Germans grow first vegetables in Antarctic greenhouse

Researchers at Germany’s Neumayer Station III say they’ve picked 3.6 kilograms (8 pounds) of salad greens, 18 cucumbers and 70 radishes grown inside a high-tech greenhouse as temperatures outside dropped below -20 degrees Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit).

The plants were grown without soil, daylight or pesticides as part of a project designed to help astronauts cultivate fresh food on other planets. Photo: German Aerospace Centre DLR

The researchers are working with the EDEN-ISS project in association with the German Aerospace Centre DLR, which coordinates the project. The hope to harvest 4-5 kilograms of fruit and vegetables a week by May this year.

3.6 kilograms (8 pounds) of salad greens, 18 cucumbers and 70 radishes were grown inside this high-tech greenhouse on Antarctica. Photo: German Aerospace Centre DLR

While NASA has successfully grown greens on the International Space Station, DLR’s Daniel Schubert says the Antarctic project aims to produce a wider range of vegetables that might one day be grown on Mars or the Moon.

Germans grow first vegetables in Antarctic greenhouse. Photo: German Aerospace Centre DLR