Technology - David Mathre Photography

Thursday (24-February-2022) — New Jersey

Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard, at the birdfeeder and on the patio: Blue Jay, Tufted Titmouse, European Starling, Dark-Eyed Junco.

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

Indoor Hydroponic Updates. Bounty-01 (Day 39). Bok Choi doing well. Two plants harvested this last week. It was important that I thinned it down to 1 plant per position. Even then the plants are crowded in the Bounty. I also have to top off the water every day, and add fertilizer every other day. Bounty-02 (Day 39). The Dill is growing tall. I started harvesting the top of the Dill. The Black-seeded Simpson and Rouge d’Hiver lettuce doing well. Harvesting leaves every other day. The Genovese Basil is doing well. Needed to trim some of the Dill and lettuce so the basil gets more light. I’ve needed to top off the water every day and add fertilizer every other day. Bounty-03 (Day 30). Dill and Genovese Basil doing well. The Italian and Curly Parsley starting to get bigger. Giving up on the Thyme and Chives. Bounty-04 (Day 16). Heirloom Red Tomatoes (5/5). Golden Harvest Tomatoes (4/4). The Heirloom Red Tomatoes are about ready to be thinned and transplanted to a Farm module.

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

AeroGarden Farm-01L (Day 38). California Poppy, Oriental Poppy, Lauren’s Grape Poppy. AeroGarden Farm-01R (Day 38). Hungarian Bread Seed Poppy, Red Poppy, Turkish Tulip Poppy. AeroGarden Farm-02L (Day 38). Somn Blend Poppy, Red Poppy Red Poppy, Red Mix Poppy. AeroGarden Farm-02R (Day 38). 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 31). Kale, Collard Greens, Spinach, Mustard Greens. I initially thought I also planted Swiss Chard but during the transfer from the seed starting tray probably swapped with Sage. The Swiss Chard ended up in Farm-04L and Farm-04R. 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. Next time I should probably only plant a single type of greens in each Farm. An limit it to 4 or 6 plants. AeroGarden Farm-04L and Farm-04R (Day 31). Oregano, Rosemary, Tarragon, Thyme, and Swiss Chard. As mentioned above the Swiss Chard was a mistake (supposed to be Sage). It is growing much faster (and bigger) than the herbs. I will probably harvest the Swiss Chard soon to give the herbs more room and light.

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

AeroGarden Farm-06L (Day 22). Transplanted from seed starter Farm-09R. 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 4). 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 4). Heirloom Red Tomatoes and Golden Harvest Tomatoes. AeroGarden Farm-0RL (Day 4). Bok Choi (12/12) already sprouted.

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

AeroGarden Farm-08 (Day 38). California Poppy, Oriental Poppy, Lauren’s Grape Poppy. The two odd plants are Celosia and Bok Choi. The Bok Choi plant was moved to Bounty-01 to replace one of the larger harvested Bok Choi plantsAeroGarden Farm-08R (Day 38). Hungarian Bread Seed Poppy, Red Poppy, Turkish Tulip Poppy. AeroGarden Farm-09L (Day 38). Somn Blend Poppy, Red Poppy Red Poppy, Red Mix Poppy. AeroGarden Farm-09R Seed Starter (Day 4). Nine different Basil varieties. Row A: Dark Opal Basil. Row B: Cinnamon Basil. Row C: Genovese Basil. Row D: Holy Basil. Row E: Italian Large Leaf Basil. Row F: Lemon Basil. Row G: Lime Basil. Row H. Sweet Basil. Row I: Thai Basil.

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

AeroGarden Farm-10L (Day 22). Transplanted from seed starter Farm-09R. Row A (1-3): Calendula; Row B (1-3): Osteospermum; Row C (1-3): Sweet William; Row D (1-3): Snapdragon. AeroGarden Farm-10R (Day 22). Transplanted from seed starter Farm-09R. A (1-3): Calendula; Row B (1-3): Osteospermum; Row C (1-3): Sweet William; Row D (1-3): Snapdragon. AeroGarden Farm-11 (Day 22). Transplanted from seed starter Farm-09R. A (1-3): Chrysanthemum; Row B (1-3): Iceland Poppy; Row C (1-3): Chrysanthemum; Row D (1-3): Iceland Poppy.

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

Daily Electric Energy Used (96.1 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (16.2kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Cloudy but warmer. Deficit of 69.2 kWh.

Monday (07-February-2022) — New Jersey

Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard, at the birdfeeder and on the patio: Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee, Dark-eyed Junco, Song Sparrow. A few birds returned.

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

AeroGarden Hydroponic Updates. The Bok Choi in AeroGarden Bounty-01 at Day 22 continues grow fast. I’ve started harvesting the largest leaves. The plants are drinking lots of water and going through the liquid fertilizer. In Bounty-02 the Rouge d’Hiver and Black-seeded Simpson lettuce are growing well, along with the Genovese Basil and Dill. One Thai Basil is growing, the other one remains small. In Bounty-03 the two transplanted 22-day Genovese Basil and Dill are doing well. The other 13-day herbs only the Parsley and Chives have sprouted. Bounty-04 with the seed sprouting tray at day 13 has more seedlings: Swiss Chard (4/5); Kale (5/5); Collard Greens (5/5); Spinach (1/5); Mustard Greens (5/5); Oregano (5/5); Rosemary (2/5); Tarragon (4/5); Thyme (5/5); Sage (5/5). After taking an image of the seedlings, they were transplanted to Farm-03 and Farm-04 in the basement.

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

Farm-01L, Farm-01R, Farm-02L, Farm-2R, Farm-08L, Farm-08R, Farm-09L, Farm-09R. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (94.6 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (9.2 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Clouds and rain. Deficit of 85.4 kWh.

Sunday (06-February-2022) — New Jersey

Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard, at the birdfeeder and on the patio: None The birds were shy today, wonder if there is a hawk in the area.

Daily Electric Energy Used (103.7 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (40.7 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Sunny, but cold outside. Deficit of 63.0 kWh.

Weekly Electric Energy Used (694 kWh) from Sense. Weeky Solar Electric Energy Produced (122 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Deficit of 572 kWh.

Sunday (30-January-2022) — New Jersey

Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day on a snowy day viewed at the birdfeeder and in the backyard: Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco, White-throated Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Northern Cardinal. A whole flock (~100) of the Red-winged Blackbirds descended on the patio and birdfeeders.

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

Flock of Red-winged Blackbirds. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

AeroGarden Hydroponic Updates. The Bok Choi in AeroGarden Bounty-01 continues to be the fastest grower (although one plant seems to be a runt). In Bounty-02 the Rouge d’Hiver and Black-seeded Simpson lettuce are growing well, along with the Genovese Basil and Dill. One Thai Basil is growing, the other one remains small. In Bounty-0 the two transplanted 14-day Genovese Basil and Dill are doing well. The other 6-day herbs have not sprouted yet. Bounty-04 with the seed sprouting tray at day 6 has some seeds sprouting: Swiss Chard (0/5); Kale (5/5); Collard Greens (5/5); Spinach (0/5); Mustard Greens (4/5); Oregano (1/5); Rosemary (0/5); Tarragon (2/5); Thyme (5/5); Sage (3/5). About half of the poppy seedling in Farm-09R were moved to Farm-08L, Farm-08R, and Farm-09L.

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

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

Found another Stink Bug nibbling on the Bok Choi seedlings. Also, a Lady Beetle. I’m not sure if the Lady Beetle was also nibbling on the leaf, or looking for Aphids.

Stink Bug. (David J Mathre) — Caught another Stink Bug feeding on a Bok Choi seedling. Image taken with a Leica TL2 camera and 18 mm f/2.8 lens. (David J Mathre)

Lady Beetle on a Bok Choi leaf. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (127.2 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (0.0 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. The solar panels still covered with snow. The supplemental resistance heating kicked on at night as the outdoor temperature dropped below 10°F. Deficit of 127.2 kWh.

Weekly Electric Energy Used (770 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (143 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Deficit of 627 kWh.

Saturday (29-January-2022) — New Jersey

Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

When I woke up 6+ inches of snow already fell during the night. An additional 2 inches fell during the day. The snow finally stopped by 15:00. During the night, a fox was sighted by the infrared video camera off the patio.

Snow Covered Trolls (David J Mathre) — Sixteen Trolls Covered with Snow. Image taken with a Leica Q2 monochrome camera and 28 mm f/1.7 lens (ISO 100, 28 mm, f/4, 1/200 sec). (David J Mathre)

Birds of the day on a snowy day viewed at the birdfeeder and in the backyard: Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco, White-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal.

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

Videos using the Snow Blower, and Red Rover to clear snow from the driveway. The tensioning spring for the PTO belt on the Snow Blower was loose. It was pretty hard to get it back on when the temperature was below 20°F. I needed to use a crow bar to push the belt wheel back far enough to attach the spring.

Daily Electric Energy Used (113.6 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (0.0 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. The solar panels were covered with 8+ inches of snow. The suplemental resistance heating kicked on at night as the outdoor temperature dropped below 10°F. Deficit of 113.6 kWh.