Garden Update — Saturday, 14 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 | 14.8°C (feels like 14.8°C) |
| Outdoor humidity | 86% |
| Dew point | 12.5°C |
| Soil moisture (ch1) | 49% |
| Wind | 0.0 km/h (gusts 0.0 km/h) |
| Rain today | 4.9mm |
| Solar radiation | 0 W/m² |
| UV index | 0 |
| Pressure | 1003.4 hPa |
7-Day Weather Forecast
🌅 Sunrise: 7:29 AM · Sunset: 8:03 PM · Day length: 12.6 hrs
| Date | Max | Min | Rain | Rain% | Wind | UV | ET₀ | Radiation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14/03 | 18.7°C | 10.7°C | 0.0mm | 18% | 27kph | 5.8 | 2.7mm | 14.8MJ/m² |
| 15/03 | 16.2°C | 13.5°C | 0.0mm | 5% | 20kph | 5.0 | 2.1mm | 11.5MJ/m² |
| 16/03 | 18.9°C | 11.6°C | 0.7mm | 33% | 9kph | 3.8 | 1.7mm | 9.4MJ/m² |
| 17/03 | 16.9°C | 12.1°C | 0.0mm | 21% | 23kph | 4.3 | 2.0mm | 14.1MJ/m² |
| 18/03 | 19.0°C | 11.8°C | 0.6mm | 35% | 34kph | 5.4 | 2.0mm | 10.8MJ/m² |
| 19/03 | 13.9°C | 10.4°C | 0.0mm | 25% | 13kph | 5.3 | 1.4mm | 8.9MJ/m² |
| 20/03 | 17.2°C | 11.1°C | 0.0mm | 32% | 7kph | 4.4 | 2.0mm | 13.4MJ/m² |
Generated at 10:58 PM NZDT
AI Model Comparison
⚠️ 2 model(s) did not respond:
claude-opus-4-6,claude-sonnet-4-6
🟢 OpenAI — gpt-5.4
The brassicas are still in the transplant-establishment phase at 14 days from planting, and the main point today is that they do not need watering despite a 7-day atmospheric moisture deficit: the soil sensor is sitting at 49%, which is in the ideal brassica range. The recent rain pulse has lifted and then stabilised moisture for the whole bed, so the broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage should be left evenly moist rather than topped up again.
Observations
- Soil moisture rose from 34–37% on 07/03 to 49–51% on 14/03 → the whole brassica bed has recovered from early-week dryness into the ideal establishment range, so fresh transplants are no longer under immediate moisture stress.
- Soil moisture has held around 48–51% since 11/03 → broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage roots are sitting in steady moisture rather than cycling wet-dry, which supports even post-transplant establishment.
- Past 7 days rain was 41.1 mm versus 16.4 mm ET₀, a +24.7 mm balance → despite several dry recent days, the bed is carrying a net moisture surplus since the rain events on 07–09/03.
- Rain today is already 4.9 mm while the forecast for 14/03 was 0.0 mm → observed rainfall has exceeded forecast, so watering advice should lean more conservative than the model alone would suggest.
- Wind is 0.0 km/h right now but 18/03 is forecast to reach 33.5 kph → the full-bed insect mesh is likely calm and settled today, but it may need securing before the midweek wind peak.
Actions for Today
-
Brassica bed — transplant establishment Soil moisture is 49%, rain today is 4.9 mm, and the 7-day rain–ET₀ balance is +24.7 mm → the root zone is adequately supplied and extra water would only push a recently planted brassica bed toward excess moisture → do not water today or tonight.
-
Broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage — transplant establishment Netting has been on since 28/02 (14 days), and wind is forecast to rise to 33.5 kph on 18/03 → a secure mesh cover matters more than pest pressure on a windy week because flapping net can abrade young leaves or lift at the edges → check and tighten the mesh fixings today or tomorrow, especially the windward edges and corners.
-
Whole bed — early autumn establishment Comfrey mulch was applied on 12/03, only 2 days ago, and soil moisture has stayed at 48–51% since then → the surface is already being buffered against drying, so adding more organic material now would give little immediate benefit and could hold excess damp around small stems → leave the mulch as it is and keep it slightly clear of each transplant stem base.
Skip today
- Watering by routine — soil moisture is in the 40–60% target band and rain has already outperformed today’s forecast.
- Blanching cauliflower curds — all three cauliflower are only 14 days from planting, so there are no curds to protect yet.
- Harvesting any broccoli or cabbage — all plants are still newly established transplants, well before the May–July harvest window.
Variety Watch
Broccoli (Green Dragon, Purple, Side Sprouter) — transplant establishment — steady 49% soil moisture is supporting root recovery without needing irrigation today
Cauliflower (White, Cheddar, Violet) — transplant establishment — still in leaf-building phase, far too early for blanching or curd work
Cabbage (Lion Heart, Dutch Red, Cannonball) — transplant establishment — moisture has stabilised after the wet spell, which favours even heading later on
Looking Ahead
The next notable change is wind on 18/03 at 33.5 kph, while forecast rain over the next three days totals only 0.7 mm. The bed should stay unwatered for now, but the mesh cover should be ready for that windier spell because rainfall looks too light to matter much.
Horticulture
After transplanting, brassicas shift priority toward rebuilding fine root hairs rather than making obvious top growth straight away. Those root hairs are the main sites for water and nutrient uptake, but they are easily lost during planting disturbance and need consistently moist, oxygenated soil to regrow. If the soil swings from dry to saturated, the plant alternates between shutting roots down and replacing them, which slows establishment. A stable mid-range moisture level is therefore more important for young brassicas than frequent watering or heavy feeding. Once the root system re-expands, leaf production accelerates and the plant becomes much more resilient to short dry spells.
The bed sat still under damp air today, with 4.9 mm of rain already in and the mesh unmoving.
This post was auto-generated by the Garden AI pipeline. Weather data from Open-Meteo · Claude & GPT insights · Built with Astro