7 Impressive Pieces of Garden Technology You Could Incorporate Today
The idea of using technology in the garden might seem somewhat jarring at first. Everyone’s living a much more digitized life than they were twenty years ago, and many people use their gardens as an escape from that.
This is a place to relax with more analog forms of entertainment, like a book or a magazine, and most would think that tech should stay well away.
When you’ve heard talk about the inclusion of technology in the garden, however, it’s likely different from what you’re thinking.
The reality is that gardening is hard work, and there are plenty of modern tools you can use to make the process less arduous.
There are also a plethora of unobtrusive design features that implement modern technology without making things appear artificial in the way you’d think they might.
To help introduce you to these ideas, this article will cover seven impressive pieces of garden technology you could incorporate today – not to totally transform your experience, but enhance it.
1. Robot Lawnmower
One of the best ways to introduce technology into your garden is with the robotic lawn mower.
Your lawn covers the greatest surface area, and between nourishing and reseeding the grass and keeping it nice and short, you’ve certainly got your work cut out for you.
Mowing the lawn is one of the most tedious tasks, and, to add insult to injury, you have to do it regularly if you want the space to look attractive.
A robot lawnmower eliminates the toil of cutting almost entirely. Boundaries can be set easily, and all you have to do for a professional-looking finish is to let it do its thing. This is also something that you use and put away, so it’s wholly unobtrusive.
2. Smart Soil Sensors
Traditionally, gardening requires a lot of guesswork – particularly when it comes to nourishing your plants.
There are a lot of things that, until now, have simply required trial and error, with healthy-looking plants being the result of years of failures until you hit upon the right strategy. Different plants also require different kinds of care, so there’s that to consider, too.
Understanding the quality of the soil (moisture, pH, etc) and the nutritional demands of each plant is at the cornerstone of success, and these days, much of the guesswork can be mitigated with smart soil sensors.
These low-profile sensors sit in the soil and monitor all of the most important metrics you need to look after your plants, and many can be synced with smartphone applications for deeper insight than ever before.
There are many different types available, so check out this article for the lowdown on the most popular options.
3. Advanced Garden Lighting Systems
One powerful investment you can make right now – especially if you use your garden a lot in the evening or at night – is in a garden lighting system.
Today’s choices go far beyond simply stringing a few fairy lights up or installing a lamppost in the corner.
LED options are all the rage for their energy efficiency and color-changing properties, and there are numerous ways you can set these up and many different form factors to choose from for creating a unique atmosphere.
Solar-powered bulbs are also a great bet for most people. These are most commonly used on pathways, storing energy during the day and then automatically triggering at night when they’re needed most.
4. Automated Compost Systems
Making your own compost is a very satisfying process, but there’s one problem: it’s incredibly slow. Thankfully, there are pieces of technology you can use to assist the process.
Automated compost systems are the way most people go. Where with a manual compost bin you simply have to wait for the material to degrade, these machines systematically rotate and crunch down their contents to create usable compost considerably faster.
You could also go a step further and get a compost shredder. You’d use this as the first stage and then transfer to an automated system for the actual composting.
5. App-Controlled Greenhouses
The greenhouse is a gardener’s sanctuary, and while the basic structure has remained mostly the same, the technology inside has evolved significantly.
Today, greenhouses can be fully monitored and controlled via smart device applications, allowing the user to modify the temperature inside as well as the humidity and lighting.
Going a step further, these systems can also talk with plant-specific sensors (such as the ones described earlier), syncing seamlessly to provide management over your entire growing operation.
For those who garden for business, this sort of technology can be invaluable.
6. Garden Cameras
Home privacy has come a long way in the last decade, mostly due to the integration of smartphone technology.
Today, everyone at least has a Ring doorbell surveying the front of their property, but many people are also opting for eyes on their back gardens, too – and not just from a safety perspective.
Dedicated garden cameras allow you to monitor plant growth over time thanks to sophisticated time-lapse features, and you’re also able to use them in discrete places to watch the animals that live there (hedgehog cameras are particularly popular).
7. Smart Irrigation Systems
A high-quality garden hose is a big step up from a basic watering can, but if you really want to take things to the next level, consider a smart irrigation system.
There are many different types to choose from, each with its own unique properties, but all are designed to simplify your watering process and provide your plants with exactly what they need with minimum intervention.
They go a long way in preventing over- and under-watering, and while you might think the opposite would be true, they save you money on your water bill because they’re more efficient (providing you choose the right system for your needs).
Wrapping Up
You should now have a clear idea of what’s available for modernizing your garden. None of the above technologies intrusively litter your space with wires and plastic – they’re simply there to help you enjoy the area to the full while limiting the amount of back-breaking work involved.
