I read in this April's issue of the RHS magazine that seeds of my favourite salad leaf are being sent into space and later returned to earth. These will then be distributed to schools, sown and compared with seeds that have not previously spent six months orbiting the earth. It is hoped that this will aid attempts to grow food in space.
I have confined my experiments with rocket to the back garden, greenhouse and shed. Will the leftover seeds that I scattered on the flowerbeds after dehusking germinate, or will they be eaten by the hedge sparrows? Will the packet seed I sowed in the potting seed come up before the saved seed from the allotment that is now in the greenhouse? Will rocket under glass in seed trays do better than rocket sparsely sown amid the cos lettuce seedlings that I pricked out in the warmth of the greenhouse yesterday?
I do not need a micro-enviroment with zero gravity. I have a new greenhouse with doors that lock but no airlock. I have no hydroponics, just two bags of compost, sieved and sorted into seed trays by my husband and a selection of watering cans; no heating and lighting except the heat and light of the sun that rises in the east and shines at its zenith on shed and glasshouse.
Growing salads - it's not rocket science.
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