Free Republic

The radishes were grown in the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) aboard the International Space Station. NASA shared a time-lapse video of the radishes as they grew inside the APH over the course of 27 days. On Nov. 30, Rubins harvested 20 radish plants from the APH, wrapping each in foil and placing it in cold storage. The radish plants will be sent down to Earth early next year on SpaceX's 22nd Commercial Resupply Services mission, according to a statement from NASA. Radishes are the latest type of fresh produce to be successfully grown and harvested in microgravity, and were chosen...

We have a ‘carrot issue’ in our household. Whenever we go grocery shopping, my husband throws a big 2-pound bag of carrots into the cart. When I tell him that we already have a bin full (from his previous purchases) his response is, ‘I think I used some of them’ or ‘It’s ok, they last a long time’; and then he blithely wanders off, singing along with the Muzak, toward the meat counter - where he will find Great Deals on meat that we also don’t need, and for which there is no room in the freezer ;-) If we...

Growing crops that dangle upside down from homemade or commercially available planters is growing more popular, and its adherents swear they’ll never come back down to earth. ----snip--- The advantages of upside-down gardening are many: it saves space; there is no need for stakes or cages; it foils pests and fungus; there are fewer, if any, weeds; there is efficient delivery of water and nutrients thanks to gravity; and it allows for greater air circulation and sunlight exposure. While there are skeptics, proponents say the proof is in the produce. Tomato and jalapeño seedlings sprout from upside-down planters fashioned out...