Local Weather for the Vegetable Garden: The Data Used by Binette

Weather Linked to Your Plot’s Location

Binette starts with the plot’s location to request data from Open-Meteo. The advice engine groups nearby coordinates to reuse weather data. The outline of your vegetable garden does not, therefore, become an on-site measurement station.

Open-Meteo combines models with differing resolution, variables, and time horizons. The selected grid cell may be offset from the requested coordinates. Open-Meteo Models and Coordinates

How Is This Data Used in Binette?

Weather data contributes to the planting monitoring presented in the App Store and Google Play listings. Depending on the calculation, Binette uses, in particular:

• temperatures to estimate crop progress and identify certain risks of cold or heat;
• precipitation and reference evapotranspiration to inform the water balance;
• recent weather context for interactions with the assistant.

Reference evapotranspiration, or ETo, describes the climatic demand for a well-watered reference surface. It is not directly the amount to apply to a vegetable. The page on watering in Binette explains how this benchmark fits into a broader calculation. Open-Meteo Definition

Forecast, Historical Data, and Seasonal Benchmark: Three Different Roles

The forecast concerns a future period. Rain predicted for tomorrow is not rain already received by your vegetable garden. Values may change with updates.

Historical data describes the past based on the provider’s data. For recent calculations, Binette attempts to retrieve Open-Meteo’s historical data and may use archived forecasts when this history is unavailable. The historical API relies on observations combined with models: it does not provide the reading from a rain gauge placed in your plot. Sources of Historical Data

Seasonal benchmarks summarise several years. Binette uses these particularly for planting periods and certain fallback calculations. They describe typical conditions; they do not predict the weather for a specific day.

Updates and Missing Data

Calculations temporarily reuse cached data before requesting a refresh. Reloading a page does not, therefore, mean the provider has just produced a new forecast.

In the event of incomplete data, the behaviour depends on the calculation. Some gaps may be filled with seasonal estimates; others prevent advice from being provided. Missing rainfall data should not be interpreted as proof that it did not rain.

How to Stay Connected with Your Garden

Check the plot and date to which advice refers. Distinguish between what is forecast and what you have actually observed: rain received, plant condition, and soil moisture.

Air temperature, soil temperature from a model, and temperature recorded with your own thermometer are different pieces of information. Binette’s weather series do not measure the microclimate at the location of each plant. A situation under cover must also be assessed on-site.

To decide on watering, supplement the calculated guidance with the observations described in our vegetable garden watering guide.