East Zone
The cool corridor. Coolest zone by 5-9°F during peak heat. Home to the hydroponic system (60 positions), seedling shelves, and the patio door — the single most important climate variable in the building.
Counts toward launch climate control with 3 active-control crop profiles.
Lettuce, pepper, and strawberry records are occupied in v_position_current.
East has the tightest VPD/temperature comfort envelope and drives humidity stress scoring.
| Metric | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Peak temperature (hot day) | ~91°F | When south hits 100°F, east is at 91°F |
| Temperature delta vs avg | -5 to -9°F | Consistently the coolest active zone |
| Humidity | Higher than other zones | Hydro evaporation adds local RH |
| VPD | Lowest in greenhouse | Cool + humid = most plant-comfortable |
Why It’s Coolest
Three factors stack to create the east zone’s microclimate:
- Tree shade — A large tree on the east side blocks morning solar until ~10:18 AM. The shadow shifts west through the day, but the east wall gets the least total solar radiation. Light transmission at the east wall sensor position: 6.9% (vs 57% spec).
- Patio door — The glass/screen combo at the NE corner provides cross-ventilation in summer. When open or screened, outdoor air enters here directly.
- Blocked morning solar — The combination of tree shade and the house to the northwest means the east zone misses the strongest morning heating period.
Seasonal Door Management
| Season | Patio Door Config | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Winter | Glass insert in | Insulation. Minimal heat loss. |
| Spring/Fall | Glass insert, sometimes screen | Partial ventilation on warm days |
| Summer | Glass removed → screen or fully open | Major vent opening — cross-ventilation drops east zone temps significantly |
| The patio door is the #1 manual climate lever. Open it for cooling but lose humidity. Close it for fog retention but temps climb. On a 90°F/16% RH day, there is no configuration that achieves both comfortable temperature AND comfortable VPD simultaneously. |
Physical Layout
Hydroponic System (~half of east wall)
| Component | Spec |
|---|---|
| Rails | 4” PVC, 3 rails (A, B, C) |
| Rows | 2 per rail (top + bottom) |
| Positions | 60 total (1-30 top row, 31-60 bottom row) |
| Media | Grodan rockwool → net cups → clay pellets |
| Nutrients | General Hydroponics Flora/Bloom/Grow |
| Type | Recirculating pump system |
| Grow lights | 14× Barrina 2FT LED (7 per row, 12” OC, 336W total) |
Hydro Water Quality Monitoring (YINMIK)
| Parameter | Current Reading | Target | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| pH | ~1922 (raw) | 5.5-6.5 | ⚠️ NEEDS CALIBRATION |
| EC | ~1,400 µS/cm | 800-2,500 | ✅ In range |
| TDS | ~690 ppm | 400-1,250 | ✅ In range |
| ORP | -1 mV | 200-400 mV | ⚠️ NEEDS CALIBRATION |
| Water temp | ~70°F | 65-75°F | ✅ Good |
| Battery | 1% | > 20% | ⚠️ NEEDS ATTENTION |
Wall Shelving (~half of east wall, south of patio door)
| Position | Contents | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| EAST-SHELF-T1 | Seedlings (unknown) on heat mat | Heat mat for germination |
| EAST-SHELF-T2, T3 | Available | Grow lights: 5× Barrina 2FT |
| EAST-SHELF-B1, B2, B3 | Available | Partially blocked by hydro tank below |
Shelves
Kind: nft; Tier: —; Position scheme: EAST-HYDRO-{1..60}
Kind: shelf; Tier: 0; Position scheme: EAST-SHELF-{T|B}{1..3}
Kind: shelf; Tier: 1; Position scheme: EAST-SHELF-{T|B}{1..3}
Equipment
No equipment assigned to this zone.
Water Systems
No water systems in this zone.
The hydro recirculating pump is not on ESP32 control. Wall drip is shared across south + west + east zones (ONE physical circuit). South misters reach into the east zone’s southern edge.
Sensors
camera.eastKind: camera; Protocol: frigate; Model: camera model withheld; Addr: —
climate.eastKind: climate_probe; Protocol: modbus_rtu; Model: Tzone RS485 (SHT3X); Addr: configured
hydro.qualityKind: hydro_quality; Protocol: WiFi via HA; Model: YINMIK; Addr: —
In addition to the DB-managed sensors above, the YINMIK probe (LocalTuya → HA → ingestor) streams pH, EC, TDS, ORP, and water temp every 5 min for hydroponic water quality. The east zone has the most comprehensive instrumentation of any zone — climate probe + 5 hydro parameters + soil probe.
Current Plantings
EAST-HYDRO-31strawberry · seedlingPlanted 2026-04-01; 44 days in place.
EAST-HYDRO-41pepper · seedlingPlanted 2026-04-01; 44 days in place.
EAST-SHELF-T1lettuce · seedlingPlanted 2026-03-01; 75 days in place.
The east zone VPD target (0.81-0.98 kPa) is the tightest in the greenhouse because strawberry starts have the narrowest VPD tolerance. East has a VPD sensor but no mister. When east VPD exceeds its target, the firmware boosts the stress score of adjacent zones (south and center) to increase their misting, which raises humidity across the greenhouse. With the patio door open, east also gets direct outdoor air exchange, which helps cooling but hurts humidity on dry days. Also suitable: basil, herbs, seedlings on shelving.
Hydro Position Planning
60 positions is significant real estate. Recommended allocation:
| Positions | Count | Crop | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-20 | 20 | Lettuce (rotating, 2-week succession) | 45-60 days per batch |
| 21-26 | 6 | Peppers (shishito, semi-permanent) | 90-120 days |
| 27-34 | 8 | Strawberries (Albion, semi-permanent) | Perennial |
| 35-42 | 8 | Basil (rotating) | 30-45 days per batch |
| 43-50 | 8 | Mixed herbs (cilantro, parsley) | 30-50 days |
| 51-60 | 10 | Experimental / overflow | Variable |
Zone Profile
Slug east; status active.
Sensor Modbus addr 5.
Recorded/known peak temperature.
Active crop records. Position scheme: EAST-SHELF-{T|B}{1..3}, EAST-SHELF-{T|B}{1..3}, EAST-HYDRO-{1..60}.