Growing
Crop placement follows the greenhouse microclimates. South is hotter and drier. East is cooler and more humid. West is the flexible shelf wall. That matters more than raw square footage.
Current Planting
- South zone: canna lilies in floor pots, served by wall drip and south misters.
- East zone: 60-position NFT hydroponics for strawberries and leafy greens.
- West zone: shelf starts, herbs, mixed plantings, and flexible production.
- Center zone: not a production zone.
The structured crop records are still catching up to the grower’s real greenhouse activity. This page should stay honest about that until observations and plant movements flow into the database consistently.
Zone-Crop Fit
| Zone | Climate | Best fit | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| South | Hottest, driest | Peppers, tomatoes, canna, heat-loving herbs | Lettuce and cilantro in hot periods |
| East | Coolest, most humid | Lettuce, strawberries, seedlings, herbs | Crops that need the hottest zone |
| West | Moderate with late-day sun | Cucumbers, herbs, starts, overflow crops | Bolt-prone crops during summer peaks |
Hydroponics
The east wall has a 60-position recirculating NFT system. It sits in the coolest zone, which makes it the best fit for leafy greens and strawberries. The meter and probe were recalibrated during the April 2026 relaunch.
Full reservoir, nutrient, and sensor detail lives on Hydroponics.
Plant Stress Context
VPD stress hours and zone-level VPD show whether the plant environment is drifting outside useful crop ranges. When VPD gets too high, plants close stomata and growth slows even if temperature looks acceptable.
Crop Profiles
- Lettuce: fast rotation, best fit for east.
- Peppers: heat-loving, south or east depending on stage.
- Tomatoes: light-demanding, south primary.
- Strawberries: perennial everbearing, east hydroponics.
- Basil: fast cycle, high value, east or west.
- Herbs: cilantro, parsley, dill, mint, and mixed herbs.
- Cucumbers: vigorous vining crop, west fit.
See Zones for the microclimate data behind these recommendations. See Soil Sensors for root-zone moisture, temperature, and EC evidence beneath the visible crop story. See Climate water systems for irrigation, fertigation, and root-zone monitoring.