Crop Plan Timeline
The Crop Plan Timeline is a visual Gantt-chart-style view of all your plantings laid out across the growing season. It is one of the most powerful planning tools in TilthIQ.
Reading the Timeline
Navigate to Planning > Crop Plan to open the timeline.
- Rows represent individual plantings, grouped by plant name or location
- Columns represent weeks across the growing season
- Color bands show different phases:
- Green — active growing phase (Germinating through In Ground)
- Yellow/Gold — harvest phase (Harvesting status)
- Gray — planned but not yet started
Hover over any band to see the planting's name, variety, location, and exact dates.
Identifying Gaps
One of the most valuable uses of the timeline is spotting gaps — periods where a particular garden bed is empty or where you have no harvests coming in.
Look for:
- Wide empty stretches between plantings in the same location
- Periods where no crops are in the Harvesting band
- Locations that are only active for a short window of the year
These gaps are opportunities for succession planting, cover crops, or quick-maturing fill crops like radishes, lettuce, or arugula.
The Crop Plan Wizard
Click + Plan New Planting to open the Crop Plan Wizard. This step-by-step tool helps you schedule a new planting with smart date suggestions:
- Choose a plant — the wizard looks up the plant's days-to-germination and days-to-maturity
- Choose a method — Direct Sow or Indoor Start
- Pick a target — either a desired harvest date (wizard calculates the start date) or a desired start date (wizard shows expected harvest)
- Choose a location — rotation warnings appear if applicable
- Review and save
The wizard makes it easy to work backward from a desired harvest date — for example, planning a Halloween pumpkin harvest means starting seeds in late July.
Filtering the Timeline
Use the filter controls above the timeline to:
- Show only specific plants or crop families
- Limit to a specific garden block or location group
- Hide Done plantings to focus on the active season
Printing and Exporting
Garden Pro subscribers can print the Crop Plan as a formatted PDF from the export button in the top-right corner of the timeline page. The PDF is formatted for Letter printing with clear labels and a seasonal date axis.
Tip: Use the Crop Plan at the start of each season to schedule your entire year's plantings before you even order seeds. Having all your dates planned in advance makes it easy to see total seed needs and spot scheduling conflicts.