First the connected home; now the connected garden: designer Yves Behar and entrepreneur Jason Aramburu have created products that monitor soil conditions and automatically water plants when they get thirsty (+ movie).

Designed for use in a domestic garden or a small farm, Yves Behar's Edyn system uses two components to gather data about climate and soil conditions then irrigate the soil when necessary.

The components connect via WiFi and communicate with each other to regulate and optimise the self-watering process. They also pair with a smartphone app that allows the user to monitor their garden remotely.

Edyn is a smart garden system founded by soil scientist Jason Aramburu and designed by Behar's studio Fuseproject.

The Edyn Garden Sensor tracks light, humidity, temperature, soil nutrition and moisture conditions.

It tests the soil by sending out an electrical signal then measuring how it is altered or affected by water and soil additives, like fertiliser, lime or compost.

"We cross-reference this information with our database and the other members of the Edyn community," said a statement from Behar. "We've calibrated Edyn's instruments to be sensitive enough to detect even minor changes in the soil's electrical properties that are associated with shifts in moisture, acidity and fertility."

A separate water valve uses the data collected by the sensor to control the watering system.

As it adapts to changes in the weather forecast, the system prevents drowning the plants when it rains to save water and keep the flora healthy.

All the data can be viewed in real time via an app, which can send alerts when the ground is too dry and offer suggestions to maximise plant health.

The app can recommend what species of plants would be suitable for the type of soil in a plot and amount of light the area receives.

Both components have yellow plastic casing and feature a square photovoltaic panel to charge a lithium polymer battery.

The sensor sticks into the ground using a metal spike, while the valve lies on the soil and connects to a pipe from the water source on one side and the distribution hoses on the other.

Edyn launched on Kickstarter earlier today and is part of a wider move towards internet-connected electronic devices in the home.

US brand Nest has already created thermostats that adapt to your daily routines and smoke detectors that turn off the boiler in an emergency. Nest CEO told Dezeen that everything will have data in it within ten years - read the interview here.