The Planters' Guild

Free to read. Paid for by readers.

Everything the Guild publishes is free, with no paywall and no ads. A smaller group of readers pays for it, and that keeps it free for everyone else. There are three ways to be one of them.

See the three ways Or start the free Apprenticeship

The Planters' Guild LLC is a for-profit publication. Membership and one-time support are purchases from the company, not donations, and they aren't tax-deductible.

Three ways to pay for it.

Pick whichever suits you. Each one funds the same work, and none of them puts anything we publish behind a wall.

The Planters' Guild

Member

A pressed olive sprig

$5 a monthor $50 a year, two months free

What you get

  • The bench-notes: printable PDF editions of our most-used guides
  • The Founder's note, a monthly letter on what we're building
  • Cancel anytime from your receipt email
Subscribe for $5 a month

Pay $50 a year instead

The Planters' Guild

Founding Member

A pressed stem of white yarrow

$200 onceLifetime. Limited to the first 1,000 members.

What you get

  • Everything Members get, for life, with nothing recurring
  • Your name on the founding wall at the future physical Guild
  • Founding privileges there, held for the original 1,000
See the Founding offer

Spots close for good once 1,000 are taken.

The Planters' Guild

One-time support

A pressed sprig of white sage

Any amountfrom $5, paid once

What you get

  • Nothing recurring and no perks attached
  • It goes straight into running the publication
  • For readers who want to chip in without joining
Pay what you like

Checkout is handled by Stripe.

All three are purchases from The Planters' Guild LLC, a for-profit company. None is tax-deductible.

Where the money goes.

  • Keeping the site upHosting, search and the tools that run the Library and the Apprenticeship.
  • PhotographyThe plant and substrate images in every guide.
  • The researchThe time it takes to check every claim against its source before it's published.
  • A physical GuildThe long-term plan: a place in the Bay Area to learn, find plants and find each other.

Before you decide.

Is this a donation?

No. The Planters' Guild LLC is a for-profit company, and membership and one-time support are purchases from it, so they aren't tax-deductible. If you'd like to give to garden access or horticulture education, look for a local nonprofit doing that work. Most counties have one.

What stays free?

Everything we publish: the Plant Library, the Substrate Library, the Field Manual, California Natives, the Care Guides, the reference shelves and the Apprenticeship. The Guild Letter is free too, on the first Monday of every month. There's no paywalled editorial and no account needed to read.

Member or Founding Member?

Member is the ongoing way in: $5 a month or $50 a year, and you can cancel anytime. Founding Member is one $200 payment for lifetime membership, plus your name on the wall at the future physical Guild and founding privileges there. It's capped at the first 1,000 people, then it closes permanently.

Can I switch to Founding Member later?

Yes, while Founding spots remain. Pay the $200 Founding price and any unused Member subscription credit is applied.

How do checkout and canceling work?

Each button opens a secure Stripe checkout page. Monthly plans bill on the same day each month and annual plans on the anniversary of signup. Cancel from your receipt email, or write to hello@theplantersguild.com.

What does one-time support get me?

Nothing beyond our thanks. It's a single payment of any amount, with nothing recurring and no perks, and it goes into running the publication the same way membership does.

Reading is how most people take part, and that's what the Guild is for. The Guild Letter brings the newest guides to your inbox on the first Monday of every month, free.

Get the Guild Letter