TL;DR

It was just two of us today, so after greenhouse watering and chores we focused on setting up trellis twine for the tomatoes in the new greenhouse.

Watering and Chores and Pigs First

Since it was a small team of two and every day there are basic chores to do, we got to those first. While I deep watered the greenhouse, Jamie did some other daily chores like collecting eggs from the hens, then we fed and brought water to the pigs together.

Trellis Twine for the Tomatoes

After that we focused on setting up trellis twine for the tomatoes in the new greenhouse. We put up poles, used ladders, drilled holes, installed twine loops every couple of feet, and attached clips for the tomato plants. We managed to do one row before running out of time, then took a time-lapse video of the setup.

As we worked, we talked about things…the nature of long-term farming, the importance of planning and preparation, and the challenges of adapting to changing circumstances. Specifically “time and timing” is what Jamie says is one of the biggest challenges in managing all the aspects of the farm.

The timing of getting these tomatoes trellised couldn’t be better, despite all of us who water the greenhouse constantly asking Jamie “when will we move these tomatoes to the new greenhouse?” for the past month. The fact is, these lovely plants are doing just fine and will grow to produce enormous amounts of delicious tomatoes throughout the season. This isn’t the farm or farmer’s first rodeo and anything could happen thanks to nature, but I predict a very happy CSA season for everyone involved.

AI Summary from Field Notes

Today with the help of SourceGraph Amp, I adjusted last week’s ‘new_post.sh’ script to adjust the date format, add an appropriate slug to the frontmatter, and add interactive prompt defaults for other inputs. It didn’t make a mistake syntactically, but procedurally I forgot to add context to make the slug from the user-inputted title and not the prefixed state. Shame on me, but it was super-easy to fix.

The fact is that the last 5 days of homelab and process-improving work about the farm blog (as ridiculously simple as the impetus of a blogging process is compared to complexities of enterprise software development), AI-assisted coding is a real thing. It’s like having an eager junior assistant who can help you with your work, but with the added benefit of being able to understand syntax and context (so long as you provide it), so it’s more like guiding the process rather than writing code.

The feeling of meaningful progress is addictive. There are at any point dozens of backlog items in my homelab work queue and prioritization is now my main job, not writing code and twiddling with intricacies of syntax or Google searches for what should be obvious answers but are still not well-documented convention. Especially in the continuous prototyping process, I’m always trying things that either I haven’t been exposed to before or are relatively niche or not well documented.

For my next significant story points and after this Friday’s interview, I’ll go back through prior Deepseek-informed summaries to highlight blatantly obvious errors and less problematic areas for future refinement. For now, here’s today’s LLM-assisted summary:

Summary

Okay, so I need to figure out how to take this detailed analysis of the farm intern's notes and turn it into a concise, consolidated summary that captures all the main points. Let me go through each section step by step. First, the date is May 28th, 2025, and the intern is working on a farm with Jamie. The workday was short because they had a technical interview later in the week. They started by watering the greenhouse, which was crucial because even with temperature controls, evapotranspiration was high, meaning water dried out quickly. The intern did three waterings, each taking about an hour, including outdoor trays and greenhouses. While they were watering, Jamie was handling chores like collecting eggs from the chicken coop and other tasks. After that, they moved on to feeding the pigs, which had been recently introduced into the farm. The pigs were around 50 lbs each and growing quickly, so their feed would need to be adjusted in the coming months. Next, they worked on setting up a new greenhouse for tomatoes. This involved putting up poles, using ladders, creating holes with a drill, installing twine loops every couple of feet, and attaching clips for the tomato plants. They managed to do one row before running out of time, then took a time-lapse video of the setup. For themes, I need to identify the main activities: watering greenhouses, assisting with chores, feeding pigs, setting up greenhouse structures, and preparing for future tasks like the interview. The new elements include tomatoes being planted in the new greenhouse, the recent addition of pigs, using twine loops for support, and capturing processes with time-lapse videos. In terms of questions and areas for future research, the intern is curious about optimizing watering without overwatering, exploring better support systems than twine for tomatoes, and needing more information on pig feeding ratios as they grow. Suggested actions include looking into better watering techniques or automation, exploring alternative support structures, and studying pig nutrition in detail. I think I need to structure this summary by listing the main themes first, then detailing the activities, followed by new elements, questions, and suggested actions. Each section should be concise but comprehensive enough to cover all points without being too lengthy.

Final Consolidated Summary: Farm Intern’s Notes - May 28th, 2025

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Main Themes

• Daily Tasks: Focused on greenhouse watering, animal care (pigs and chickens), and greenhouse setup for tomatoes.
• Greenhouse Management: Highlighted challenges with high temperatures leading to rapid evapotranspiration.
• Efficiency and Documentation: Emphasized time management and capturing processes through documentation.

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Activities Performed

1. Watering Greenhouses: Conducted three waterings to manage high evapotranspiration in greenhouses.
2. Chores Assistance: Assisted with egg collection from the chicken coop and other farm tasks.
3. Pig Care: Fed newly introduced pigs, observing their growth and future feeding needs.
4. Greenhouse Setup: Installed support structures for tomatoes using twine loops and clips.

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New Elements or Experiences

1. Tomato Support System: Utilized twine loops for tomato plants in a greenhouse setting.
2. Recent Pig Introduction: Managed young pigs (50 lbs each) expected to grow over two months.
3. Efficient Time Management: Documented farm processes with a time-lapse video.

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Questions and Future Research Areas

1. Watering Optimization: Investigated efficient techniques to prevent overwatering and potential automation.
2. Tomato Support Systems: Explored alternatives to twine for better plant support and durability.
3. Pig Nutrition: Needed detailed information on optimal feed ratios as pigs grow.

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Suggested Actions

1. Improve Watering Efficiency: Implement automated systems or enhanced drainage solutions.
2. Explore Alternative Support Structures: Consider using metal or plastic frames for tomato plants.
3. Detailed Pig Feeding Study: Develop a feeding plan based on pig growth stages to ensure resource efficiency.

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This summary captures the key aspects of the intern’s day, highlighting practical tasks, challenges, and areas for improvement in farm management.

Part 1

Okay, I'm trying to help analyze the field notes from this farm intern. Let me read through it carefully. So, first, the date is May 28th, 2025, and the intern is talking about their day on the farm. It seems like they have a short workday because they're preparing for a technical interview later in the week. They started by watering the greenhouse, which needed it badly. The greenhouse gets really hot, even with temperature controls, so water evapotranspiration happens quickly. They did three waterings for about an hour, including the outside trays. While the intern was watering, Jamie was doing chores like collecting eggs from the chicken coop and other tasks. Then they went to water and feed the pigs, which were recently introduced and are growing quickly. They mentioned that the pigs will get more feed as they grow over the next two months. After that, they worked on setting up poles in a new greenhouse for tomatoes. This involved using a ladder, creating holes, and installing twine loops every couple of feet to support the tomato plants with clips. They did one row with the time they had left, took a time-lapse video, and then watered the greenhouse again before Jamie had to leave for the market. Now, I need to identify the main themes here. The activities include watering, chores, feeding pigs, setting up greenhouse structures, and preparing for future tasks. The new things mentioned are the tomatoes being planted in the new greenhouse, the recent addition of pigs, using twine loops with tomato clips, and the time-lapse video idea. As for questions or future areas, the intern is curious about how to optimize watering without overwatering, especially given the greenhouse's heat. They also wonder if there are better support systems than twine for the tomatoes. There's also mention of needing more information on pig feeding ratios as they grow. Suggestion actions would be to look into better watering techniques, maybe automate or improve drainage. Also, exploring alternative support structures and studying pig nutrition in detail. I think I covered everything. Maybe I missed something about the tomato setup, but it seems like the main points are there.

Analysis of Farm Intern’s Notes: May 28th, 2025

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Main Themes

1. Daily Tasks: The intern focused on a variety of farm tasks, including greenhouse watering, animal care (pigs and chickens), and setup of structures for tomato plants.
2. Greenhouse Management: Highlighted the challenges of managing temperature and water evapotranspiration in greenhouses, particularly under sunny conditions.
3. Efficiency and Preparation: The intern emphasized efficient use of time, preparing for future tasks like a technical interview, and capturing processes through documentation (e.g., time-lapse video).

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Activities Performed

1. Watering Greenhouse: Repeated watering due to high temperatures, affecting both indoor and outdoor trays.
2. Chores Assistance: Assisted with egg collection and general farm tasks alongside Jamie.
3. Pig Care: Fed pigs and observed their growth as they adapt to their new environment.
4. Greenhouse Setup: Installed support poles for tomatoes using twine loops, beginning the process of organizing tomato plants.

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New Elements or Experiences

1. Tomato Plant Support System: Utilization of twine loops and clips for tomato plants in a greenhouse setting.
2. Recent Pig Introduction: Managing young pigs (50 lbs each) expected to grow significantly over two months.
3. Efficient Time Management: Documentation through time-lapse video to capture farm processes.

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Questions and Future Research Areas

1. Watering Optimization: Exploring efficient watering techniques and automation to prevent overwatering.
2. Tomato Support Systems: Investigating alternatives to twine for better plant support and stability.
3. Pig Nutrition: Researching optimal feed ratios as pigs grow, ensuring proper nutrition without waste.

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Suggested Actions

1. Improve Watering Efficiency: Implement automated systems or enhanced drainage to manage evapotranspiration.
2. Explore Alternative Support Structures: Consider using metal or plastic frames for tomato plants to prevent damage and improve durability.
3. Detailed Pig Feeding Study: Develop a feeding plan based on pig growth stages, ensuring resource efficiency.

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This analysis captures the intern’s day, highlighting practical tasks, challenges, and areas for improvement in farm management.