I use the Ecowitt moisture sensors for potted plants. Given their size, I wouldn’t recommend using them for your lawn because you have to be sure to not hit them when mowing.
Automated irrigation systems are reasonably consistent. I moved from my lawnless apartment to a house with a backyard of grass. I left out a few empty containers across the lawn, waited for the first watering cycle, and adjusted the timings based on the distribution.
The collector. Mainly because of FOMO.
There are a handful of times where I pass on “game of the year” level games, whether due to time or money. Months later, when I’m ready to purchase it, I find that it’s out of print already and nobody has it in stock. I’m can only hope that the publishers do another print run and that my memory will remember to check on it in the future.
IIRC, Gitlab labels it “merge train”
The box dimensions too! Usually the boxes are reasonably similar to other games, so I could always find a few to keep together on the shelf. But not this game; I started a section in my shelving that’s dedicated for “weird box shapes” because of Concordia.
I take a very long-winded approach. I try to find a copy of the rules online, and then read through it (which is the first thing I would do if I had gone out to buy the game).
Then, instead of watching a review, I try to find a play through video to see how it plays out. The video isn’t completely devoid of colorful commentary or random banter, but it does give me a realistic expectation of how long the game truly takes.
I generally know whether I’d appreciate a game or hate it from reading the rule book. The video just saves me the cycle of buying, trying, and returning if I’m on the fence.