This week's blog is about "Hydroponics".  Let's set the scene. If you were going to stay on the International Space Station for a couple of years, wouldn't you want some fresh vegetables every once in a while?  Sure you would! Freeze dried food is a great invention, but there is nothing like roughage. The problem in space is the lack of soil, right? The solution -- grow your own lettuces (or other vegetables) using hydroponics-- a method of growing plants without soil. In the pictures below, I show my miniature set-up of basil grown in a hydroponic system.  In the place of soil, the seed sits in a "hydroscopic" (means takes up water) core as seen in the black cup.  These basil seeds were planted in December 2020, and the bottom photo shows their growth by early February 2021. Ask me about the nutrient rich solution that you must use to grow your vegetables and I'll give you a fun mnemonic to help you remember the chemical elements in it. -- Mrs. Russell  

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