests: What’s ready to pick soon
  • Frost Alerts: Warnings for temperature drops
  • Growing Degree Days: Heat accumulation tracking for crop predictions
  • Quick Stats: Total plants, locations, varieties
  • AI Assistant: Quick access to the AI-powered gardening chatbot

🔍 Key Features Overview

FeatureDescriptionLocation
My PlantsManage all plants in your gardenFarmers Bounty → My Plants
CalendarVisual timeline of planting and harvestingFarmers Bounty → Calendar
Garden DesignerVisual layout planning toolFarmers Bounty → Garden Designer
Seed InventoryTrack seed packets and viabilityFarmers Bounty → Seed Inventory
Water ManagementTrack watering and get smart recommendationsFarmers Bounty → Water Management
Plant DiagnosisAI-powered problem identificationFarmers Bounty → Plant Diagnosis
AnalyticsGarden performance insights and reportsFarmers Bounty → Analytics
AI AssistantClaude AI-powered gardening chatbotFarmers Bounty → AI Assistant
Native PlantsGeorgia native plant database and guidesFarmers Bounty → Native Plants
Pollinator DashboardTrack and support garden pollinatorsFarmers Bounty → Pollinator Dashboard
Preservation GuideCanning, freezing, dehydrating guidesFarmers Bounty → Preservation Guide
Knowledge BaseSearchable gardening knowledge with AI answersFarmers Bounty → Knowledge Base

🆕 What’s New in v3.5.0

v3.5.0 Release Highlights

  • AI-Powered Chatbot with Conversation Management: Full-featured AI gardening assistant using Claude AI with persistent conversation history, search, export/import, and quick actions
  • Encrypted Credential Store: Secure storage for all API keys with encryption at rest, replacing plain-text wp_options storage
  • Georgia-Specific Planting Calendar: Month-by-month planting data optimized for USDA Zone 7b/8a with the Farmers_Bounty_Georgia_Planting_Calendar class
  • Query Optimization for AI Context: Token budgeting system via Farmers_Bounty_Query_Optimizer to build efficient context for Claude API calls
  • Conversation Database with Import/Export: Dedicated conversation tables (wp_fb_conversations and wp_fb_conversation_messages) with full import/export support in JSON format
  • Enhanced Knowledgebase: Expanded reference data including pest guides, disease identification, soil management, and regional planting data in the knowledgebase/ directory
  • Garden Data Service for AI Context Building: Farmers_Bounty_Garden_Data_Service assembles real-time weather, plant, GDD, and frost data for AI-powered responses

🎓 Next Steps

Now that you’ve completed the basic setup, explore these guides to master Farmers Bounty:

  • Plant Management Guide: Learn advanced plant tracking techniques
  • Planning & Design Guide: Master the garden designer and succession planting
  • Growing Guides: Optimize watering, climate adaptation, and native plants
  • Tools & Features Guide: Unlock advanced analytics and AI features
  • Integrations & Settings Guide: Connect with Todoist, Google Calendar, and more
  • AI Assistant & Chatbot Guide: Get the most from your AI gardening assistant
  • Admin Security & Database Guide: Technical administration and security

🌟 Quick Start Checklist

  • ✅ Plugin installed and activated
  • ✅ Database tables created (37 tables)
  • ✅ Settings configured (location, coordinates, USDA zone)
  • ✅ API keys entered (Weather Underground, Perenual, Claude AI, Tavily, PlantNet)
  • ✅ Persona selected
  • ✅ First garden location created
  • ✅ First plants added
  • ✅ Dashboard explored

You’re ready to grow! 🎉

❓ Need Help?

  • AI Assistant: Farmers Bounty → AI Assistant (ask questions in natural language)
  • Knowledge Base: Farmers Bounty → Knowledge Base
  • Glossary: Farmers Bounty → Glossary
  • Diagnostics: Farmers Bounty → Diagnostics (for technical issues)
  • Support: Visit IT Influentials

🔗 Related Guides

  • Plant Management Guide: Managing your plants in detail
  • Planning & Design Guide: Garden designer and calendar
  • AI Assistant & Chatbot Guide: Using the AI gardening assistant
  • Admin Security & Database Guide: Technical administration