Tempest smart weather stationGardening is proven to be good for your physical and mental health. There's sunshine, exercise, and all the fresh fruits and vegetables. Still, gardening is a lot of work, and smart devices can take some of the burden off your gardening routine, leaving you free to do the things you really enjoy. Not only do these devices save time, but they often provide you with valuable data, meaning you can treat your garden more appropriately based on its needs. This year, there are many new products on the market that can make outdoor activities smarter.
Compost monitor makes composting easier to understand
Basically, compost is just a pile of organic waste; if the ratio of nitrogen to carbon is roughly the same and there's enough heat, you'll get compost. Sometimes this requires the help of worms. The market for composting equipment is still huge and I think most people still just pile organic materials in there and pray. Devices like Monty , just released in the US, can help reduce confusion. Monty looks like a smart detector; you drop it on top of your compost pile and then pair it with the Monty app. I have found that Monty only works when the compost pile is exposed and not in a compost container. Once Bluetooth paired, Monty will give you insight into the status of your compost and how to correct any issues.
Smart weather stations mean hyperlocal weather data
Of course, you can get your weather forecast from your local newspaper or weather.com, and you might be lucky and have an official weather station near you. However, if you live a little further from an airport (where these sites are often located), the weather won't be very accurate. Most people don't know (I certainly didn't) that a vast network of private weather stations exists. If you have equipment that relies on weather data, such as a smart sprinkler system, you can access this network. I found a station a block away, and this hyperlocal information about when it would start raining and how strong the wind would be really fine-tuned my irrigation system. I was excited to try it out for myself, so this year I added a Tempest. Installation took less than a minute and I mounted it to the top of the fence. I get alerts when it starts to rain, how windy it is, really accurate heat index, air quality readings, and more. Another added bonus is that if you sync it to Wunderground (which is easy to do), you get Wunderground access ad-free.
stormy weather system
Wireless soil sensors make precision irrigation possible
Soil sensors are a tricky thing. Over time, the environment (moist, dirty) makes it difficult for the sensor to remain accurate. Even smart sprinkler systems typically require connecting the sensors via underground wires, which means digging. There are some brands that make wireless sensors, which means you can get hydration levels from different garden areas in your yard and adjust your irrigation appropriately.
Wireless soil sensors to try:
Soilmote Wireless Remote Soil Moisture Sensor , $199
ECOWITT WH51 Soil Moisture Sensor , $22.99
Moen Smart Wireless Soil Sensor , $69.99
Let robots do the dirty work
Just like a robot vacuum cleaner surfs the ground looking for crumbs, some robots will hunt for weeds in your garden, namely Tertill. As much as I'm interested in smart technology, my main problem with Tertill is that it requires a lot of space between plants, which I don't have. However, if you maintain a spacious, pristine garden, then letting a robot handle the weeding sounds great. Farmbot goes one step further and automates everything. Robots on tracks are constantly running on top of the garden, using a "Farmduino" - a modified version of Arduino that runs on an open source language - to analyze the crops being grown. It can measure soil moisture, nutrients, and even soil height, as well as plant and weed health. It can be attached to almost any raised bed and requires no programming knowledge. I haven't tried it yet and after seeing it a few times on social media, I'm very skeptical. However, when digging into the documentation, I think it provides accessibility and helps people learn about gardening. While impractical for large-scale home users due to cost, the idea is great.
Tertill weeding robot
Robot lawn mower works better than I expected
Even though lawns are terrible for the earth, soil, native beneficial insects, and water tables, people still have them. Robotic lawn mowers are an exploding vertical, and having tested a few of them over the past few months, I've been surprised by how well they actually work. They are expensive, but if you assume you cut as much grass as you vacuum, the pricing starts to make sense.
Robot lawn mowers to consider:
Mammotion Luba 2, starting at $2899
Segway Navimow , starting at $999.00
