20 OCTOBER 2008--Green Day

Tracey and I were both longing for the garden scape we just left in New Zealand...so I took her to the mirage of green amidst the cathedral of ice and snow...OUR GREENHOUSE!

This facility is around 649 square and produces around 250 LBS of produce during peak cycles. It was originally built by one the Navy personnel who had a botany degree back in the 1950's using scrap lumber and volunteer labor. Most greenhouses in the U.S. are built out of glass. They attempted to have this one out of glass but found that it was completly impractical. This greenhouse is completely sealed and insulated. There are electric heaters that maintain the temperature at night, lamps and circulating fans maintain the temperature during the day. All the walls are covered with what looks like silver wallpaper…much like a mirror. Today, it is a vital part of Mac Town as the only green space available on station. A full-time botanist is employed to care for this facility and the green house at the South Pole.



A full-time botanist is employed to care for this facility and the green house at the South Pole. Karen and I became friends last year and she loves her job. She gets to be surrounded by plants all day whether at McMurdo Station or at the South Pole. Her husband works here also as a surveyor.

There is no dirt found in the greenhouse. All the seeds are planted in perlite which is mixed with vermiculite, then placed in PVC plugs and placed in a water reservoir system. Seeds are sown directly into this mixed media and live their lives in the same plug. They also use this mixed media and plant vegetables in buckets. This is the perfect system of hydroponics in practice. The supplies for the greenhouse are shipped in via cargo vessel each February.

There is enough produce here to provide a salad every 4 days for the winter community of McMurdo. During the summer months it is used as a supplement to the "freshies" (fresh fruits and vegetables) that are flown in from New Zealand.

The greenhouse is maintained year round and is the only place where you can see lush, live plants, year round flowers and warm humid air. The greenhouse at McMurdo grows everything from lettuce, greens, spinach, arugula, chard, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and herbs to some edible flowers for decorative cakes. The greenhouse becomes an escape for people who just need to see and smell the live greenery. There are 2 hammocks that hang in the greenhouse and it is common to find folks reading, listening to music, or napping amidst the natural pleasures of vegetation.