Siltwell
Weather-station setup

Turn your weather station into a smart garden.

Siltwell connects to your Ecowitt, Ambient, Davis, or Tempest station and per-bed soil sensors, then tells you exactly which beds to water, and warns you about frost tuned to your own backyard. Here's what to buy if you're starting out, and how to connect a station you already own.

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Compatibility

Two things make it work.

Any station can show you the weather. For per-bed watering and microclimate frost alerts, Siltwell needs a station that (1) supports soil-moisture sensors and (2) shares its data through an open API. That's a shorter list than the wall at the hardware store, and it's exactly why we support the brands we do.

  • EcowittSoil · YesWH51 (add one per bed)API · YesFree APISiltwell · YesSupported, best value
  • Ambient WeatherSoil · YesWH31SM (needs WS-2000/5000 console)API · YesFree APISiltwell · YesSupported
  • TempestSoil · NoNone (all-in-one)API · YesFree APISiltwell · YesSupported (weather only)
  • DavisSoil · YesWatermark (soil tension)API · YesWeatherLink v2 APISiltwell · YesSupported
  • AcuRite / La CrosseSoil · NoAPI · NoSiltwell · NoNot supported, here's the open path

What to buy

The setups we recommend.

Best value, what we use

Ecowitt: the complete Siltwell setup

The cheapest path to everything Siltwell does, weather and per-bed soil, in one ecosystem.
  • The Ecowitt Wittboy: an all-in-one solar weather station that ships with a display console for wind, rain, temperature, humidity, and UV, on Ecowitt's free API.
  • One or more WH51 wireless soil-moisture sensors that pair straight to the Wittboy's console. Bury one at root depth in each bed you want to watch.
  • That's the whole kit: frost alerts, rain-skip, and per-bed watering, all from one Ecowitt account.
Ecowitt WittboyEcowitt WH51 soil sensor
Polished console

Ambient Weather

Prefer Ambient's consumer-friendly console? The WS-2902 is a solid weather station: rain, wind, and temperature-driven frost alerts on a free API. It doesn't read soil moisture, so for per-bed watering, add an Ecowitt WH51 alongside it — the two run side by side.
Ambient WS-2902Ecowitt WH51 soil sensor
All-in-one weather

Tempest

A Tempest is a beautiful, zero-maintenance all-in-one, excellent for rain, wind, and temperature-driven frost alerts. It has no soil sensor, so pair it with an Ecowitt WH51 for per-bed soil moisture, and the two coexist happily.
TempestEcowitt WH51 soil sensor

Already run a Davis? The Vantage Vue works with Siltwell too.

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Setup

Already have a station? Here's how to connect it.

Siltwell connects through your station's own account with read-only API keys, nothing to install. Your credentials are stored write-only: once saved, we never show them again, to anyone. Pick your brand.

Ecowitt

  1. 1Sign in at ecowitt.net and confirm your gateway/console is added and reporting.
  2. 2In the API settings, generate an Application Key and an API Key.
  3. 3In Siltwell: Settings → Station → Ecowitt, and paste both keys.
  4. 4Your sensors appear automatically; map each soil sensor to the bed it's in.

Ambient Weather

  1. 1Sign in at ambientweather.net.
  2. 2In your account, create an API Key and note your Application Key.
  3. 3In Siltwell: Settings → Station → Ambient Weather, paste both.
  4. 4Map your soil sensors to beds.

Tempest

  1. 1Sign in at tempestwx.com.
  2. 2Create a Personal Access Token.
  3. 3In Siltwell: Settings → Station → Tempest, paste it.

Tempest has no soil sensor, so you'll get weather-driven alerts; add an Ecowitt probe for per-bed soil.

Davis WeatherLink

  1. 1Sign in at weatherlink.com and confirm your station is reporting.
  2. 2Generate a WeatherLink v2 API Key + API Secret, and note your Station ID.
  3. 3In Siltwell: Settings → Station → Davis WeatherLink, paste all three.

Davis Watermark soil sensors read as soil tension (centibars, higher = drier); Siltwell alerts on that automatically. No Watermark sensor? Add an Ecowitt WH51 for per-bed soil.

What you unlock

What your station does inside Siltwell.

  • Per-bed soil-moisture watering alerts: water this bed, skip that one.
  • Frost warnings calibrated to your yard's real readings, not the airport twenty miles away.
  • “Your station vs. the area”, see your own microclimate.

All part of Siltwell Pro, $22/year (list $39), 14-day free trial, founding price locked for life.

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Questions, answered plainly.

One per bed you want to monitor. Start with your highest-value beds and add more anytime.

A gateway + a soil sensor is enough for per-bed watering. Add a full station (rain/wind/temp) to also get rain-skip and calibrated frost alerts.

Buried at root depth in the bed; the WH51 is wireless and weatherproof.

Not directly: no soil-moisture sensor and no open API. Here's the open path → /acurite.

Keys are stored write-only and used only to read your own station. Delete your data anytime.
Siltwell

Weather-station setup

Grow more. Guess less.

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