We are growing plants in "space"!

Did you know that astronauts on the International Space Station grow their own food? Inspired by their work, our gifted 3rd-grade students have taken on the exciting challenge of growing plants under "space-like" conditions in our very own classroom.

We learned that growing food in space is possible, even without soil or sunlight! We watched a video from NASA on their VEGGIES system which sows seeds onto "plant pillows" which are soaked with water and fertilizer. The astronauts then use UV lamps to act as sunlight. What results is some beautiful, fresh produce!

As you can see in the pictures below, we designated our classroom closet as our growing environment. To mimic the conditions of space, we covered all openings that let in light, placed the seeds on our own plant pillows, placed them in an airtight sealed bag, then hung them near our UV lamps. We will check on our plants every few days to see how they are coming along. We are growing parsley and freckled lettuce. I hope to send students home with their plants before Thanksgiving break.