Scientists harvest Antarctic greenhouse vegetables

[nitpicker]

http://www.dw.com/en/scientists-harvest-antarctic-greenhouse-vegetables/a-43265721

Scientists harvest Antarctic greenhouse vegetables

German scientists have harvested their first vegetables to be grown without earth or daylight in Antarctica. The greenhouse is a test run for growing plants in space and combating vegetable shortages in harsh climates.

Date 05.04.2018
Author Louisa Wright

Cucumbers, radishes and lettuce are just some of the green delights that have been thriving in the experimental EDEN-ISS greenhouse in Antarctica. The project follows in the footsteps of successful US operations cultivating crops in the harsh climate. Despite temperatures in Antarctica falling below -20 degrees Celsius (-4 F) and the sun barely coming above the horizon, the first harvest from the project led by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) demonstrates how astronauts on the moon and Mars could be supplied with fresh food in the future.

After the first three weeks, DLR engineer and Antarctic gardener Paul Zabel had gathered 3.6 kilograms (7.9 pounds) of lettuce, 70 radishes and 18 cucumbers. He spends about three to four hours a day tending to the Antarctic garden. "After sowing the seeds in mid-February, I had to deal with some unexpected problems, such as minor system failures and the strongest storm in more than a year," Zabel said. "Fortunately, all these things could be fixed and overcome."
(snip)

So far, all of the planned plants have grown successfully in the greenhouse, including radishes, salad leaves, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and herbs including basil, parsley, chives and coriander. But, Schubert said, "You have to be patient when growing strawberries. Here we are still waiting for successful sowing."
(snip)

[eppur_se_muova]

1. Where are the sweet potatoes ?

More nutritious than anything they've grown so far.