These Smart Devices Will Help Keep Your Garden Alive When You’re Away
Every summer I am left to sympathize with the many reports of people who go on holiday, leave their garden in the hands of someone paid to water it, and return to the world of death. It’s hard because, hey, you deserve a vacation. Besides, your plant babies deserve to live, and no one can take care of them like you. Although I joke that I don’t go on holiday from March to September (“the season”), it doesn’t matter what time of year I go – I’m always obsessed with what’s going on in the garden. This is how I cope no matter the time of year.
Automated watering
When it comes to killing in the garden, most of the time the problem is watering. The reality is that no one on earth will deliver water like you, and so this is another argument for you to choose either underground irrigation or above-ground irrigation . This way there is no room for human error. When I say irrigation, I mean a kind of drip irrigation at the root of the plants, not an overhead sprinkler attached to a hose. I like smart drip irrigation controllers because it means your watering syncs with your local weather station, so your garden gets more or less water depending on the local weather.
Ideally, your garden will have many zones, each with dedicated irrigation and cameras aimed at those zones (see below). This means that if you see an area that needs more water, you can remotely turn on watering for that area from your phone, no matter where you are. Having a smart controller means you won’t be stuck with the program you installed when you leave.
Water cutoff sensor
When I leave the house and leave the irrigation system to do its thing, my only concern is that a leak or break in the irrigation line could mean endless water loss. Since I’m not around to see the leak, I need a way to know it’s happening and stop it. Enter smart shut-off valves . I currently use Flo from Moen , which vigilantly monitors the water in my pipes and shuts off the water completely if there is a leak.
Street cameras
It turned out that the best tool in my gardening arsenal was the smart cameras I installed to monitor my yard. So far there have been no crimes, but I take great pleasure in monitoring my vegetables while I’m away and can zoom in to the point where I can detect leaf fungus. I also get to know the local wildlife, including raccoons. These cameras also alert me when a garden helper arrives (or not) and what he did while he was there. However, mostly it is an exceptional way to get an idea of what is going on in my yard. My choice is Eufy Solocams , both wired and wireless . They are tiltable and have two lenses, with the micro lens being ideal for getting closer to individual plants.
Smart Access Locks
If I need to do anything while I’m away, be it fertilizing, raking or mowing, it requires access. Installing a smart lock in my shed makes it easy to let people in and out for a limited period of time. It seems like such a small thing, but being able to grab the lattice tape turns out to be important if that’s what you need. You can also purchase smart gate locks. This means you don’t have to hand over the key to someone else while keeping your yard secure.
Weather station
I’ve always wanted a weather station, although I can access the stats from one a few blocks away. Tempest sent one of these to test this year, and I swear it has become one of my favorite pieces of tech . When I’m not at home, being able to know what the weather will be and what weather is happening right now becomes important if the answer is freezing or hot. Since these events require action on the part of my garden assistant, the more notice the better. It also means that my watering system is getting better and there is localized data on which to base my watering.
Set realistic expectations for help.
Time is a factor. Are you going away for a few days or a few weeks? My garden is self-sufficient for five days or less. If a few weeks pass, you’ll need reliable help checking your systems, no matter how many smart checks you run. Instead of asking supporters to water it (too important to leave that to anyone other than you), I ask them to test the technology and make sure things are going well. Personally, I like to set up a time for them to come and then have them over FaceTime from the garden so I can direct them to areas that need attention or they can point me to something via video. I always pay for help in the garden because it is real work and means I can hope for responsibility as well as a real perspective on the land.