Six for Spring

Spring is a season of the new: new flowers, new baseball teams, new … apps? Absolutely. We’ve rounded up six essential apps to help you make the most out of the coming season:
For super-charged spring cleaning: Good Housekeeping @Home
There may not be anything novel or sexy about choosing an app from a brand with Good Housekeeping’s deep history, but this venerable name still delivers. The exhaustive @Home app includes guides for cleaning every conceivable surface, a database of products that have earned the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, and galleries of home décor inspiration (just in case cleaning turns into redecorating). Free.
How does your garden grow: Gardening Toolkit
As the snow melts away, dreams of tender shoots, pink buds, and climbing vines naturally crowd the minds of anyone with even a greenish thumb. Gardening Toolkit offers an array of features intended to help you plan, plant, and enjoy: suggested plant lists based on your location, a plant encyclopedia, to-do lists, and planting and harvest reminders. $3.99.
Wish you were here: Postino
Heading down to Disney for April vacation? Shaking off the winter with a trip to the beach? The Postino app lets you turn your trip photos into postcards and send your creations via e-mail or, for a small fee, via old-fashioned mail. It’s a fun way to create custom souvenirs, send greetings and incite jealousy among your friends and family. Free to download. $1.99 to send physical postcard.
Take a hike (or a stroll): EveryTrail
After a winter cooped up inside, you’re probably itching to
get out and about (emphasis on the “out”). EveryTrail finds hikes and
walks in your area and provides details, directions, and maps; once your
pick a destination, the app lets you track your trek and keep a history
of your adventures. Users contribute reviews, advice, and photos of the
routes. Standard version free. $3.99 for ad-free Pro version with video
sharing and ability to sync with EveryTrail website.
Out to the ball game: MLB at the Ballpark
This app offers interactive concourse maps, directions and parking info, and food and beverage to elevate your trip to the ballpark. Other features let you keep a history of the games you attend or look up players’ entrance music and immediately download the songs to your phone. For select parks, seat upgrade functionality and mobile food ordering are also available. Free.
Eat it up: Seasons
If you’re waiting for the first asparagus of spring or the first rhubarb of early summer, Seasons is the app you need. The program uses your location to generate a list of locally in-season fruits and vegetables and a guide to nearby farmers markets. The comprehensive calendar lets you flip ahead to future months so you can figure when you’ll be able to make that first peach pie of the year. $1.99.