Nine tiny temperature sensors have been placed at sites on West Town Farm to see if conditions are warm enough to grow bananas and other tender crops. Initial results show that between the 24th and 26th July 2014, air temperatures on parts of the south-facing slope of Easterbrooks topped 25ºC. At one point sensors recorded a scorching 38ºC! Night-time temperatures during the hot spell were encouraging too, rarely dropping below 14ºC.
These temperature measurements are part of a collaboration between artist Gabrielle Hoad and Dr Jonathan Bennie, an Associate Research Fellow at Exeter University’s Environment and Sustainability Institute. Their project, Foreign Soil, is a documented attempt to grow edible dessert bananas (Dwarf Cavendish) outdoors in Devon.
Bananas are a tropical plant and need warm, moist, sheltered and frost-free growing conditions in which to produce their sweet, edible fruit. Although banana-friendly temperatures were recorded over a number of summer days, we would need to sustain daytime temperatures of between 26ºC and 30ºC for 12-15 months to be sure of seeing fruit. This could only be achieved by enhancing existing growing conditions to create warmer microclimates on the farm – which is a long-term aim of the project.
Temperature logging began in early July and the first results were collected in mid-August. Monitoring will continue, to capture temperatures in colder weather. Four sensors are buried to measure soil temperatures. Five sensors (in plastic shields to protect them from the sun) are measuring air temperatures. Readings are taken every 30 minutes, night and day, and stored on the devices for later downloading and analysis. Microclimate modelling software and thermal imaging are also being used to assess the site.
Foreign Soil is an art/science collaboration that asks what it means to eat local food and considers the future of UK food supplies. The project is supported by OrganicArts, West Town Farm and ESI/RANE, the research group of the University of Exeter’s Environment & Sustainability Institute and Falmouth University’s Research in Art, Nature and the Environment.
http://www.exeter.ac.uk/esi/research/creativeexchangeprogramme/foreignsoil/