Garden Update — Wednesday, 11 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 | 10.7°C (feels like 10.7°C) |
| Outdoor humidity | 83% |
| Dew point | 7.9°C |
| Soil moisture (ch1) | 52% |
| Wind | 0.0 km/h (gusts 0.0 km/h) |
| Rain today | 0.0mm |
| Solar radiation | 4 W/m² |
| UV index | 0 |
| Pressure | 1012.6 hPa |
7-Day Weather Forecast
🌅 Sunrise: 7:24 AM · Sunset: 8:11 PM · Day length: 12.8 hrs
| Date | Max | Min | Rain | Rain% | Wind | UV | ET₀ | Radiation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-11 | 16.0°C | 11.5°C | 0.0mm | 0% | 28kph | 6.0 | 2.9mm | 20.2MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-12 | 22.9°C | 14.5°C | 0.0mm | 5% | 20kph | 5.7 | 4.1mm | 19.5MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-13 | 19.3°C | 12.2°C | 2.1mm | 80% | 32kph | 2.2 | 1.7mm | 6.6MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-14 | 17.6°C | 10.3°C | 0.0mm | 44% | 30kph | 5.8 | 2.8mm | 14.7MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-15 | 19.6°C | 13.2°C | 0.0mm | 3% | 19kph | 5.3 | 2.6mm | 13.2MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-16 | 19.7°C | 12.3°C | 9.0mm | 54% | 14kph | 3.5 | 1.7mm | 9.1MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-17 | 13.5°C | 11.8°C | 3.9mm | 55% | 14kph | 4.0 | 1.3mm | 8.0MJ/m² |
Generated at 7:35 AM NZDT
AI Model Comparison
⚠️ 2 model(s) did not respond:
claude-opus-4-6,claude-sonnet-4-6
🟢 OpenAI — gpt-5.4
The main thing today is don’t water the Brassica Bed yet: the soil moisture sensor is sitting at 52%, which is right in the brassica ideal band of 40–60%, and the bed has only been planted 11 days since 2026-02-28, so these are still settling-in transplants rather than cropping plants. The Side Sprouter broccoli and the cauliflowers are in a decent moisture position, but with ET₀ at 2.9 mm today, 0.0 mm rain today, and a warmer 22.9°C day forecast for 2026-03-12, the bed could dry faster again after the recent wet spell.
Observations
- 11 days since planting (2026-02-28 to 2026-03-11) → Green Dragon, Purple, and Side Sprouter broccoli are still in early transplant establishment, so mature-plant jobs like harvesting side shoots or curd blanching are not relevant yet.
- Soil moisture 52% now, after rising from 33–40% on 2026-03-07/08 and peaking at 68% on 2026-03-09 → the broccoli and cabbage have come through last week’s dry-to-wet swing without dropping into the dry zone below 30%, so root establishment should be steadier than it looked on 2026-03-07.
- Past weather delivered 11.2 mm rain on 2026-03-07, 25.5 mm on 2026-03-08, and 4.3 mm on 2026-03-09 → the White, Cheddar, and Violet cauliflower in the sunniest north edge are not short of water today despite 0.0 mm rain today.
- Today is cool and damp at 10.7°C with 83% humidity, but forecast turns warmer to 22.9°C on 2026-03-12 with UV 5.7 and ET₀ 4.1 mm → the young cabbage trio will lose moisture faster over the next 48 hours than they did during the wet weekend.
- Wind is calm right now at 0.0 km/h, but forecast wind reaches 27.9 kph today, 31.5 kph on 2026-03-13, and 29.5 kph on 2026-03-14 → the 11-day-old transplants, especially the taller broccoli at the south/back, are the most likely to get rocked before roots fully anchor.
Actions for Today
-
Hold off watering the Brassica Bed today.
Reason: soil moisture is 52%, which is inside the stated brassica target range of 40–60%; actual rain over the last three days totaled 41.0 mm (11.2 + 25.5 + 4.3 mm), and another 2.1 mm is forecast for 2026-03-13, so watering now would be unnecessary. -
Check the Brassica Bed again tomorrow afternoon, especially before the hot spell on 2026-03-12.
Reason: today’s ET₀ is 2.9 mm, rising to 4.1 mm tomorrow with 22.9°C forecast and 0.0 mm rain, so the current 52% soil moisture could fall quickly from “ideal” toward the low side for young transplants. -
Firm in the 6 broccoli, 3 cauliflower, and 3 cabbage plants in the Brassica Bed before the stronger wind arrives.
Reason: the bed is only 11 days from planting, and forecast wind is 27.9 kph today, 31.5 kph on 2026-03-13, and 29.5 kph on 2026-03-14; recently planted brassicas are more vulnerable to root disturbance in those conditions. -
Do one targeted underside leaf check on the cauliflower row today if the calm spell holds.
Reason: right now conditions are unusually still at 0.0 km/h with mild air at 10.7°C and 83% humidity; that makes today more suitable than the coming 27.9–31.5 kph days for spotting any early cabbage white egg laying on the sunnier north edge.
Looking Ahead
The next meaningful change is heat and drying on 2026-03-12: 22.9°C, ET₀ 4.1 mm, and 0.0 mm rain will pull moisture out of a bed that is only just back to 52% after rain. After that, prepare for wind and a little rain on 2026-03-13 with 31.5 kph winds and 2.1 mm rain, which is more useful for keeping things cool than for deeply re-watering the bed.
After three wet days and a sensor jump from 34% to 52%, this bed is finally behaving like autumn rather than late summer.
This post was auto-generated by the Garden AI pipeline. Weather data from Open-Meteo · Claude & GPT insights · Built with Astro