Great Pumpkin Watch and Water

Growing a giant pumpkin takes more than putting a seed in the ground and waiting 100 days. To get the big pumpkins, something at least 500 pounds, or even over 1000 pounds, requires constant care. Giant pumpkins can put on 20+ pounds in a day. To keep the pumpking growing at this rate, the growing conditions need to be kept as optimal as possible for the current state of the vine and its pumpkin. 

Water, temperature, soil acidity, and nutrient levels all play into the equation. There are three things that take a good amount of time during the growing season: 1) Keeping adequate water levels, 2) Fertilizer application, and 3) Keeping temperatures in growing ranges.

This project has several components to it,
Monitoring and Action

* Monitoring soil acidity and nutrient levels
* Monitoring soil moisture
* Monitoring soil temperature
* Monitoring ambient tempaerature
Action
* Water application through a dripline
* Fertilizer application through a dripline 
* Misting application through an overhead mister

Data is collected throughout each day, analyzed each evening, and in the morning, a forecast for the day's needs are staged for review. The pumpkin grower reviews the day's requirements, adjusts/overrides as needed, and then submits the schedule for the device. The device completes the actions for the day, which includes monitoring for the current day, and assessing for the next day.