Hydroponics
The Hydroponics facility at Mawson helps supplement our diet with fresh produce.
For environmental reasons, hydroponics growing media and plants are burnt each year usually near the end of a wintering crew’s stay in Antarctica. Thanks to the foresight of the 2011 Wintering Team, they removed and burnt all the old vegetation and growing media, cleaned the hydroponics facility and replanted. We arrived to find fresh growing media and established tomato, lettuce, snow peas and pepper plants.
Harvesting of lettuce and snow peas commenced a month after our arrival.
In addition to what the 2011 team planted, we have planted and harvested cress, radishes, sugar snap peas, rocket, basil, dill, oregano, ruby chard, beetroot leaves, mint and a variety of different lettuces.
Harvesting of tomatoes and peppers began this week. We expect to harvest 1 to 2kg of tomatoes per week.
Lebanese cucumbers will be ready next week and small yellow squash the week after.
Robert Kiil
(Photo: Robert Kiil)
(Photo: Robert Kiil)
(Photo: Robert Kiil)
(Photo: Robert Kiil)
(Photo: Robert Kiil)
