- The Vegetable Production System (Veggie) is a deployable plant growth unit capable of producing salad-type crops to provide the crew with a palatable, nutritious, and safe source of fresh food and a tool to support relaxation and recreation. The Veggie provides lighting and nutrient delivery, but utilizes the cabin environment for temperature control and as a source of carbon dioxide to promote growth.
- Veggie is initially removed from stowage and deployed. The power cable is plugged into the front panel of the Veggie. A root mat and seed plugs are removed from stowage, and the seed plugs are installed into the root mat. The root mat is installed into the Veggie bellows and water is added. Power is applied to the Veggie and lighting levels (day/night cycle options) and the height of the bellows enclosure is adjusted as desired. Fans and ventilation holes in the Veggie growth volume provide fresh air to the germinating plants. Built-in irises over the fans can be adjusted to modify air flow rate through the growth chamber volume. As the plants grow, Veggie will require some maintenance, including checking water in the root mat and adding more as necessary, expanding the bellows to increase the height of the growth volume, and adjusting air flow through the growth volume. When the plants reach maturity, the edible portions of the plants are removed, cleaned and eaten (if desired). The remaining inedible biomass is disposed of. If the root mat can be reused, more seed plugs can be removed from storage and installed into the root mat, and the process can begin again.