In my previous post I wrote about how nervous I felt about talking in front of an audience, but there was an even bigger challenge ahead when I was told we would be on live television. In fact, I was barely able to sleep the night before the ‘God Morgen Norge’ team visited us.
They started shooting outside in front of the dome with Ben, who told them the story about Polar Permaculture. There was a little misunderstanding when the reporter gestured to go inside to see the lab and Ben thought she wanted him to look more towards the camera, but the camera man pointed back to her. So, if I ever have to interview someone in front of a camera, I now know that it would be a good idea to decide on some gestures in advance.
When I heard them coming in and Ben talking about the compost procedure and the worms in the hallway, I still did not feel ready. I was hoping that they would ask me questions rather than expect me to come up with what I wanted to say, but it turned out we were running short on time after the misunderstanding outside and also the host of the show was cutting into our timeslot. At first, I was relieved that I did not have to speak, but afterwards I felt a bit sad that I didn’t get a chance to. At least I can now say I was on live television and will be looking forward to the next time.
Exciting responsibilities
I met Ben’s son Amir, and the two of us were tasked with delivering microgreens. This was a test run because Ben and Hege will both be away at the same time soon and we need to be able to run the business on our own. I am proud to say that all went perfect.
Hege and me led a tour for five German tourists, so me being bi-lingual was very handy to answer their questions and explain what we are doing. I’m glad I now have more experience because soon Ana and me will lead a tour for 16 people while Ben and Hege are away.
Hydroponic tower with salad and rucola 
Microgreens close to delivery stage 
Our seeding and delivery schedule for the microgreens
Grower’s challenges
The basil is doing great, it just appears that there is a generation missing between the ‘teenagers’ and the ‘pensioners’. I cleared out quite a few of the re-potted coriander, as they did not make it, unfortunately. We are having issues with the cress, as at least half of it ends up moulding, so we are experimenting with three trays in the barrack to see if it grows better there. Finding the right balance of temperature, humidity, ventilation, substrate mix and seed densities is still a work in progress and inevitably contains several elements of trial and error. I can’t wait for spring to arrive because I would like to try some outside cultivation of hardy plants and will need to discuss this with Ben, hopefully we can start a trial.
