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Space Gardener enjoys Multiple Harvests

Brockney C • Aug 21, 2017

NASA use the 'Cut and Come Again' technique

NASA are progressing further with their Veggie hydroponics system and are using the 'cut-and-come-again' technique for their Red Romain lettuces.

This arrangement is where the larger leaves are harvested whilst the smaller leaves are allowed to continue growing. This can be repeated several times meaning that a new plant does not need to be seeded after each harvest. It also reduces waste because if the plant was allowed to grow for the full amount of time it may not be possible to eat all of the leaves before they spoil.

NASA astronaut Shane Kimbroughcut some of the leaves for a mid-afternoon snack from the chamber where six plants are being grown simultaneously. Kimbrough has taken the role of the on-orbit gardener, a part time role as much of the setup is automated. Qualified gardeners at the Kennedy Space Center have provided support by keeping a close eye on the plants.

Nicole Duffour, the Veggie Project Manager at Kennedy said that "During their first week of life, the small seedlings were getting too much water. This put the plants’ growth a bit behind schedule, but they recovered nicely after we instructed Kimbrough to use a fan to dry up some of the moisture.”

As well as providing astronauts with nutritious fresh food this project can potentially provide science samples for the study of plant growth in space and there is a harvest every 10 days. Duffour adds that "Testing this method on-orbit, after using it on the ground, is very exciting for us. A repetitive harvest allows us to provide more food for both the crew and for science, so it’s a win-win. We are looking forward to hearing how Shane enjoys his first harvest!"

This experiment demonstrates how NASA recognise Hydroponics as an essential part of space exploration and also gives a great indication of how Hydroponics can be used in many different environments.

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