How far are we from growing plants on the moon?

Two years ago, researchers from the University of Florida proved you can grow plants in Moon soil, marking a significant achievement in lunar and space exploration.

Their study published in the journal Communications Biology demonstrates that plants can sprout in lunar soil, even though it lacks many of the nutrients plants need to thrive. The research also explores the biological responses of plants to lunar regolith, which differs greatly from Earth soil.

This study got us thinking, so we tried our own lunar regolith experiment, and we dove in to answer the question, "Just how far are we from growing plants on the moon?"

SPOILER: We're pretty far from it.

Here’s what you need to grow stuff anywhere:

1. Carbon dioxide
2. Light
3. Warmth
4. Water
5. Nutrients

1. Carbon dioxide

The moon has trace amounts of the gas in its exosphere. The difference between it and Earth’s atmosphere is pretty significant. The exosphere contains 100 molecules per cubic centimeter. While our atmosphere at sea level has about 100 billion molecules per cubic centimeter. So this one’s out.

2. Light

The moon receives a lot of light — all at once. And then it has none, for an extended period of time. So this one is out.

3. Consistent warmth

Like the light, the moon receives a lot heat and then no heat. I don’t of any plants that could tolerate that. So this one’s out.

4. Water

They say there’s water on the moon, but you’d have to find it first and then build out infrastructure to get it to your crops, which is pretty far-fetched. So this one’s out.

5. Nutrients

Finally you need nutrients in the form of NPK: Nitrogen Phosphorous and Potassium. Moon soil’s composition doesn’t really add up. It has a massive amount of trace minerals, which are helpful in small amounts, but too little of the basic ones. You would need to bring your own NPK from Earth. So this one’s out.This is where the UF study comes in handy. It shows you COULD grow plants in the soil — but despite it — not because of it. It also shows the soil doesn’t contain pathogens that will immediately kill the plants.