Automatic Watering System

The first project that I'm planning is an automatic watering system. I have a bunch of pots on my balcony and keeping them well watered is a challenge, especially in summer. Furthermore, if they are watered too much, swarms of fungus gnats appear, which are difficult to get rid of.

The goals I have in mind are:

• Automatically water plants based on moisture levels in pots.
• Solar powered — running power out to the balcony isn't really an option.
• Quiet operation.
• Multiple zones so that the smaller pots are watered more often than the larger ones.
• Self-monitoring — send alerts when low on water or if no water has been delivered for some time (perhaps factoring in time of year and temperature).
• Controlled by C.H.I.P. with software written in Rust.

Nice to haves:

• Web dashboard — moisture levels, watering log, water storage level.
• Schedule watering after dusk.

At this stage I'm researching pumps to get a feel for the power demands. This one is looking good so far. Once I've settled on the pump I'll move on to the power system: solar panel, battery and maybe charging circuit and DC-DC converter.