Most of us who begin with gardening don’t know much about it. Therefore, most of the times, we end up going for stereotypical garden designs. However, all you have to do is think a little to find out how you can utilize the garden space for personal expression. In fact, you don’t even have to put in much effort. By selecting proper gadgets like outdoor ovens for your garden, you can add to both its beauty and functionality. In addition, when you choose an eco-friendly gadget, then that adds one more aspect to your garden that is sustainability.
More and more people are making outdoor ovens in their backyard, garden or porch, as they have realized how it becomes a heart of a garden or porch. They manage to serve two purposes altogether, as they make your backyard interesting and it enables you to have quality homemade pizzas. Making outdoor ovens using recycled materials is all the vogue these days, as people derive pleasure and pride in doing something green. Here are the most common outdoor ovens you can also build:
1. Outdoor brick oven pizza
Image Source : pizzaovens.ca
You would require a good deal of old bricks and breezeblocks for this project and some cement too. To make it retain heat better, you are supposed to cover up the dome using foil and with some old loft insulation if possible.
For the smoke, you must install a door and a chimney to the structure so that it keeps the heat inside. Use wood that is going waste stored in your store or arrange for some reclaimed wood. Not just pizzas, but meat and other delicious dishes also you can make in this outdoor oven made of old materials.
2. Wood-fired barrel pizza oven
This type is a highly efficient and a versatile wood-fired oven. It is easy to build and easy to use. You will make it for your true love for pizza but you can cook other foods like cakes, breads, cookies, and stews as well. It is an eco-friendly design because it is heat efficient, as in it heats up within 15 to 20 minutes, which is unlike other designs that take two three hours to heat up and get ready for the baking.
Once heated, it maintains that temperature for long. The barrel used is a highly conductive metal and surrounded by a thermal mass of masonry, it is capable of cooking food using both direct and stored heat. You should try to make it completely using old materials, which will make it altogether a more eco-friendly product.
3. Adobe Dome pizza oven
Image Source : deliciousmagazine.co.uk
If you do not want to get into some complex building technology, try this. It is a technology so simple and ideal for outdoor cooking and it traces back to ten thousand years back. It is made of adobe, which is a combination of clay and sand. For insulation purpose, you will use cob, which is again a mixture of clay and sand, straw being an additional element in it.
4. Portable pizza oven
Image Source : foodtruckempire.com
You need a lot of bricks and some angle iron pieces for this project. It is going to be a portable project, as in you can dismantle it (which is not a big issue as no installation here is permanent) and place it somewhere else the next day. Start with making a base using bricks, and place two layers of bricks in a U-shape pattern. Now place the angle irons, two in the middle and two at both the edges that will support the roof. You will use bricks to make the roof, which will rest on the angle irons. Put coals inside and let the oven heat up for a while. Push aside the coals and place the pizza in between. With coals on all sides, your pizza will evenly cook and will taste amazing with the smoky aroma.
More smart garden options like Outdoor ovens
1. Edyn smart garden system
This solar powered garden system makes use of several sensors (also solar powered) to track vital factors like sunlight, nutrition levels and moisture, etc. in order to keep your plants healthy. The data collected by the sensors are transmitted to an app in your phone, thus intimating you of when you need to water the plants and how you would need to care for different fruit, vegetable, decorative, herbal and medicinal plants. The system also comes with a database that offers up to date information of different plant types and their individual needs with regards to soil and moisture levels.
2. Click and Grow
This NASA inspired design allows you to grow plants in a very easy manner with minimal effort. Fondly called as smartpot, the design consists of a small pot that has inbuilt sensors to check as well as control oxygen, water and nutrient levels for optimal growth. These pots can be tailored to house plants like tomatoes, strawberries, stevia and basil, etc. All you need to do is fill up the tank with water once a month or so and replace exhausted batteries. The smartpot will take care of the rest.
3. Garden Defense Electronic Owl
Ever wonder if there is a way to get rid of those pesky pests that keep sneaking into your garden in spite of having a scarecrow? Well, ditch the latter and opt for a garden defense electronic owl instead. The battery operated owl sits perched atop a tree and comes with sensors that detect garden pests. In case a pest is spotted, the owl will start turning its head and hooting, scaring the pests off in an eco-friendly way for good.
4. VegiBee Garden Pollinators
If your plants are having an off day with pollination, consider helping them. The VegiBee Garden pollinator is a handheld pollinating wand that can easily pollinate a wide variety of plants that have flowers with both reproductive parts, including peppers, peas, tomatoes, eggplants, beans and strawberries, etc. Those using the VegiBee Garden Pollinator have in fact, noted a 30% increase in garden productivity.
5. Botanicalls
What is your plants could call or message you when they needed water or sunlight? A bizarre idea you say? Well, not so bizarre we say, especially if you have Botanicalls. This gadget sits with your plants and monitors them via sensors placed under the dirt. It would then send you a text message whenever the plants need extra moisture or sunlight. Better yet, it would send you a thank you message once you do what is required.
6. Bitponics
What would happen to your plants if you were going on vacation? Rather than asking your neighbor to watch them, you can rely on Bitponics, an electronic personal gardening assistant which comes with personal growing plans for individual plants. The gadget has sensors, which would monitor the plants and send the data to you via a Wi-fi enabled Bitponics base station. You can then send the appropriate directions to the base to water the plants, adjust sunlight and perform other associated tasks.
7. Horto Domi self-managing smart garden
What if you wanted a garden, but couldn’t bring yourself to take care of it diligently? Simple, simply bring home the Horto Domi Self-Managing Smart Garden and you will have a beautiful garden in no time at all, and with practically no effort on your end. This self-managing hardware system has inbuilt sensors that would automatically monitor and control soil and climate conditions. It comes with a dome that contains a raised bed, an electric box for power supply, sensors for controlling temperature and moisture, irrigation systems, fertilization injections and vermiculture units to provide the soils with vital nutrients. It also has separate planting areas for different plants, making it easier for you to grow more than one variety of plant in it.