PatternBaseGarden planning built for permaculture.
Most garden planning tools are designed for annual vegetables in rows. PatternBase thinks in guilds, layers, and ecosystems, because that's how permaculture actually works.
vs. Traditional Garden Planners
Traditional garden planners are designed for annual vegetable rows and crop rotation. PatternBase is built for permaculture: guilds, perennials, food forests, and the multi-year thinking that regenerative gardening requires.
vs. Plant Care Apps
Plant care apps help you identify and care for individual plants. PatternBase helps you design plant communities that care for each other. We're complementary: use your plant ID app to identify what you find, then use PatternBase to design how it all works together.
vs. Landscape Design Tools
Landscape design tools focus on how your yard looks. PatternBase focuses on how your garden works as an ecosystem. We're not arranging plants for curb appeal, we're designing food-producing, soil-building systems.
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | PatternBase | Traditional garden planners |
|---|---|---|
| Design model | Guilds + polycultures with functional layers | Annual vegetables in rows |
| Climate intelligence | Climate twins + bioregional community observations | USDA zone number only |
| Multi-year planning | Perennial timelines + succession mapping | Single-season focus |
| Food forest layers | 7-layer mapping with canopy to root zone | Not available |
| Harvest & observation tracking | Yield logging + photo observations as evidence | Not available |
| Community evidence commons | Shared growing observations from your bioregion | No community features |
| Zone & sector planning | Mollison zones + compass overlay + sector analysis | Basic grid layout |
| Carbon & biodiversity | Species-level carbon estimates + biodiversity metrics | Not available |
| Soil & water tracking | Lab test logging + water harvest calculations | Not available |
| Design sharing | Community marketplace with templates + reviews | Not available |
What makes PatternBase different
Guild design with functional layers
Visual builder with 30+ templates. Overlay views for nitrogen fixers, dynamic accumulators, ground covers, pest confusers, pollinators. Not just companion pairs, but full plant communities.
See the guild designer →Learn from your bioregion
Climate matching finds gardens with growing conditions like yours. Climate twins connect you with growers in similar microclimates. See what's actually thriving, not just what a book recommends.
Your garden becomes evidence
Log harvests, track soil health, document observations. Share what you learn. Together, gardens prove that regenerative growing works, not as theory, but as documented reality.
Explore the commons →Frequently asked questions
- What is a guild designer?
- In permaculture, a guild is a community of plants that support each other, like a fruit tree surrounded by nitrogen fixers, ground covers, and pollinator-attracting plants. PatternBase's guild designer lets you build these communities visually, with functional overlays showing which role each plant serves.
- How is PatternBase different from other garden planners?
- Most garden planners are designed for annual vegetables planted in rows. PatternBase is built for permaculture practitioners who think in guilds, food forest layers, and multi-year ecosystems. We also connect you with growers in similar growing conditions so you can learn what's actually working nearby.
- Is PatternBase free?
- Yes. The Seedling plan is free forever, with guild design, access to 4,500+ plants, zone mapping, and up to 3 gardens. Paid plans add soil tracking, carbon metrics, and unlimited gardens.
- Can I plan a food forest with PatternBase?
- Absolutely. PatternBase includes 7-layer food forest mapping, succession planning, perennial timelines, and 30+ guild templates to get you started.
Ready to design in guilds?
Start with the free Seedling plan. No credit card required.
View plans & pricing