<use xlink:href="#trending-icon" xmlns:xlink=«http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink»> Trending Videos <use xlink:href="#close-icon" xmlns:xlink=«http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink»>
29.01.2024 - 12:31 / theunconventionalgardener.com / Emma Doughty
Jessica Atkins of Texas A&M University and Sara Oliveira Santos at Brown University have published preliminary results suggesting that commonly used gardening techniques could help grow chickpeas on the Moon.
The race is on to return humans to the Moon, and this time the goal is to stay, setting up a permanent lunar outpost that could be a stepping stone for a mission to Mars.
Given the enormous distances involved and the high cost of launching materials into space, it’s vital that lunar astronauts are as self-sufficient as possible, making use of the resources they find on the Moon.
Ideally, that would include growing their own food and other materials, but there are serious challenges involved in cultivating plants on the Moon. For one thing, the Moon doesn’t have any soil. It’s covered in regolith, a collection of sharp rock particles contaminated with heavy metals.
In our favour, though, are the millennia humans have spent improving soils on Earth. We’ve gotten very good at growing crops in less-than-ideal conditions, and research suggests that knowledge may well transfer to the Moon.
The aim of these experiments was to turn lunar regolith into fertile soil, and the researchers combined two different methods of soil improvement. The first will be familiar to many gardeners – adding worm compost. Composting worms are great at breaking down organic matter and incorporating it into the soil. It’s magic stuff, improving soil structure and water retention and making nutrients more available to plants. On the Moon, our little wormy buddies could chomp their way through food waste, paper towels and other organic rubbish, and turn it into soil improver.
The researchers also recruited another set of organisms to help. On Earth,
<use xlink:href="#trending-icon" xmlns:xlink=«http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink»> Trending Videos <use xlink:href="#close-icon" xmlns:xlink=«http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink»>
Sarah P. Duke Gardens Stroll through the Sarah P. Duke Gardens to discover colorful seasonal plantings, a prairie garden and fruits and vegetables that grow well in the South. Sarah P. Duke Gardens Durham, North Carolina
Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden Don't miss out on the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden's colorful borders, beautiful roses, out-of-the-ordinary conifers and so much more! The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden Des Moines, Iowa
Idaho Botanical Garden If gardening in a dry climate is your challenge, the Idaho Botanical Garden has lots of solutions! Idaho Botanical Garden Boise, Idaho
We’re visiting Paula Brown’s beautiful garden today.
We’re visiting with Dale Dailey today.
Are you looking for advice on the best plants for outdoor pots?
23 of the Best Plants for Your Home Office
February marks the transition from winter to spring. Although the chill may persist, promising signs of the upcoming new season are scattered throughout. Bulbs cautiously break through the soil, and daylight gradually begins to appear.
We’ve been to our fair share of local Manchester parks and gardens, that’s for sure! But which do we recommend?
Christian Petersen / Getty Images
Galanthus x hybridus ‘Robin Hood’ at Thenford Arboretum