I thought the Newdists might be interested to know that a team of Russian scientists just grew their first wintertime watermelons in Antarctica. From the Washington Post: www.washingtonpost.com/...“Russian agricultural researchers say they successfully grew eight watermelons at a station greenhouse as part of a wider initiative to grow plants at Russia’s polar stations. The experiments are also intended to test the potential of agricultural production at future outposts in space…The watermelons were planted without soil and grew using a combination of soil substitute, fertilizers and special lighting. In the absence of bees and other pollinators, scientists hand-pollinated the plants.

Source: Washington Post August 07, 2023 18:17 UTC