Garden Update — Monday, 9 March 2026
Daily insights generated from live sensor and weather data, compared across 3 AI models. Sensor data from Ecowitt GW1200 · Weather from Open-Meteo · Dunedin, NZ
Live Sensor Readings (Ecowitt)
| Sensor | Value |
|---|---|
| Outdoor temp | 8.5°C (feels like 8.5°C) |
| Outdoor humidity | 83% |
| Dew point | 5.8°C |
| Soil moisture (ch1) | 39% |
| Wind | 0.0 km/h (gusts 0.0 km/h) |
| Rain today | 0.0mm |
| Solar radiation | 0 W/m² |
| UV index | 0 |
| Pressure | 1007.2 hPa |
7-Day Weather Forecast
🌅 Sunrise: 7:21 AM · Sunset: 8:15 PM · Day length: 12.9 hrs
| Date | Max | Min | Rain | Rain% | Wind | UV | ET₀ | Radiation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-09 | 12.5°C | 9.4°C | 3.4mm | 98% | 25kph | 6.1 | 2.1mm | 16.7MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-10 | 13.1°C | 8.1°C | 0.0mm | 3% | 24kph | 3.5 | 1.9mm | 12.4MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-11 | 16.7°C | 11.8°C | 0.0mm | 3% | 28kph | 6.0 | 2.8mm | 20.1MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-12 | 22.8°C | 14.8°C | 0.0mm | 10% | 21kph | 4.2 | 3.2mm | 11.5MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-13 | 19.3°C | 11.7°C | 3.9mm | 70% | 19kph | 1.9 | 1.5mm | 5.7MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-14 | 14.7°C | 11.3°C | 0.0mm | 48% | 38kph | 4.0 | 3.2mm | 13.5MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-15 | 18.7°C | 13.6°C | 0.0mm | 25% | 28kph | 5.3 | 3.2mm | 12.5MJ/m² |
Generated at 7:20 AM NZDT
AI Model Comparison
⚠️ 2 model(s) did not respond:
claude-opus-4-6,claude-sonnet-4-6
🟢 OpenAI — gpt-5.4
Your brassicas are only 9 days from planting (planted 2026-02-28), so today is still about settling young transplants, not crop management. The key point is that the Brassica Bed soil moisture is 39%, just under the 40–60% ideal for brassicas, but with 3.4 mm rain forecast today and ET₀ only 2.1 mm, the immediate risk is mild check to growth rather than outright drought, especially for the young Side Sprouter broccoli.
Observations
- 9 days since planting + current air temperature 8.5°C → recently transplanted Green Dragon and Purple broccoli will be slower to root in, so any avoidable stress this week matters more than normal.
- Soil moisture 39% now, after 33–34% on 2026-03-06 to 39–40% on 2026-03-08 → the bed has only just climbed back to the bottom edge of adequacy, so the White, Cheddar, and Violet cauliflowers are still in a narrow moisture margin while establishing.
- Past 7 days actual rain was 21.3 mm total, but 11.2 mm of that fell on 2026-03-07 → despite one wet day, the week also included 4 rain-free days with ET₀ up to 3.7 mm on 2026-03-06, which helps explain why the Lion Heart, Dutch Red, and Cannonball cabbages are not sitting in truly moist soil now.
- Today’s solar radiation is 0 W/m² right now and wind is 0.0 km/h → there is no strong daytime drying pressure at present, so young brassicas are unlikely to lose much water this morning.
- Forecast wind rises to 24.7–27.6 kph on 2026-03-09 to 2026-03-11, with 37.8 kph on 2026-03-14 → small transplants like the recently set Purple broccoli and Dutch Red cabbage may rock in the soil and root more slowly if they are loose.
Actions for Today
-
Do not irrigate the Brassica Bed this morning.
Reason: the bed is at 39% soil moisture, only just below the 40% ideal floor, and today has 3.4 mm rain forecast (98%) against ET₀ 2.1 mm; with young brassicas only 9 days planted, topping up before near-certain rain would be unnecessary. -
Re-check the Brassica Bed soil moisture tomorrow after today’s rain, and only water if it is still below 40%.
Reason: the recent sensor trend moved from 33–34% up to 39–40%, so today’s forecast rain should be enough to lift the root zone for these new transplants; if it does not, that tells you the bed is drying faster than the recent rain has replaced. -
Firm any loosened brassica transplants in the Brassica Bed before the windy spell.
Reason: forecast winds are 24.4 kph on 2026-03-10, 27.6 kph on 2026-03-11, and 37.8 kph on 2026-03-14; at only 9 days from transplanting, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage that wobble will establish more slowly. -
Hold off on cauliflower blanching and all harvest planning this week.
Reason: the White, Cheddar, and Violet cauliflowers were planted only 2026-02-28, and expected harvest is June 2026; they are nowhere near curd stage, so blanching would be premature. -
Skip urgent butterfly-netting today unless you already have obvious pressure in the garden.
Reason: current conditions are 8.5°C, 0.0 km/h wind, and 0 W/m² solar radiation, which is not classic active cabbage-white weather; today’s practical priority is water balance and transplant stability, not routine pest intervention.
Looking Ahead
The next notable shift is a warmer, drier run on 2026-03-11 to 2026-03-12, with maxima of 16.7°C then 22.8°C and ET₀ climbing to 2.8 mm then 3.2 mm; if today’s 3.4 mm rain underdelivers, expect the bed to dry again quickly. After that, prepare for wind rather than thirst on 2026-03-14, when 37.8 kph could unsettle any transplant that is not well firmed.
The bed has just enough water for now, but only just, and young brassicas at 39% don’t have much spare in hand.
This post was auto-generated by the Garden AI pipeline. Weather data from Open-Meteo · Claude & GPT insights · Built with Astro