Sweden is currently going through one of the worst droughts in recorded history. One of the consequences of the high temperatures is that my vegetables needs constant watering. Of course this is a task that I want to automate.
I already run home assistant for some basic automation at home (mostly lights). Now, I got a pump for caravans from a cheap store, found a 12V power supply in a drawer and hooked it all together. I attached a hose and dropped the pump into my rain water barrel (which is very empty at the moment).
Having spent quite some time making holes in the rest of the hose, I now think that I have a reliable watering system. The challenge seems to be to make reliable holes in the hose. I started with a knife, ended up with a power drill and a 6mm drill bit.
For the control, I use one rule to turn the water off after 2 minutes each time, then I just have time based watering sessions at 20.00, 20.30, 21.00 and 21.30. This should hopefully be enough.
I’ll monitor how much water this uses for a few days and look for dry spots along the hose. Hopefully this is another part of the gardening automated (the lawn mowing has already been solved with a robot).
you can get a more water saving dripper instead of simple holes http://www.sylvaticum.se/index.php/projekt-mainmenu-26/27-odling/38-droppmunstycken
My primary cause is actually lazyness and not water saving. I’ve used a drop hose before, but what I dislike with that approach is that you need the water to be on for longer. Now the water is on for 6 minutes per day in total, which makes it easier to “debug” and reduces the consequences of a catastrophic failure.