Frequently Asked Questions

When you sign up, Cloche asks for your ZIP code. We use that to automatically look up your USDA hardiness zone and your average first and last frost dates from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) database.

Your zone determines which plants can survive in your climate year-round, and your frost dates anchor every planting calendar we generate. All seasonal timing — when to start seeds, when to transplant, when to protect from frost — is built from these dates.

You can review your zone and location in Settings → Location Precision.

There are three ways to add plants to your garden:

• Chat: Open the Coach tab and describe what you're growing — "I have two tomato plants and some basil." Cloche adds them automatically.
• Scan: In My Garden → Plants, tap the camera icon to photograph a plant. Cloche identifies it and adds it in seconds.
• Manual entry: Tap "＋ Add manually" in My Garden → Plants to type in the plant name and details.

To add seeds, go to My Garden → Seeds and tap the seed wizard. Seeds in your stash are used to generate indoor start reminders timed to your frost date.

Every day, Cloche generates a fresh task list for your garden by combining several sources:

• Your plants — care requirements for each species (watering frequency, fertilizing, pruning)
• Your growing zone — season-specific advice based on your latitude and climate
• Local weather — today's forecast, recent rainfall, upcoming frost risk
• Your micro-climate — sun exposure, wind, and soil type you've set in Settings

Tasks are prioritized by urgency. Frost warnings and pest risks always surface to the top. You can mark tasks done, snooze them, or tap in for the full care detail.

Yes. In My Garden → My Beds, you can create named beds (e.g., "Raised Bed 1", "Front Border", "Container Patio"). Each bed can have its own sun level, soil type, and dimensions.

When you add a plant, you assign it to a bed. This gives Cloche the context to generate bed-level care advice — for example, accounting for a shaded bed that needs less watering than a sun-baked raised bed.

The Yard Map tab lets you visually sketch where each bed sits on your property.

Go to the Diagnose tab (camera icon in the bottom nav) and upload or photograph the affected part of your plant — a leaf, stem, or piece of fruit showing the problem.

Cloche analyzes the image using vision AI, cross-references common pests and diseases for your zone and season, and returns:

• The most likely identification (e.g., "Aphid infestation" or "Powdery mildew")
• Why it's likely based on what it sees
• Step-by-step treatment and prevention advice

For best results, take a close-up photo (6–12 inches away) in natural daylight, focused on the visibly affected area.

Cloche Lite is the entry-tier paid plan. You get the core garden plan, care reminders, and 5 Coach chats per week.

Cloche Pro unlocks the full experience:

• Unlimited Coach chats
• Bloom continuity planning (what to plant to keep something always flowering)
• Companion planting analysis
• Advanced frost & weather alerts with plant-specific advice
• Full photo diagnosis history
• Priority plan generation with richer detail

Both plans start with a 7-day free trial. You can compare plans and upgrade anytime from Settings → Upgrade.

Go to Settings → Subscription → Manage. From there you can:

• Cancel — billing stops at the end of your current period. Your plants, chat history, and garden data are kept for 12 months.
• Pause — freeze billing for 1–3 months without losing anything. Reactivate anytime from Settings.
• Switch to annual — lock in a lower rate (save ~42%) by switching from monthly to annual billing.

If you're within your 7-day trial, you can cancel before it ends and you won't be charged anything.

For billing questions, email support@clochegarden.com.