There was a time when taking up indoor gardening or outdoor gardening meant having to devote a lot of effort to growing plants but now?
You can use the same kind of smart technology that you would use in your home to develop a smart garden that requires a lot less looking after.
Let’s take a look at how you might go about that.
What Is A Smart Garden?
A smart garden isn’t some bizarre Silicon Valley buzzword, it’s simply a garden in which technology plays an important role in taking care of the chores and tasks that you need to carry out.
There are plenty of different devices that you can use for this and they’re often easier to accommodate in indoor gardens because indoor plants tend to be kept in more “contained” environments but you can also use smart tech to improve an outdoor garden.
Smart Outdoor Devices
There is a great range of smart garden tools that can make life easier outdoors, in fact, and these include:
- Smart sprinkler systems. These are designed to ensure that you can keep the watering schedule for your plant roots regular and never overwater. We like the Rachio system which has smart soil sensors to ensure your plants grow well and you can run the system from your smart phone.
- Smart irrigation system. If you want to go one better, these systems incorporate data from weather reports to improve plant care using predictive technology. We like GreenIQ‘s offering for these systems – they keep your water costs to a minimum.
- Weather sensors – if you want to keep an eye on the way that your plants are treated by the capricious weather gods? You might want to try the Netatmo Weather Station which uses plant sensors to keep an eye on the weather for you outdoors. They also do a cool indoor range of smart thermostats to ensure your potted plant gets the right treatment too.
- Smart Lawn Mowers – yes! Rather like robot vacuum cleaners, these can cut your grass without you having to do anything! They’re the ultimate smart home toys but they do cost a small fortune, sadly. If you have the budget for them you can’t beat this Husqvarna model.
- Gardening Apps – we use GKH’s Gardening Companion (get it on Android or iPhone) and it can help us plot irrigation, find Plant IDs, and much more.
And Those Smart Devices For Indoor Gardening Too
And if you’re aiming for an indoor garden? Then you will be pleased to find that you have loads of choices as your garden is incorporated into your larger smart home infrastructure:
- Starter kit for herbs – we love the Click and Grow system which comes with a complete guide to growing herbs indoors using smart devices. It lets you take your herbs from seeds to harvest and ensures they always have the right environment to thrive. These kits monitor nutrients, moisture levels, light, the soil, and more and all you really need to do is watch as they take care of everything for you.
- Expandable plant pods – these are super easy to use, though they cost more than regular plant pots, but these Fold Pots from the Pizzolrusso Design Agency can grow with your plants!
- Single Family Garden – if you want to go even bigger with your indoor smart gardening then you might look at the Rise Gardens product line which literally has enough to feed a family in it!
There are many other similar products to the ones we’ve listed here – you may find that you can get something tailored to your family’s exact preferences if you pay enough or that you want something a bit smaller than we’ve got listed here if you don’t have much room for a garden in a small apartment.
You will also find smart adaption to many standard indoor gardening items such as grow lights or hydroponic systems. It can pay to work out what you really want to implement and then by separate components if you’re not ready to go 100% smart, just yet.
How To Start Growing Plants In A Smart Garden
The most important thing to remember is that you don’t need to build your smart garden all at once.
Think quality over quantity to begin with and choose smart products that are going to bring big benefits when it comes to the work you put in.
Now, for the indoor gardener, most of the products are fully self-contained, so, it’s just a question of picking something at the right price point.
But for the outdoor gardener? What’s going to save you more effort? The smart mower that ensures you never get a sore back again when pushing a mower around each summer?
Or the sprinklers, which may be called upon to put themselves into action every single day of the year?
That’s down to you, of course, and it may depend on the size of your garden, the time that you have on a weekly/daily basis, etc.
It’s all about opting for items that bring you success in your gardening endeavors rather than trying to keep up with the Jones’s on this front.
The truth is that unless you have an unlimited budget – you are probably never going to get to a 100% smart garden and that doesn’t matter, as long as you can automate the biggest tasks.
Final Thoughts On A Smart Garden
You don’t need a lot of money to develop a smart garden. In fact, you can make small investments over time such as getting some smart sprinklers and smart sprinkler controllers and then a few months later getting some plant pods, etc.
But if you do invest in a smart garden? You’ll find that growing your own plants will eventually repay that investment over time. This is especially true if you grow herbs, vegetables, etc. that you can eat. You’ll spend less time gardening and more time enjoying the fruits of your labors.
For inspiration on what to grow in your smart garden check out these herb options and our guide to kitchen gardening here. If you’re looking for inspiration as to what to grow in your smart garden?
