The Space Plant Experiment You’ll Never Forget! GotG27

Gardeners of the Galaxy has completed its first solar orbit! Join Emma the Space Gardener for a birthday celebration and learn how GotG got started, hear the story of a space plants experiment you’ll never forget, and find out which plant Emma would choose to take into space.

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Hello, and welcome to episode 27 of Gardeners of the Galaxy, a podcast that exists because every gardener needs more space! I’m Emma the Space Gardener, and I will be your host as we explore gardening on Earth… and beyond! 

It’s been an entire solar orbit since I launched Gardeners of the Galaxy, and to celebrate I’ve got a really exciting show for you. I’m going to tell you about an astrobotany experiment you’ll never forget. And after a year of asking other people what their fantasy space plant is, I will reveal my own. That’s all coming up later in the show. But I’m going to start by explaining a bit of the Gardeners of the Galaxy back story, which is how an Earth-bound organic gardener became interested in space plants.  

So, how does an organic gardener, firmly rooted in the soil, develop an interest in plants grown in space? I have always had an interest in space exploration – I grew up with Jean Luc Picard! And I have a bachelor’s degree in astrophysics, so I have probably spent more time than most thinking about the cosmos. 

I was a space nerd before becoming a gardener, which didn’t happen until I had my own house and garden. I started growing some herbs and vegetables because of my interest in the environment. Food Miles were a big thing at the time. But I fell in