Astronaut grows greens in space

You can't take the farm out of one astronaut! Astronaut Michael Hopkins has been growing fresh vegetables in space while on board the International Space Station, AgDay’s Clinton Griffiths reports.

He has been growing two different kinds of greens: the amara mustard and the extra dwarf pak choi.

With no birds or bees around, Hopkins had to pollinate the flowers using a paintbrush.

The crops were grown for 64 days, which is the longest leafy greens have grown on the station, Griffiths says. Hopkins grew up on a farm outside of Richland, Missouri.

 

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