Garden Update — Friday, 13 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 | 18.5°C (feels like 18.5°C) |
| Outdoor humidity | 70% |
| Dew point | 12.9°C |
| Soil moisture (ch1) | 48% |
| Wind | 0.0 km/h (gusts 0.0 km/h) |
| Rain today | 0.0mm |
| Solar radiation | 0 W/m² |
| UV index | 0 |
| Pressure | 992.4 hPa |
7-Day Weather Forecast
🌅 Sunrise: 7:27 AM · Sunset: 8:07 PM · Day length: 12.7 hrs
| Date | Max | Min | Rain | Rain% | Wind | UV | ET₀ | Radiation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-13 | 19.3°C | 12.6°C | 2.7mm | 95% | 30kph | 0.7 | 2.0mm | 7.9MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-14 | 19.1°C | 10.5°C | 0.0mm | 18% | 28kph | 5.4 | 2.9mm | 15.3MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-15 | 18.5°C | 13.1°C | 0.0mm | 5% | 16kph | 5.7 | 2.4mm | 12.4MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-16 | 18.9°C | 12.1°C | 2.3mm | 41% | 9kph | 5.7 | 1.9mm | 11.7MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-17 | 13.9°C | 11.9°C | 3.4mm | 37% | 16kph | 5.6 | 1.6mm | 10.2MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-18 | 17.4°C | 12.8°C | 0.0mm | 23% | 14kph | 5.0 | 2.2mm | 13.8MJ/m² |
| 2026-03-19 | 18.8°C | 13.8°C | 0.6mm | 14% | 14kph | 3.0 | 1.9mm | 10.5MJ/m² |
Generated at 7:39 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 13 days from planting (planted 2026-02-28), so this is still an establishment week, not a harvest or curd-management week. The key point today is moisture stability: soil moisture is 48%, which is ideal for young Side Sprouter broccoli and Cheddar cauliflower, and with 2.7 mm rain forecast today against ET₀ 2.0 mm, they do not need watering now.
Observations
- 13 days since planting → Green Dragon broccoli and Cannonball cabbage are still in post-transplant root expansion, so any setback from drying or wind now will slow canopy fill more than it would later.
- Soil moisture 48% now, after peaking at 68% on 2026-03-09 and easing to 48–49% on 2026-03-12/13 → White cauliflower has come through the wet spell and is now in the brassica ideal band (40–60%), so keep conditions even rather than adding more water.
- Past week rain totaled 41.1 mm (11.2 + 25.5 + 4.3 + 0.1) → Purple broccoli and Dutch Red cabbage likely spent several days with abundant water, which explains why the current job is preserving structure and aeration, not irrigating.
- Forecast wind is 29.6 kph today and 27.7 kph tomorrow → the full-bed insect mesh is under mechanical stress, and young Violet cauliflower leaves can rub or twist against loose netting faster than older plants.
- Day length is 12.68 hours and today’s temperature is 18.5°C → Lion Heart cabbage can still make active leaf growth, but in partial shade the bed will dry more slowly, so overwatering would be a bigger risk than underwatering today.
Actions for Today
-
Check and re-tension the mesh over White, Cheddar, and Violet cauliflower today.
These are in the young transplant establishment phase (13 days after planting). The reason is weather-specific: wind is 29.6 kph today and was also strong through the last week (24.9–26.7 kph on 2026-03-06, 10, 11), so netting already in place since 2026-02-28 has had 13 days of exposure and may now flap onto leaves. Tighten clips, pull the mesh clear of foliage, and secure edges at soil level so it stays off the plants through tonight and tomorrow. -
Do not water Side Sprouter broccoli, Green Dragon broccoli, Purple broccoli, or the cabbages today.
All are in the establishment phase, and the decision is data-led: soil moisture is 48%, inside the brassica target 40–60%; rain today is forecast at 2.7 mm with 95% probability; and today’s ET₀ is 2.0 mm, so atmospheric demand is lower than incoming rain. Recheck channel 1 tomorrow evening; only irrigate if the sensor drops toward 40% after the windy period and the forecast rain misses. -
Apply mulch around Dutch Red, Lion Heart, and Cannonball cabbage after the surface dries slightly, ideally on 2026-03-14 or 2026-03-15 if rain remains 0.0 mm.
These cabbages are in the early vegetative establishment phase, and mulch is phase-appropriate because none has been applied yet, while the bed has shifted from very wet (68% soil moisture on 2026-03-09) down to 48% now with ET₀ 2.9 mm forecast for 2026-03-14. Lay 2–4 cm of fine compost or clean straw around each plant, keeping a 5 cm gap from the stem, to buffer the next drying swing without burying the crown. -
Plan the next feed for Green Dragon broccoli, Purple broccoli, Side Sprouter broccoli, and all three cabbages in about one week, not today.
They are still in root-establishing juvenile growth, and the only logged feed was Tui Seaweed Plant Tonic on 2026-02-28, now 13 days ago. Seaweed tonic supports establishment but is not a substantial nitrogen feed; wait until they are around 3 weeks from planting and showing resumed outward leaf growth, then give a nitrogen-forward brassica feed or side-dress compost lightly around the drip line, not against the stem. -
For Cheddar cauliflower and Violet cauliflower, check the centre leaves for clean, upright new growth when you do the netting check, but do not blanch or tie leaves yet.
These are in the juvenile leaf-building phase, far too early for curd management at 13 days from planting. Today’s reason is that after a wet week and now stable moisture (48%) the best sign of successful establishment is a fresh, firm central spear of leaves; if that centre is stalled while outer leaves are limp, revisit watering only if the sensor trends down below 40% over coming days.
Variety Watch
Green Dragon broccoli — establishment phase — hold even moisture at 48% and wait for clear new central growth before feeding again.
Purple broccoli — establishment phase — after last week’s 41.1 mm rain, watch for steady leaf colour and avoid adding water while the bed stays in the 40–60% moisture band.
Side Sprouter broccoli — establishment phase — secure mesh clear of leaves in today’s 29.6 kph wind so the young crown is not rubbed back.
White cauliflower — establishment phase — look for a firm upright centre, but no blanching until a visible curd forms much later.
Cheddar cauliflower — establishment phase — keep growth uninterrupted now, because uneven moisture before curd initiation can reduce later head quality.
Violet cauliflower — establishment phase — protect from net abrasion today; the youngest leaves bruise easily under flapping mesh.
Lion Heart cabbage — early vegetative phase — mulch this weekend if the surface dries, to smooth the drop from 68% to 48% soil moisture.
Dutch Red cabbage — early vegetative phase — delay feeding until around week 3, as the seaweed tonic from 13 days ago was an establishment treatment, not a full feed.
Cannonball cabbage — early vegetative phase — avoid overwatering in partial shade while ET and rain are nearly balanced today (2.0 mm ET₀, 2.7 mm rain forecast).
Looking Ahead
The main change is wind, not drought: 29.6 kph on 2026-03-13 and 27.7 kph on 2026-03-14 will test the mesh and can rock young transplants before roots fully anchor. After that, keep an eye on 2026-03-16 to 2026-03-17, when 2.3 mm and 3.4 mm of rain are forecast with lower ET₀ of 1.9 and 1.6 mm, which should keep soil moisture from falling fast.
Horticulture
Right now your brassicas are investing more in roots than tops. After transplanting, the plant has to re-establish root hairs, which are the tiny structures that actually absorb most water and dissolved nutrients; if the soil swings from too wet to too dry, those root hairs die back and regrow repeatedly, slowing the whole plant. That is why the current 48% soil moisture is useful: it sits inside the brassica target band and supports steady uptake without the oxygen shortage risk that comes with prolonged saturation above about 70%. The seaweed tonic given 13 days ago helps stress recovery and root initiation, but young brassicas still need time before they can make full use of a heavier feed. In this phase, consistency beats abundance.
They’ve had enough water for now; what they need today is for the wind not to turn the net into sandpaper.
This post was auto-generated by the Garden AI pipeline. Weather data from Open-Meteo · Claude & GPT insights · Built with Astro