Garden Update — Tuesday, 10 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 | 5.6°C (feels like 5.6°C) |
| Outdoor humidity | 90% |
| Dew point | 4.1°C |
| Soil moisture (ch1) | 54% |
| Wind | 0.0 km/h (gusts 0.0 km/h) |
| Rain today | 0.0mm |
| Solar radiation | 6 W/m² |
| UV index | 0 |
| Pressure | 1016.5 hPa |
7-Day Weather Forecast
🌅 Sunrise: 7:22 AM · Sunset: 8:13 PM · Day length: 12.8 hrs
| Date | Max | Min | Rain | Rain% | Wind | UV | ET₀ | Radiation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-10 | 12.4°C | 7.1°C | 0.0mm | 0% | 25kph | 4.7 | 1.8mm | 12.3MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-11 | 16.0°C | 11.3°C | 0.0mm | 5% | 26kph | 5.8 | 2.8mm | 19.9MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-12 | 22.3°C | 14.4°C | 0.0mm | 8% | 16kph | 3.8 | 3.6mm | 17.0MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-13 | 18.8°C | 11.9°C | 4.3mm | 69% | 26kph | 5.0 | 1.2mm | 3.4MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-14 | 16.3°C | 10.6°C | 0.2mm | 64% | 26kph | 5.0 | 2.5mm | 14.4MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-15 | 19.9°C | 14.2°C | 0.0mm | 8% | 34kph | 5.3 | 3.7mm | 16.4MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-16 | 20.7°C | 12.7°C | 3.3mm | 26% | 15kph | 3.0 | 1.9mm | 8.3MJ/m² |
Generated at 7:38 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 10 days from planting (planted 2026-02-28), so today is about protecting establishment, not doing mature-plant jobs. The key point is that the Brassica Bed soil moisture is 54%, which is right in the brassica ideal range (40–60%), so Green Dragon and the other young plants do not need watering today despite a dry 3-day forecast of 0.0 mm rain.
Observations
- 10 days since planting + current temperature 5.6°C → the White cauliflower and the other transplants will be settling in slowly, so avoid any head-related actions like blanching because they are still in seedling establishment phase.
- Soil moisture 54% now, up from 38–40% on 2026-03-08 → the Side Sprouter broccoli roots have enough moisture after the recent wet spell, so extra watering today would add little benefit and could keep the bed too damp in partial shade.
- 25.5 mm rain on 2026-03-08 plus 11.2 mm on 2026-03-07 → the Cannonball cabbage and neighbouring brassicas have had a strong moisture recharge, which explains why the sensor jumped as high as 68% on 2026-03-09 and is still comfortably moist now.
- Today’s ET₀ is only 1.8 mm, with rain today 0.0 mm and wind 0.0 km/h right now → the Purple broccoli will lose water slowly today, so watering now would be harder to justify than on a warmer, windier, higher-ET day.
- Forecast max 22.3°C on 2026-03-12 with ET₀ 3.6 mm after several cooler days averaging 5.3°C on 2026-03-10 → the Cheddar cauliflower and other recent transplants may hit a brief burst of water demand midweek, so moisture should be watched ahead of that warm spell rather than reacted to too early.
Actions for Today
-
Do not water the Brassica Bed today.
Reason: the bed is at 54% soil moisture, which sits inside the stated brassica ideal of 40–60%; today’s ET₀ is 1.8 mm and there is still stored moisture from 36.7 mm of rain across 2026-03-07 to 2026-03-08. -
Recheck the Brassica Bed soil moisture on the evening of 2026-03-12 or morning of 2026-03-13 before deciding on water.
Reason: the next three days are forecast to bring 0.0 mm rain, and 2026-03-12 is the highest-demand day with 22.3°C and ET₀ 3.6 mm; that combination could pull the current 54% down quickly in a bed with 12 transplants. -
Leave cauliflower leaves open for now; do not blanch any curds yet.
Reason: all three cauliflowers were planted only 10 days ago, and the expected cauliflower harvest window is June 2026, so today’s growth stage is too early for curd protection work. -
Hold off on netting today unless you already have it ready and easy to fit.
Reason: while cabbage white remains a known risk, today is 5.6°C, UV 0, and solar radiation 6 W/m² right now, which is not especially urgent butterfly weather; this is not the same as a warm, bright, still afternoon. -
After the next rain on 2026-03-13, glance at the Brassica Bed for any pooling or persistently high moisture.
Reason: the sensor already reached 68% on 2026-03-09 after recent rain, and another 4.3 mm is forecast for 2026-03-13; in a partial shade bed, that could briefly push conditions toward the >70% waterlogging-risk zone.
Looking Ahead
The main shift is a warm, drying pulse on 2026-03-12 (22.3°C, ET₀ 3.6 mm, 0.0 mm rain) followed by rain on 2026-03-13 (4.3 mm, 69% chance). Prepare to monitor moisture after the warm day, but do not pre-emptively water while the sensor still reads 54%.
The bed got a proper drink over the weekend, and at 54% it’s still carrying it.
This post was auto-generated by the Garden AI pipeline. Weather data from Open-Meteo · Claude & GPT insights · Built with Astro