The original South Pole hydroponic greenhouse was completed by volunteer labor in 1995. It was a small, well-insulated building on the roof of a single story berthing area under the geodesic dome, where the year-round temperature (under the dome) ranges from -20F to -50F. As indoor space is always at a premium, supplies that can freeze were kept outside the greenhouse, such as growing medium, piping, and buckets. Within the greenhouse was a small vestibule, where seeds and nutrients were kept, and the growing room. The growing room was 105 sq. ft and had three reservoir systems. Two of the reservoir systems were used for herbs and lettuce, and the third was used for fruit producing plants, such as tomatoes and cucumber; all totaling 175 plugs. There were also nearly one dozen out-of-system buckets containing trees, strawberries and flowers, plus a sprout growing box. Total production was around 4-5 lbs per week, depending on the rotation of the plants. Due to the small size of the room, the only daytime heat source for the growing room were the lights. The lights were on an evening to mid-morning schedule to accommodate other station power needs. Night-time temperatures were maintained by electric space heaters.

The New Growth Chamber

The new station at South Pole, now in its next phase of construction, includes the addition of a new growth facility. Designed by the University of Arizona,this state-of-the-art facility is completely digitally controlled: temperature, humidity, CO2 enrichment, nutrient delivery, pH, and lighting periods. The lights are a jacketed wet light system that recovers the heat generated from each light unit. Plant maintenance will be the only reason for entering the growing area, which will be separated from the community space by a glass partition. A full description and pictures of the new growth chamber can be seen in action at the University of Arizona website: South Pole Growth Chamber.