Smart Hydroponics on a Budget: DIY Self-Hosted System for Growing Lettuce

In recent years, population growth and limited space have led to challenges, particularly in meeting basic needs like food and water. Closed-environment agricultural systems aim to provide an alternative solution for space constraints, but are often costly to implement on a large scale. Hydroponics, an agricultural method that replaces soil by water, offers benefits such as water conservation, efficient nutrient delivery, reduced pest risks, and faster growth. By eliminating soil, hydroponics creates a more controlled environment with fewer unpredictable factors, outperforming traditional soil-based farming. However, the high initial setup costs can be a barrier for small-scale farmers.This research aims to develop a low-cost, low-power hydroponic system, specifically using a variation of Deep Water Culture (DWC) to grow lettuce in southern India's outdoor conditions. We analyze the nutrients needed and factors like growth rate and yield to compare hydroponic and traditional methods. The goal is to contribute to further improvements in sustainable farming. We designed a semi-automated, small-scale hydroponic system using the Internet of Things (IoT) for growing leafy vegetables. For real-time monitoring and control, a low-power MQTT protocol is used to optimize efficiency and reduce costs.