I set up a Rachio Smart Hose Timer last year for my garden on a sprinkler. The schedule worked, but I felt like I never actually knew if my plants were getting the right amount of water.
This spring I went looking for something that would automate the watering fully by connecting with soil moisture sensors. There seemed to be a few DIY routes out there if you get into home automation, but I wanted something I could just sign up for and have running.
So I built a web-based tool - Garzed. It connects your Ecowitt and Rachio accounts, and it reads your WH51 soil sensors every 15 minutes, fires your Rachio Smart Hose Timer in short pulses based on what you’re growing, checks the soil again, stops when it’s right. No fixed schedule, nothing to install or maintain at home. https://garzed.com
I’m looking for about 10 beta testers in the current early-access period. Garden focus (raised beds / in-ground / containers — not lawn for now). It’s free during beta, but I’m asking testers to share weekly feedback, send screenshots when something looks off, and report bugs as you find them.
If you’ve got Rachio + Ecowitt sensors and a vegetable garden, and you’d be up for that kind of involvement, DM me with a quick sentence about your setup and I’ll get back to you.
Happy to answer technical questions in the thread.
— Brad