The Grow Station is a temperature and humidity regulated growing chamber. The portable and compact design allows the user to carry the station wherever there is an electrical outlet while the onboard Arduino UNO and sensors monitor humidity and temperature values for each individual plant. This ensures ideal growing conditions no matter the surrounding environment.  

The Why Behind the What 

The College campus I attend is brimming with life and the woods surrounding it host beautiful plants and mushrooms. Recently, me and my roommate have become fascinated with growing plants and mushrooms in our dorm room so we do not have to scavenge for edible plants or wait for certain seasons. Therefore, I decided to create a custom growing chamber which could regulate the internal climate so that any plant could grow inside. The perfect opportunity presented itself with a Hackathon a week out and I began sketching up ideas. (Hackathons are 4 hour challenges at my college where the participants can create whatever they want in the allotted time)

The Creative Process 

I began the creation process by purchasing a Tupperware bin and mesh pan top from Dollar Tree. The other materials I scavenged from my collection. Five holes were drilled into the bin, two 2" diameter holes in the front, two 1" holes staggered on the left side, and one 1" hole on in the top left-hand corner of the lid. Mesh was cut into slightly larger circles to cover the front facing holes and two wooden washers were laser cut to secure the mesh to the bin. All adhesive bonding in this project was accomplished using UV cure resin. Next, a small 3V fan was secured over the 1" hole on the lid with screws and the NeoPixel light strip were wired together and attached to the underside of the lid.

A ring was then laser cut to fit around a watering valve attached to the bin's side using the 1" hole and UV resin. Following this, the humidity and temperature sensor was installed inside the bin wall. Lastly, all electrical components were wired into the Arduino and it was mounted onto the back before the code for controlling the internal climate was written. In all, this project was created from cost effective materials and completed in under 4 hours. 

The code used to regulate temperature and humidity levels through the Arduino UNO is listed below.

Here is a video of the Grow Station in action.