Garden Update — Thursday, 12 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 | 18.2°C (feels like 18.2°C) |
| Outdoor humidity | 68% |
| Dew point | 12.2°C |
| Soil moisture (ch1) | 49% |
| Wind | 0.0 km/h (gusts 0.0 km/h) |
| Rain today | 0.0mm |
| Solar radiation | 85 W/m² |
| UV index | 0 |
| Pressure | 1000.3 hPa |
7-Day Weather Forecast
🌅 Sunrise: 7:25 AM · Sunset: 8:09 PM · Day length: 12.7 hrs
| Date | Max | Min | Rain | Rain% | Wind | UV | ET₀ | Radiation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-12 | 22.8°C | 13.6°C | 0.0mm | 8% | 17kph | 5.5 | 3.7mm | 18.4MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-13 | 19.4°C | 12.2°C | 3.4mm | 83% | 24kph | 4.2 | 2.1mm | 9.2MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-14 | 18.5°C | 9.7°C | 0.0mm | 23% | 34kph | 5.7 | 3.0mm | 15.4MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-15 | 19.8°C | 13.6°C | 0.0mm | 3% | 21kph | 5.8 | 2.6mm | 12.8MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-16 | 16.6°C | 12.1°C | 4.0mm | 43% | 12kph | 3.8 | 1.6mm | 9.5MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-17 | 12.1°C | 11.0°C | 0.5mm | 40% | 18kph | 2.8 | 1.0mm | 3.8MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-18 | 15.7°C | 12.0°C | 0.0mm | 10% | 19kph | 2.8 | 2.0mm | 12.6MJ/m² |
Generated at 9:17 AM NZDT
AI Model Comparison
⚠️ 2 model(s) did not respond:
claude-opus-4-6,claude-sonnet-4-6
🟢 OpenAI — gpt-5.4
Your brassica bed is only 12 days from planting (planted 2026-02-28), so this is still a transplant establishment phase, not a harvest or curd-management moment. The key thing today is moisture retention: soil is currently 49% on ch1, which is ideal for young brassicas, but today’s ET₀ is 3.7 mm with 0.0 mm rain today, so Side Sprouter broccoli and the cauliflower row will start losing water again unless you conserve it.
Observations
- Soil moisture 49% → young Green Dragon and Purple broccoli are in the ideal 40–60% band, so they should keep rooting without the check that comes below 40%
- Soil moisture rose from 33–40% on 2026-03-07/08 to 52–55% on 2026-03-10, then settled at 49% today → the recent rain has carried White, Cheddar, and Violet cauliflower through establishment, but the wetting pulse is now fading
- Past rain totaled 41.1 mm from 2026-03-07 to 2026-03-10, yet forecast rain for the next 3 days is only 3.4 mm → Cannonball, Dutch Red, and Lion Heart cabbage should not need irrigation today, but they no longer have a big rainfall buffer
- Today’s ET₀ of 3.7 mm with radiation at 18.4 MJ/m² → shallow-rooted 12-day-old transplants will lose moisture faster than they did on the cooler, wetter days such as 2026-03-08 when ET₀ was only 1.5 mm
- Current wind is 0.0 km/h and temperature is 18.2°C → under full-bed mesh this is good settling weather for young brassicas, but not a cue for curd blanching or harvest on any variety yet
Actions for Today
-
Mulch around White, Cheddar, and Violet cauliflower today or tomorrow morning while they are still in early establishment.
Reason: the bed has no mulch yet, soil is a good 49%, but ET₀ is 3.7 mm today and only 3.4 mm rain is expected in the next 3 days. Apply 2–4 cm of fine compost or clean straw, keeping it 3–5 cm away from each stem so the stem base stays dry; cover the whole 3.74 m² bed if you can, with extra attention to the sunnier north edge where the cauliflowers sit. -
Do not water Side Sprouter broccoli, Green Dragon broccoli, or Purple broccoli today; reassess after the 2026-03-13 rain event.
Phase: 12-day-old transplants, still rooting in.
Reason: soil moisture is 49%, right in the brassica ideal 40–60% range, and the bed has already come off a wet spell with 41.1 mm actual rain over 2026-03-07 to 2026-03-10. If ch1 drops to 40% or below after the warmer days (22.8°C today, 19.4°C tomorrow) and the light rain underdelivers, then water deeply once rather than little and often: roughly 10–15 mm over the bed, enough to re-wet the root zone. -
Check and retension the insect mesh over Lion Heart, Dutch Red, and Cannonball cabbage this afternoon before the stronger wind on 2026-03-14.
Phase: establishment, leaves still small and vulnerable to rubbing.
Reason: netting was installed 12 days ago on 2026-02-28, and forecast wind rises to 34.2 kph on 2026-03-14 after several recent windy days up to 27.4 kph on 2026-03-08 and 26.5 kph on 2026-03-10. Make sure the mesh is not resting on leaves, re-peg edges tightly, and close any gaps at the soil line so the protection you already have stays effective. -
Hold off on any repeat liquid feed for Green Dragon, Purple, Side Sprouter, White, Cheddar, Violet, Lion Heart, Dutch Red, and Cannonball for now.
Phase: post-transplant root establishment.
Reason: they received Tui Seaweed Plant Tonic on 2026-02-28, also 12 days ago, and seaweed at establishment is mainly a rooting aid rather than a main nutrient feed; with compost incorporated in Feb 2026 and moisture at 49%, there is no data-based sign they need another tonic today. Wait until they show obvious new outward leaf push over the next 1–2 weeks before considering a nitrogen-led feed.
Variety Watch
Green Dragon broccoli — early vegetative establishment — watch for a fresh central leaf push from the crown; that is the sign it has taken hold after transplanting
Purple broccoli — early vegetative establishment — keep leaves dry at the stem base and mulch now to stabilise moisture before warmer, brighter days
Side Sprouter broccoli — early vegetative establishment — do nothing harvest-related yet; aim for uninterrupted rooting while soil stays near the current 49%
White cauliflower — early vegetative establishment — no blanching yet; wait until a firm white curd is actually visible in the center
Cheddar cauliflower — early vegetative establishment — protect steady growth now, because any check this young can reduce later curd size and quality
Violet cauliflower — early vegetative establishment — north-edge position will help light capture, so mulch first around this sunnier front row
Lion Heart cabbage — early leaf expansion — check that the mesh is not abrading the newest inner leaves in coming wind
Dutch Red cabbage — early leaf expansion — keep growth even now; stop-start moisture at this stage can slow heart formation later
Cannonball cabbage — early leaf expansion — with 55 cm spacing, remove no leaves and let it build a full outer leaf frame
Looking Ahead
The main change is wind on 2026-03-14 at 34.2 kph, with only 3.4 mm rain on 2026-03-13 before that, so prepare for drying and mesh movement rather than meaningful soaking rain. If soil moisture falls from the current 49% toward 40% after the windy spell, that is the point to irrigate.
Horticulture
Right now your brassicas are investing most of their energy below ground, rebuilding root systems disturbed by transplanting and then matching root uptake to new leaf growth. That is why steady moisture matters more than feeding at 12 days after planting: if the root zone swings from wet to dry, the plant closes stomata, photosynthesis slows, and leaf initiation stalls. Seaweed tonic, like the dose applied on 2026-02-28, can help with stress tolerance and root recovery, but it does not replace the need for a consistently moist, aerated soil. Mulch works by reducing surface evaporation, moderating daily soil temperature swings, and keeping more of that 49% moisture available to the fine new roots where uptake actually happens. In autumn, with day length still 12.73 hours and ET₀ still reaching 3.7 mm, that buffering effect is especially useful for recently set brassicas.
They look settled enough now that the next job is keeping the weather from undoing the rain you’ve already had.
This post was auto-generated by the Garden AI pipeline. Weather data from Open-Meteo · Claude & GPT insights · Built with Astro