North Pole scientists grow vegetables without soil or sun

Bremen: Researchers working in the North Pole will soon be able to tuck in to fresh salad twice a week thanks to an innovative new greenhouse project. The high-tech greenhouse, in which vegetables and herbs can be cultivated without soil or daylight, is to be set up by Germany’s DLR Institute of Space Systems in December. The project is a trial run for DLR’s “Eden-ISS” programme, which is aiming to build greenhouses for manned missions to Mars and the moon. Space engineer Paul Zabel will spend a year growing cucumbers,tomatoes, peppers, salads, herbs and strawberries. Speaking on Tuesday in Bremen, Zabel says he expects the first harvest towards the end of February. After that, winter in the Antarctic begins and the crew of the nearby Neumayer Station III are left to their own devices. “Then comes the big moment when we hope we will be able to make use of the greenhouse,” said Eberhard Kohlberg of the Alfred Wegener Institute, which runs the polar station. Around 10 greenhouses already provide the international polar researchers with fresh vegetables, according to Kohlberg. But, he says, none of them are equipped with the same technology. — dpa