In January 2012, NASA astronaut Don Pettit conducted one of the most famous space plants experiments of all time, and it wasn’t even official.
Pettit chronicled his experiment in a blog called Diary of a Space Zucchini. He kept the log as though he were the eponymous vegetable, sprouted into life on the International Space Station, and kept alive in a Ziplock bag.
January 5, 2012: "I sprouted, thrust into this world without anyone consulting me. I am not one of the beautiful; I am not one that by any other name instills flutters in the human heart. I am the kind that makes little boys gag at the dinner table thus being sent to bed without their dessert. I am a utilitarian, hearty vegetative matter that can thrive under harsh conditions. I am zucchini – and I am in space.” - Diary of a Space Zucchini, Don Pettit.
Although the zucchini (courgette) was the story’s star, it wasn’t the only plant that Pettit grew. Space Zucchini is joined by Space Sunflower and Space Broccoli and later by Baby Zuc. It’s not all plain sailing for the famous space plants, as they battle ill health caused by Pettit’s improvised fertilizer, lack of light, and a space pathogen. However, Space Zucchini flowers and Pettit even manage to harvest seeds from Space Sunflower.
Read the complete article at www.theunconventionalgardener.com.
