It is basically doomed to failure; but you'll learn a lot and be happy for the experience. The fun part is that it seems so simple on the surface if you're someone who doesn't know much about gardening. But without the benefit of experience in gardening, you make mistakes like the OP that no amount of technology can solve. Automatic watering won't help you if your soil isn't draining.
And the ironic part is that it's actually not hard to cobble together an effective automation setup using some analog electronics like a cheap light timer, an AC fan controller, and a $20 automatic watering gizmo from the hardware store. I had a hard time building a more effective solution using an RPi or Arduino.
And the ironic part is that it's actually not hard to cobble together an effective automation setup using some analog electronics like a cheap light timer, an AC fan controller, and a $20 automatic watering gizmo from the hardware store. I had a hard time building a more effective solution using an RPi or Arduino.