Antarctica Hydroponics - About Us

McMurdo Station Greenhouse

Out of all the greenhouse systems, the two-tiered greens systems provide the largest amount of produce to the McMurdo community. With over 800 plugs, optimum harvests can total over 100 lbs per month. There are four to five 400 watt HPS lights suspended above each level in order to provide the lettuce, arugula, chard, and spinach with proper light levels. The chard can be seen on the left of the first picture; it is planted in a different type of plug: a vermiculite/perlite plug that helps to stabilize the plants. The arugula and spinach also tend to grow better in these plugs. The troughs are set at a two-degree angle, and water that is pumped into each PVC trough at the far end returns to the reservoir via gravity.The lettuce greens are planted in one-inch rockwool squares, and transferred from a seedling tray at 5 days into the system. They are harvested about 35 days from seeding. In winter, crop rotation is instituted to provide the community with a salad every four to five days. Three rows are planted at a time, with an interval of 5 days between each set of plantings. In summer, an entire tier is planted at once, and rotation between the four levels (two for each system) occurs in one-week intervals.

Upper Lettuce System – this system hangs rom supports
above the lower system

Lower Lettuce System - Rockwool inserted
into black rubber matting

Herbs can be grown many ways. The cilantro is being grown in vermiculite/perlite plugs set into a fabricated 6” PVC trough. The covers are made of thin stainless steel. The reservoir can be seen at the far lower end of the picture. The basil system in the picture to the right also utilizes this reservoir, but the NFT system in which the plants grow is pre-fabricated and store-bought.

Parsley, chives, and basil in NFT

Cilantro in NFT – notice the reservoir infar left

Lemongrass, a Lime tree, and Marigolds

Oregano and thyme in buckets

The buckets are the simplest form of hydroponics. Each system contains an inner bucket filled with a two-to-one mixture of vermiculite and perlite. This square bucket (with holes drilled in the bottom and sides) is then placed inside the round bucket, and the round bucket is filled with a nutrient mixture. Most of the herbs grown in this manner are perennials, but basil also grows quite well this way! Other plants also grow quite well in buckets. Basil, cilantro, parsley, and chives are the dominant herbs used by the galley, but smaller amounts of herbs such as oregano and thyme are also grown. Many kinds of edible flowers are planted to provide vibrant bouquets and small gifts. On a continent that is so lacking in anything colorful, these small tokens provide a welcome sight!

Peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes all grow in return NFT systems. Some of these systems are store-bought, as in the cucumber picture on the left. The cucumbers are trained in S-patterns onto wall-mounted trellises. As space is at a premium, it is not possible to train these plants in the umbrella or v-cordon manner. However, the tomatoes and the peppers are trained in the traditional manner, using polypropylene strings. These strings are attached to the base of the plants by a small clip and to the ceiling by a metal hook that rests on wiring. The strings are then wound around the plants as they grow. In the case of the peppers, two main stems are trained as opposed to the single tomato stem. New systems for peppers and tomatoes have been completed and installed. These new systems will double pepper production as well as slightly raise tomato output. Both of these systems are being fabricated on base, using 6” PVC pipe and sheet metal covers as seen in the tomato picture. These seedlings are a month old, and were recently transplanted into the system.


Cucumber Wall	The Greenhouse	Peppers