[ Open Source ] guides.open-source-farming
Your grow data belongs to you. Open-source tools for the builder-farmer.
Commercial farm management software costs thousands per month and sends your data to someone else's server. These guides cover the open-source stack that runs your entire grow operation from a Raspberry Pi you own. Free, auditable, and yours to modify.
$0
License fees
no subscriptions · ever
15
Open-source farming guides
self-hosted · verified
100%
Self-hosted options documented
your server · your data
1
Raspberry Pi to run it all
pi 4 · tested · documented
[ 01 ] Results.log
Three open-source farming tools
Each guide covers a real tool running on real hardware, with the actual config files included so you can replicate the setup exactly.
Alex's $22 ESP32 moisture sensor: open-source firmware
A capacitive soil moisture sensor running open-source Arduino firmware. Full wiring diagram, code, and 3 months of uptime data. Your hardware, your data.
[intermediate] · $22 · 2 hour build
VPD chart guide: sensor-driven environment control
Understand vapor pressure deficit and how to monitor it with open-source sensors. Temperature and humidity targets for each growth stage from real grow data.
[intermediate] · Free · Reference guide
Hydroponic growing media: an open comparison
Clay pebbles, coco coir, and rockwool compared with real data. System-specific recommendations and a decision matrix for small-scale hydroponic setups.
[beginner] · Free · Reference guide
[ 02 ] Method.md
How we pick the tools we cover
Three criteria every tool in this cluster must meet before we write a guide about it.
Self-hosted by default
Every tool in this cluster runs on hardware you own, a Raspberry Pi, an old laptop, or a small VPS. No cloud lock-in.
// self-hosted · your hardware · your data
Active communities
We only cover tools with active maintainers and real user communities. Every guide links to the GitHub repo and community forum.
// active repos · real communities
Real configuration files
Not just screenshots, actual docker-compose files, YAML configs, and Node-RED flows that you can copy and run.
// real configs · copy-paste ready
[ sudo automate ]
Open-source platforms for this project
FarmBot, Mycodo, Node-RED, evaluated side by side for a small hydroponic setup. Alex's actual pick, documented with full rationale.