I’ve been experimenting with indoor gardening and wanted to take it a step further by integrating technology to monitor and automate the process. My main goal is to see how effectively I can use ESP32 and other IoT tools to optimize the growth of radishes in a controlled indoor environment.

Here’s what I’m aiming to achieve:

1. Automated Monitoring: The first goal is to automate the process of monitoring the soil moisture, temperature, and humidity in my indoor grow setup. Using the ESP32, I’ll collect data and track how it influences the growth of my radishes.
2. Watering System: One of the most critical parts of plant growth is proper watering, and I want to automate that. By using a soil moisture sensor and a mini submersible water pump, I’ll set up an automated watering system so my radishes have the right moisture levels without needing to manually check the soil.
3. Lighting Control: I’ll be using a grow light (DYMOND BoostGro LED Grow Light Full Spectrum Linkable 5000K Daylight + 660nm Red Indoor Plant Lighting Fixture) along with a smart plug to control the light cycle. The goal is to keep the lights on for 14 hours each day, simulating a natural day/night cycle.
4. Real-Time Data Display: I want to make it easy to monitor everything at a glance. I’ll be integrating a display that will show real-time data like temperature, humidity, and soil moisture, and I’ll also set up a Home Assistant dashboard to view the data remotely.
5. Time-Lapse Photography: I plan to use the ESP32-CAM to take snapshots of my radishes every 10 minutes, creating a time-lapse video to showcase the entire growing process from seed to harvest.
6. Remote Control & Monitoring: Using Home Assistant, I’ll be able to control the setup remotely. I want to be able to check the data, adjust settings, and control the watering or lights from my phone.

This is my first project on here, so hopefully I'm doing this right. I will be posting updates and would be happy to chat with anyone interested.