The Verge shows how Gemini can build a simple yard care app from text

In short: A writer at The Verge used Google’s Gemini to “vibe-code” (build by describing it in plain text) an Android app to track yard work and diagnose plant problems.

What's going on

Allison Johnson at The Verge tried making a yard care app by writing a long prompt in Google’s AI Studio for Gemini. Within minutes, Gemini produced a working app preview, plus an error message that could be fixed with a button. Johnson described it as exciting, even though the system used technical terms she did not understand.

The app was meant to organize yard chores, suggest what to do next, use local weather, and include an “AI plant doctor” that could look at photos. Some parts worked quickly, like the plant doctor, which gave a detailed diagnosis after Johnson uploaded a photo of a struggling rhododendron. Gemini blamed the yard’s landscape fabric and river rock setup, saying it could block water and “suffocate” roots, and also heat them up.

Other parts needed lots of back-and-forth. Johnson said the first version had unreadable colors, and later versions still had basic issues like not being able to edit chores, schedule them, or correctly sort one-time versus recurring tasks. Each fix required waiting for Gemini, then reinstalling a new version on her phone.

What to watch

This story highlights a growing trend: more people are using AI tools to make small personal apps, even if they do not code. It also shows the limits. AI can act like a fast assistant, but it may miss real-world details, like readable design or accurate live weather, unless the person guiding it is very specific.

Source: The Verge AI