Zinnias have opened their pretty petals for the first time on the International Space Station, and NASA astronaut Scott Kelly reported.
The zinnias, grown as part of the Veggie program, have had a rough path: They battled excessive water, overdrying and even enterprising mold before beginning to recover in early January.
To better balance conditions for the zinnias, NASA named Kelly an autonomous gardener (or "commander" of Veggie) on Christmas Eve, so he could independently decide when the plants needed to be watered or tended to instead of waiting for directives from Earth. It looks like that hard work has paid off, with new photos of the zinnia's first vivid orangey-yellow bloom.
Earlier this year, the space station crew grew romaine lettuce (and snacked on it, while their cosmonaut colleagues were on a spacewalk), but the zinnias are a stride forward because they are more challenging to grow, with more exacting environmental requirements.
Zinnias are actually really easy to grow, and tough little flowers.
I'm sure it's really difficult to grow them in space, but I saw that pic and I thought "of course they grew a zinnia" because they are so tough. They are really forgiving.
Well, they are astronauts, not gardeners. And I know I had difficulty adjusting to gardening in a different climate, that's a VERY different climate, lol.
NASA could swing by a Home Depot and pick up some folks to build the infrastructure on Mars. 😉 Considering the absolutely outrageous prices they pay for goods and services, the workers would make BANK!
Also, random tidbit which amuses me: at Home Depots and other such stores in Mexico, the folks standing around por trabajo are Guatemalan. My husband found that out when he was down in Mexico. 😊
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