Deer just outside the electric fence (where they belong).
Deer on the correct side of the Electric Fence. Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 200 mm f/2 camera + 1.4x teleconverter (ISO 1600, 280 mm, f/2.8, 1/400 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)Deer on the correct side of the Electric Fence. Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 200 mm f/2 camera + 1.4x teleconverter (ISO 1600, 280 mm, f/2.8, 1/420 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Daily Electric Energy Used (72.8 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (7.0 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Rained all morning. Overall a net deficit of 65.8 kWh.
Weekly Electric Energy Used (482 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (130 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Not much sun during the week. Overall a net deficit of 352 kWh.
The first Strawberry flowers have appeared. Since I do not have bees inside the house, I will have to manually pollinate these to get indoor strawberries this winter. Other plants that have bloomed (or are about to bloom) include Plains Coreopsis, Lilliput and Thumbelina Zinnia, Marigold, and Cornflower.
Strawberry Flower. AeroGarden Farm 07 Right. Fuji X-T3 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 OIS macro lens (ISO 160, 80 mm, f/14, 1/30 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)Plains Coreopsis Flower. AeroGarden Farm 04 Left. Fuji X-T3 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 OIS macro lens (ISO 320, 80 mm, f/11, 1/30 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)Yellow Thumbelina Zinnia Flower. AeroGarden Farm 04 Left. Fuji X-T3 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 OIS macro lens (ISO 800, 80 mm, f/11, 1/30 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)Pink Lilliput Zinnia Flower. AeroGarden Farm 04 Left. Fuji X-T3 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 OIS macro lens (ISO 320, 80 mm, f/11, 1/30 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)Marigold Flower. AeroGarden Farm 04 Left. Fuji X-T3 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 OIS macro lens (ISO 800, 80 mm, f/11, 1/30 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)Cornflower Flower Bud. AeroGarden Farm 04 Left. Fuji X-T3 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 OIS macro lens (ISO 320, 80 mm, f/11, 1/30 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Daily Electric Energy Used (73.1 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (30.0 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Sunny with some clouds, but cooler outside. Overall a net deficit of 43.1 kWh.
Nocturnal Opossum — It’s back. If it was still summer and I had vegetables growing on the patio the trap would be going out.
Daily Electric Energy Used (65.3 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (6.7 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Mostly cloudy and cooler. Overall a net deficit of 58.6 kWh.
Indoor Hydroponic AeroGarden Farms 01-03 Week Nine (63 days) Update.
AeroGarden Farm 01, Left Tray, Day 63. Red Heirloom Tomatoes and Golden Harvest Tomatoes (seed pods from AeroGarden). Growth is still slow. One of the Golden Harvest tomato plants is about 3 inches tall, and has a few small yellow flowers. Reflectors didn’t seem to help much. At the last update (day 42), I cleaned the bath and replace the water (8.0 L rain water) charged with 16 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden plant food. New pH (6.24) and TDS (418 ppm). At day 54 pH (6.04), TDS (397 ppm). Added 8 mL Miracle Grow/AeroGarden plant food. New pH (5.90) TDS (580 ppm). At day 63 pH (5.86), TDS (597 ppm). Didn’t add any additional plant food. I don’t know what to think. Are these just very tiny tomato varieties? I will try to pollinate the small yellow flowers.
AeroGarden Farm 01 Left Tray at 63 days. Position 1-6 Red Heirloom Tomatoes. Position 7-12 Golden Harvest Tomatoes. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 400, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Farm 01, Right Tray, Day 63. A variety of lettuce plants (Red Romain, Deer Tongue, Paris Island, Black-seeded Simpson, and Red Sails (seed pods from AeroGarden)). At the last update (day 42) bath was too acidic pH (3.60) and TDS (804 ppm). I added 5 mL of buffer And 8 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden plant food. This brought the pH up to 5.99. At day 54 pH (3.79) TDS (695 ppm). Too acidic again. Added 4 mL buffer. New pH (6.10). At day 63 pH (4.47) TDS (509 ppm). Too acidic again. Added 2 mL buffer and 4 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden plant food. New pH (6.15) TDS (659 ppm). It looks like when the lettuce is in a robust growth mode, the solution becomes acidic. One of the lettuce varieties bolted, and has small yellow flowers.
AeroGarden Farm 01 Right Tray at 63 days. R03 Red Romaine; R02 Deer Tongue; R04, R06 Marvel of 4 Seasons; R05 Paris Island; R07, R09 Black-seeded Simpson; R08 Red Sails. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 320, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Farm 02, Left Tray, Day 63. Mini-Jalapeno Peppers, Purple Super Hot Peppers, Red Fire Peppers (seed pods from AeroGarden) New Mexico Hatch pepper, Szechuan peppers. Growth is still slow, even after adding reflectors. One of the Purple super hot peppers has a tiny purple flower. At the last update (day 42) the bath was cleaned and and replace the water (8.0 L rain water) charged with 16 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden plant food. New pH (6.34) and TDS (400 ppm). At day 54 pH (6.16) TDS (405 ppm) so added 6 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden plant food. New pH (6.00) TDS (555 ppm). At day 63 pH (5.84) TDS (570 ppm), so no additions. I will try to pollinate the small purple flower.
AeroGarden Farm 02 Left Tray at 63 days. L01-L03 Mini Jalapeno Peppers; L04-L06 Purple Super Hot Pepper; L07, L09 Red Fire Pepper; L08 NM Hatch; L10-L12 Szechuan Chile pepper. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Farm 02, Right Tray, Day 63. Romaine Lettuce (seed pods from AeroGarden). All plants are growing robustly but some developed brown tips. Several leaves harvested during the last two weeks. At the last update (day 42) the bath was too acidic pH (4.27) and TDS (459 ppm). Added 4 mL of buffer And 16 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden plant food. New pH (6.2) and TDS (760 ppm). At day 54 pH (4.20) TDS (222 ppm) so added 2 mL of Buffer and 20 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden plant food. New pH (5.80) TDS (720 ppm). At day 63 pH (3.77) TDS (369 ppm) so added 3 mL of Buffer and 7 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden plant food. New pH (6.00) TDS (525 ppm). With vigorously growing plants it looks like weekly, if not more frequent pH adjustments and plant food additions are required.
AeroGarden Farm 02 Right Tray at 63 days. R01-R09 Romain; Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 640, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Farm 03, Left Tray, Day 63. Broccoli, and Swiss Chard (seeds from Botanical Interests). All Broccoli plants sprouted, but one is growing much faster than the others. The remaining Swiss Chard plant that was moved to position 10 is also growing robustly. The Kale in L07, L11 came from a different Farm tray and are fighting to find some light. At the last update the pH (6.45) was OK, but the TDS (215 ppm) was low. Added 15 mL of Root Farm Base (4-0-1) and 10 mL of Root Farm Veggie (1-5-7). The new pH (6.25) and TDS (788 ppm). Harvested some Broccoli leaves, and Swiss Chard leaves. At day 54 pH (7.19) TDS (810 ppm) so added 4 mL of acidic Buffer. The new pH (6.06) and TDS (810 ppm). At day 63 pH (7.37) TDS (362 ppm) so added 5 mL acidic buffer and 8 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden plant food. The new pH (6.60) and TDS (575 ppm). With these plants the solution becomes basic, so requires addition of an acidic buffer. Some of the leaves turned brown when the plant food concentration went too low, and need to be trimmed.
AeroGarden Farm 03 Left Tray at 63 days. L01-L03 Broccoli; L07, L11 Kale; L10 Swiss Chard. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 250, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Farm 03, Right Tray, Day 63. Cauliflower and Arugula (seeds from Botanical Interests). Two Cauliflower plants are growing robustly (F03R01, F03R03). The Arugula plant in F03R09 came from a different Farm. The unused positions were all plugged. At the last update the pH (6.86) was a bit high and TDS (327 ppm) low. Added 15 mL of Root Farm Base (4-0-1) and 10 mL of Root Farm Veggie (1-5-7). The new pH (6.64) and TDS (824 ppm). At day 54 pH (7.26) TDS (950 ppm) so added 3 mL of acidic Buffer. The new pH (6.10) and TDS (950 ppm). At day 63 pH (7.56) TDS (460 ppm) so added 7.5 mL acidic buffer and 7.5 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden plant food. The new pH (6.00) and TDS (640 ppm). With these plants the solution becomes basic, so requires addition of an acidic buffer. Some of the leaves turned brown when the plant food concentration went too low, and need to be trimmed.
AeroGarden Farm 03 Right Tray at 63 days. R01-R03 Cauliflower; R10-R12 Kale; Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 640, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)AeroGarden Farm 03 Left and Right Tray at 49 days. L01-L03 Broccoli; L10 Swiss Chard; L11-12 Arugula; R01-R03 Cauliflower; R10-R12 Kale. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 400, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Daily Electric Energy Used (69.4 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (31.9 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. More sun and warmer. Overall a net deficit of 37.5 kWh.
AeroGarden Farm 04 – Left Unit at 57 Days. L01 Plug; L02 Cosmos Dwarf; L03 Cosmos Early Dwarf; L04 Pug; L05 Zinnia Thumbelina; L06 Zinnia Lilliput; L07 Blue Cornflower; L08 Plug; L09 Plug; L10 Marigold; L11 Marigold; L12 Plains Coreopsis. The Cornflower continues to grow very fast. It has reached the maximum height of the Farm XL LED lights. It has several buds but has not bloomed. The two Cosmos plants have not grown much. The Thumbelina Zinnia has three small flowers. The Lilliput Zinnia has several flowers. The Marigold is still small, and has several open flowers. The Plains Coreopsis is growing, and has one open flower, and several buds. At the last update (42 days) the pH (4.89) was and TDS (121 ppm) were both low. Added 10 mL of Root Farm Base (4-0-1) and 10 mL Root Farm Bloom (1-4-7). The new pH (5.24) and TDS (621 ppm). At day 51 pH (6.5) and TDS (533) so added 3 mL of Root Farm Base (4-0-1) and 2 mL Root Farm Bloom (1-4-7). The new pH (6.5) and TDS (641 ppm). At day 57 pH (7.34) and TDS (359 ppm) so added 2.5 mL of acidic buffer and 7.5 mL of Miracle Grow/AeroGarden Plant Food. The new pH (5.5) and TDS (540 ppm). I have been adding 1-2 L of water to the system every day.
Farm 04 – Left (Day 57). L01 Plug; L02 Cosmos Dwarf; L03 Cosmos Early Dwarf; L04 Pug; L05 Zinnia Thumbelina; L06 Zinnia Lilliput; L07 Blue Cornflower; L08 Plug; L09 Plug; L10 Marigold; L11 Marigold; L12 Plains Coreopsis. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 640, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)Farm 04 – Left (Day 57). Plains Coreopsis and Lilliput Zinnia flowers. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 640, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)Farm 04 – Left (Day 57). Marigold and Thumbelina Zinnia flowers. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 640, 35 mm, f/2.8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Farm 08 Right (Day 33). Edible Flowers (AeroGarden). R01, R02 Dianthus; R03, R05 Purple Snapdragon; R04, R06, R07, R08 Snapdragon; R09, R12 Durango Marigold; R10, R11 Calendula. The Calendula and Durango Marigold, and Dianthus plants are doing the best. One of the Marigold plants has a bud about to open. At the last update pH (5.30) and TDS (445 ppm) so added 8 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden (4-3-6) plant food and 100 uL of Buffer. New pH (5.35) and TDS (675 ppm). At day 27 pH (5.47) TDS (623 ppm) and left as is.
Farm 08 Right (33 days). Edible Flowers (AeroGarden). R01, R02 Dianthus; R03, R05 Purple Snapdragon; R04, R06, R07, R08 Snapdragon; R09, R12 Durango Marigold; R11 Calendula. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 160, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Bounty 01 at 58 Days. 01 Crimson Clover; 02 Oriental Poppy; 03 Oriental Poppy; 04 Lupine; 05 California Poppy; 06 Red Poppy; 07 Red Poppy; 08 Lemon Mint; 09 Red Poppy. At last update (42 days) the pH (5.80) and TDS (659 ppm) were OK and no additional plant food was not added. The Clover, California Poppy and Lemon Mint are doing well. The Lupine and Red Poppies are growing, but slow. The Oriental Poppies appear to be dead. At day 58 pH (6.15) and TDS (285 ppm) so added 8 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden (4-3-6) plant food. New pH (6.10) and TDS (593 ppm).
AeroGarden Bounty 01 at 42 days. 01 Crimson Clover; 02 Oriental Poppy; 03 Oriental Poppy; 04 Lupine; 05 California Poppy; 06 Red Poppy; 07 Red Poppy; 08 Lemon Mint; 09 Red Poppy. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 125, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden Bounty 01 at 16 Days. 01 California Poppy; 02 Cosmos Early Dwarf; 03 Cosmos Dwarf; 04 Thumbelina Zinnia; 05 Lilliput Zinnia; 06 Red Poppy; 07 Oriental Poppy; 08 Red Poppy; 09 Red Poppy Mix. Everything sprouted. The two Cosmos and two Zinnia are doing the best. At day 16 pH (5.20) TDS (300 ppm) so added 0.4 mL buffer and 6 mL of the Miracle Grow/AeroGarden (4-3-6) plant food. New pH (6.50) and TDS (585 ppm).
AeroGarden Bounty 02 at 16 days. 01 California Poppy; 02 Cosmos Early Dwarf; 03 Cosmos Dwarf; 04 Thumbelina Zinnia; 05 Lilliput Zinnia; 06 Red Poppy; 07 Oriental Poppy; 08 Red Poppy; 09 Red Poppy Mix. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 160, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden “Classic 6” Garden 01 at 49 Days. Position 01-02: Celosia (Rainbow Fire); Position 03: Phlox Mix; Position 04: Orange Gazania; Position 05: Yellow Coreopsis; Position 06: Dianthus. At the previous update (28 days) the pH (5.92) TDS (>1000 ppm). The bowl was cleaned and filled with rain water and 8 mL of Miracle Grow/AeroGarden plant food. The new pH (6.11) TDS (783 ppm). At day 49 pH (4.41) TDS (711 ppm) so added 0.5 mL buffer. New pH (6.32) TDS (720).
AeroGarden “Classic 6” Garden 01 at Day 49. Position 01-02: Celosia (Rainbow Fire); Position 03: Phlox Mix; Position 04: Orange Gazania; Position 05: Yellow Coreopsis; Position 06: Dianthus. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
AeroGarden “Classic 6” Garden 02 at 49 Days. Position 01-02: Celosia (Rainbow Fire); Position 03: Purple Snapdragon; Position 04: Lavender; Position 05: Dianthus; Position 06: Purple Snapdragon. At the previous update (28 days) the pH (5.92) TDS (>1000 ppm). The bowl was cleaned and filled with rain water and 8 mL of Miracle Grow/AeroGarden plant food. The new pH (6.08) TDS (790 ppm). At day 49 pH (6.16) TDS (711 ppm) so no additions.
AeroGarden “Classic 6” Garden 02 at Day 49. Position 01-02: Celosia (Rainbow Fire); Position 03: Purple Snapdragon; Position 04: Lavender; Position 05: Dianthus; Position 06: Purple Snapdragon. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 100, 35 mm, f/5.6, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Daily Electric Energy Used (69.4 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (31.9 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. More sun and warmer. Overall a net deficit of 37.5 kWh.
