April, 2022 - David Mathre Photography

Tuesday (05-April-2022) — New Jersey

Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard: Mourning Dove, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal.

Birds of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Indoor hydroponic flowers of the day. Three Red Poppies opened. This time, I got up at 04:30 to start taking images before the flower buds started to open.

Daily Electric Energy Used (76.6 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (45.9 kWh) from Sense. Sun and more clouds. Deficit of 30.7 kWh.

Monday (04-April-2022) — New Jersey

Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard: Mourning Dove, Turkey Vulture, House Finch, Brown-headed Cowbird.

Birds of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Indoor hydroponic flowers of the day. Pink Poppy (Papaver rhoeas). Red Turkish Tulip Poppy (Papaver glaucum). Even though I got up before 05:30 when the LED grow lights for the AeroGarden Farm go on, the Pink Poppy that was ready to open last night, the flower was already open. I still started taking images for a time-lapse video. A couple of observations. The LED grow lights for the new version of the AeroGarden Farm turn on gradually (simulating Sunrise?). Also, you can see a red Turkish Tulip Poppy opening in the background during the time-lapse video. I will try again tomorrow, even earlier, as I can see at least three poppy buds straighten up.

Indoor hydroponic poppy flowers of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

The outdoor flowers all seem to be yellow. The first Dandelion — will soon be time to start mowing the lawn. A small patch of Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna), supposedly an invasive weed in the front yard, and lots of yellow Daffodils.

Outdoor yellow flowers of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Belle Mead Coop delivered two truckloads of leaf compost (12 m^3) and one of black tree mulch (6 m^3). The leaf compost will be mixed into the wildflower meadow beds that need to be prepared. That, along with completing the deer fence, and planting the fruit trees will be keeping me busy all spring. Images taken with a Leica Q2 monochrome camera.

Belle Mead leaf compost delivery. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (81.4 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (57.8 kWh) from Sense. Sun and clouds. Deficit of 23.6 kWh.

Sunday (03-April-2022) — New Jersey

Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard: Mourning Dove, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, European Starling, House Finch, Chipping Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal.

Birds of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Indoor hydroponic poppy flowers of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (84.5 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (21.0 kWh) from Sense. Rain and clouds in the morning. Deficit of 63.5 kWh.

Weekly Electric Energy Used (619 kWh) from Sense.Weekly Solar Electric Energy Produced (310 kWh) from Sense. Deficit of 309 kWh.

Saturday (02-April-2022) — New Jersey

Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard: House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco.

Birds of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Indoor hydroponic flowers of the day. White, yellow, and orange Iceland Poppy (Papaver nudicaule). White, yellow, orange, and pink California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica). Pink Poppy (Papaver rhoeas). Yellow Calendula (Calendula officinalis) — common name Pot Marigold. Red Celosia and Snapdragon. The Snapdragon flower stalks are too tall for the 24″ AeroGarden Farm. I may try to swap them to a larger 36″ AeroGarden Farm that currently has some smaller tomato plants. I also did a series of B&W flower images using a Leica Q2 monochrome camera. Time-lapse video of an orange California Poppy (after it finally opened).

Indoor hydroponic flowers of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Indoor hydroponic flowers of the day in B&W. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Weekly Indoor Hydroponic Updates. Bounty-01 (Day 41). Bok Choi is ready to harvest. I will chop them up and store them vacuum packed in the freezer. Bounty-02 (Day 76) Thai and Genovese Basil doing well. Lettuce getting scraggly. Will probably harvest everything soon. Bounty-03 (Day 68). Dill and Genovese Basil doing well. The Italian and Curly Parsley starting to get bigger. Bounty-04 (Day 41): Various Basil. A1: Dark Opal; A2: Cinnamon; A3: Genovese; B1: Holy; B2: Italian Large Leaf; B3: Lemon; B4: Lime; C1: Sweet; C2: Thai.

Bounty-01, Bounty-02, Bounty-03, Bounty-04. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

AeroGarden Farm-01L (Day 75). California Poppy, Oriental Poppy, Lauren’s Grape Poppy. AeroGarden Farm-01R (Day 68). Hungarian Bread Seed Poppy, Red Poppy, Turkish Tulip Poppy. AeroGarden Farm-02L (Day 75). Somn Blend Poppy, Red Poppy Red Poppy, Red Mix Poppy. AeroGarden Farm-02R (Day 75). Oriental Poppy, Hungarian Bread Seed Poppy, Turkish Tulip Poppy, Red Poppy, Red Poppy, Somn Blend Poppy.

Farm-01L, Farm-01R, Farm-02L, Farm-02R. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

AeroGarden Farm-03L and Farm-03R (Day 68). Kale, Collard Greens, Spinach, Mustard Greens. All of the greens are growing fast, and producing large leaves. I am having to harvest the largest leaves to provide light to the smaller plants. AeroGarden Farm-04L and Farm-04R (Day 68). Oregano, Rosemary, Tarragon, Thyme, and Sage. AeroGarden Farm-05L Day 75. (A1, A2, A3): Dark Opal Basil; (B1, B2, B3); Cinnamon Basil; (C1, C2, C3) Genovese Basil; (D1, D2, D3): Holy Basil. AeroGarden Farm-05R Day 41. (A1, A2, A3): Italian Large Leaf Basil; (B1, B2, B3); Lemmon Basil; (C1, C2, C3) Lime Basil; (D1, D2, D3): Sweet Basil.

Farm-03L, Farm-03R, Farm-04L, Farm-04R, Farm-05L, Farm-05R. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

AeroGarden Farm-06L (Day 59). Snapdragon (A1); Chrysanthemum (A2, A3); Iceland Poppy (B1, B2); Sweet William (B3), Columbine (C1, C2, C3); Osteospermum (D1, D2); Blue Daisy (D3). AeroGarden Farm-06R (Day 51). Various types of lettuce. Red Sails (A1, A2, A3, B3); Deer Tongue (B1, B2); Black-seeded Simpson (C1, C2); Rouge d’Hiver (C3, D3); Paris Island (D1, D2). AeroGarden Farm-07L (Day 41/53). Golden Harvest Tomatoes. AeroGarden Farm-0R (Day 41/53). Heirloom Red Tomatoes. Some of the tomatoes have started to bloom and even a few set tomatoes. Trying to pollinate with the battery-operated “Busy Bee”

Farm-06L, Farm-06R, Farm-07L, Farm-07R. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

AeroGarden Farm-08L (Day 54). A1, A2, A3 Calendula. B1, B2, B3, Osteospermum. C1, C2, C3 Sweet William. D1, D2, D3 Snapdragon. AeroGarden Farm-08R (Day 47). A1, A2, A3 Calendula. B1, B2, B3, Osteospermum. C1, C2, C3 Sweet William. D1, D2, D3 Snapdragon.AeroGarden Farm-09L (Day 54). A1, A2, A3 Chrysanthemum. B1, B2, B3, Iceland Poppy. C1, C2, C3 Chrysanthemum. D1, D2, D3 Iceland Poppy. AeroGarden Farm-09R Seed Starter (Day 14). Row A: California Poppy (American Meadows, 2018) 0/8; Row B: Oriental Poppy (American Meadows, 2019) 0/10; Row C: Lauren Grape Poppy Seeds (Marde Ross & Company, 2020) 0/11; Row D: Hungarian Breadseed Poppy Seeds (Plant Good Seed, 2020) 3/10; Row E: Red Poppy Seeds (American Meadows, 2019) 1/8; Row F: Turkish Tulip Poppy Seeds (Waterfall Seeds, 2020) 3/10; Row G: Somniferum Blend Poppy Seeds (Seed Needs, 2020) 10/11; Row H: Red Poppy Seeds (American Meadows, 2019) 2/9; Row I: Mixed Red Poppy Seeds (American Meadows, 2019) 1/8. Problem with not all of the seed sponges getting hydrated. I tried increasing the liquid level in the tray, and manually (twice a day) dousing the dry ones with water.

Farm-08L, Farm-08R, Farm-09L, Farm-09R. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

AeroGarden Farm-10L (Day 68). California Poppy, Oriental Poppy, Lauren’s Grape Poppy. The odd plant is Celosia. More California Poppy flowers have opened. Now a mix of white, light yellow and red, and orange. AeroGarden Farm-10R (Day 68). Hungarian Bread Seed Poppy, Red Poppy, Turkish Tulip Poppy. One of the Turkish Tulip Poppy flowers bloomed. AeroGarden Farm-11 (Day 68). Somn Blend Poppy, Red Poppy Red Poppy, Red Mix Poppy. One of the Mixed Red Poppy plants has produced its first Pink Poppy Flower. The last time I tried Red Poppies indoors in a hydroponic garden it took 124 days before they started to bloom.

Farm-10L, Farm-10R, Farm-11. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (79.6 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (73.3 kWh) from Sense. Sunny. Deficit of 6.3 kWh.

Friday (01-April-2022) — New Jersey

Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard: Turkey Vulture, American Crow, European Starling, House Finch, Chipping Sparrow.

Birds of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Indoor hydroponic flowers of the day. White and yellow Iceland Poppy (Papaver nudicaule). California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica). Pink Poppy (Papaver rhoeas). Calendula (Calendula officinalis) — common name Pot Marigold. An orange Iceland Poppy started, but didn’t completely open. I opened some windows today, and the indoor temperature dropped a few degrees that may have contributed to the slower opening.

Indoor hydroponic flowers of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (70.6 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (42.7 kWh) from Sense. Sun and clouds. Deficit of 27.9 kWh.