The Madman Adopts New Technology

We are finally out of the Persephone Period – having 10 hours of sunlight each day is huge. But bigger than that is the success of some new technology. When we put in the new greenhouse, the madman knew it would be a challenging winter – “a learning experience,” he called it.

Early winter really was a challenge – the madman likes to keep overnight temperatures in the greenhouse around 40˚. For a while we were fine. He kept an eye on the remote thermometer. When it got too cold, he just ran out and turned on the heat. When it got too hot, he turned it off. Then we went to Maine, a bit too far to run out there on a whim. When we left, he turned the heater on, feeling it would be safer to have too much rather than not enough heat. He was comfortable with that. Unfortunately, the heater malfunctioned and when we returned, his high-tech thermometer told him the temperature had dropped to 27˚ in our absence. Some of his plants succumbed to the cold.

We Needed Something Better

We needed something better. Having the madman watch the remote constantly wasn’t terribly efficient. So we started looking for options. This isn’t the first time we have tackled this problem, but we always felt that the best options were aimed at commercial greenhouses rather than the madman’s backyard greenhouse. So our solution was to turn the heater on every night and at the start of every trip. But, you all know what happened to the electricity costs in Connecticut – this is no longer a good option.

Palma 2.0 Heater

When I showed him the Palma 2.0 greenhouse heater from BioGreen, he rolled his eyes. I ordered it anyway. It’s been in operation for almost a month now and has made his life so much easier. The heater automatically turns on when the temperature drops. You set the turn on temperature anywhere between 41˚ and 185˚, and walk away. When the space reaches the set temperature, the heater automatically turns off. Imagine the energy savings. I often catch him looking at the remote thermometer, but each look is accompanied by the comment, “still good.”

And, that got us thinking about technology in the gardening world. The Oxford Dictionary defines technology as “the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes.” In its true form, technology goes back a very long way. If you think of it ancient sun calendars were applications that used human beings instead of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Garden Science

Whether you know it or not, gardening is science. And the madman is learning that technology is making his life easier as a gardener. When we started gardening, much of technology was wishful thinking. The madman would look at his cold frames and wish for an automatic venting system. What technology there was seemed very complicated, not always reliable and quite expensive. Forty years later, technology has jumped ahead. Today’s automatic openers are dependable, easy to use and relatively inexpensive – plus, with cloud technology they can be monitored remotely. In fact, both of the madman’s greenhouses have solar-powered automatic vents in the roof. No more over cooked plants.

Seed Starting Improvements

Even his seed starting has moved forward. He no longer puts flats of seeds on top of the furnace to keep the soil warm. A heating mat keeps the flats at a consistently warm temperature. New LED lights provide a broader spectrum of light to nourish the seedlings than the old florescent tubes – and they use less energy. With the use of timers, the Persephone Period doesn’t exist in our basement. If he ever wants to get real fancy, he can install sensors to monitor conditions remotely.

But, what’s really exciting is how technology is making it easier to be a gardener. When we designed our first garden, we used a pencil, graph paper and a tape measure. We watched the sun, devoured catalogs and read countless books on the art and science of gardening. Trial and error was our best friend – and we kept a journal to document what went right and what went wrong. For all these things we did by hand, there is now an app.

There’s An App For That

You can see how much sun you get with an app. You can use satellite imagery to plot out your garden. Just google “best gardening apps,” or “best apps for garden planning” – you’ll be surprised by how many are out there. Some free, some not so free. Some of these can get quite exotic. All are designed to take the guesswork out of gardening. You still have to do the actual work for now, but technology will guide you along.

You can find an app that gives you a planting schedule, a watering schedule and a fertilizing schedule. And, you can sign up for reminder emails. You can keep an online journal and let AI suggest crop rotations and gardening suggestions based on your input. With easy-to-use smart phone apps, you can identify plants, bugs and even diseases by taking a snapshot while on your garden stroll or in your nature travels.

Better Apps

In the beginning, some of these apps were iffy at best. Having to put a leaf on a white background for identification was a pain, but our phones’ cameras and the functionality of the apps have greatly improved. But the madman and I are excited about exploring some of the new technology.

Technology for home gardeners usually starts at the commercial level. Most people today do not grow their own food; they rely on the large farms. As the world’s population grows, more demand is being placed on these farmers to become more efficient. Enter technology. This USDA website gives a good overview.

Farming Is Changing

Gone are the days when a farmer tasted the soil to determine relative pH and drove the fields to monitor conditions. Thanks to satellites and cloud computing today’s farmer has a wealth of tools to make his operation better. Remote sensors, satellite imagery and field-monitoring drones tell a farmer what is happening on the field in real time.

Even farm equipment has gotten a boost from technology. Take a look at tractors. Thanks to precision GPS steering systems tractors can actually drive themselves through fields, allowing for precision seeding, spraying and harvesting. And, sensors on equipment can alert the farmer to issues before they become major.

Homeowners Benefit

The systems are out there, and they are only going to get better. Already the automation is starting to trickle down to us. I’m sure you know about robotic lawnmowers, but have you heard about robotic weeders that do that nasty job for you? The madman says he’s not ready to turn one of these things loose in his Row of Death. Not yet anyway.

Looking For Apps

But we are ready to look at apps and technology that will make our lives easier as gardeners and nature explorers. In fact, the madman is ready to download and begin exploring two apps for his iPhone. The first is inaturalist, an app that helps you identify plants and animals around you from pictures you take on your iPhone. The second is plantnet.org, a plant identification app you can use in the field. We are looking for a good plant disease identification app that we can use in the garden – if you have one you like, please let us know.

But technology is best digested with a cup of hot cocoa.