Cost-Effective Home Garden Automation
A simple multi-zone garden-watering demonstrator that responds to local soil conditions and a user-adjustable target.
Help small gardens respond to different watering needs across zones.
Plants in separate pots or beds may not need water at the same time. This standalone demonstrator monitors three zones and supports demand-based watering against a user-selected target, with one zone activated at a time.
- Three monitored zones
- user-adjustable threshold
- demand-based activation
- one-zone-at-a-time control
- low-cost standalone operation
- serial monitoring for setup and demonstration
The user experience
The user sets an appropriate target, observes soil-condition information and reviews which zone is being watered. Setup and demonstration views help explain why one zone is active while another remains idle.
Practical value
Provides a practical small-scale automation example; suitability depends on the plants, soil, water supply and care routine rather than a guaranteed water-saving figure.
Application scenarios
Examples of potential use, not claims of an existing deployment.
Home growing spaces
Explore a more organised watering routine for a small collection of pots or garden zones.
Student projects
Demonstrate the relationship between observed soil conditions, a user preference and an automatic response.