 |
| Seed Starting/Growing Station |
I love to start plants from seeds. Watching those tiny
plants emerge from the soil is one of my favorite parts of gardening. However,
trying to grow from seed in late winter/early spring with just light from a
sunny window is not enough where I live. I don’t have the light nor temperature
control for good germination and plant growth. There are some pretty pricey
systems to be had but I have put together a seed starting station that is
working quite well for me.
The basic wire shelving unit is 4’ wide x 2’ deep x 6’
height and is on wheels. I like the wire because it allows for great air
circulation, doesn’t mind getting wet and dirty, and the open sides are great
for running the electrical cords. The shelves are a great size for two regular
10”x 20” starting trays plus when you start potting things up you can squeeze 4
trays per shelf turning them the other way.
The lights are just florescent two bulb fixtures with hanging
chains for adjustability. There are more options for lighting but this is what
I had several years ago and all is still working so I haven’t upgraded. The
florescent bulbs are fine for starting seeds; if you are going for blooms then
you would probably want to go to full spectrum bulbs. You do need to keep the
florescent bulbs close to the plants in order for them to get enough light.
There are a total of 4 bulbs per shelf. This provides pretty full coverage for
the whole shelf.
The whole shelving unit is wrapped in a plastic sheet on the
sides and back. I have found that just attaching with some clamps works. There
is a piece of rigid insulation on top of the unit and a plastic flap for the
front. In my case this unit is in a fairly cool room and the plastic makes this
a mini greenhouse. The front flap is quite flexible in that you can just let it
down as much as you want to keep more heat in the top of the unit. Once the
seeds have germinated most plants want to grow in a slightly cooler
environment.
 |
| Front flap closed to cover only top, heated shelf |
Air circulation is important to this process and a couple of
small adjustable fans seem to keep things moving just fine. This year, there is
the addition of a heating mat on the top shelf. There is a piece of foil
covered bubble wrap insulation under the mat to help keep the heat where
needed. The one mat has been enough so far. The seeds start on the top then
move down a shelf when germinated and not needing as much heat. There is a
controller on the mat so that the ideal temperature for the seed being grown
can be selected.
 |
| Heating mat with insulation underneath |
All of the lights are plugged into an electrical plug strip
that is on a timer. The fans and heating mat are on another plug strip so that
they can continue to run at night. There isn’t a huge power requirement for any
of the devices used and the plastic and insulation helps to keep the
temperature regulated and is more energy efficient.
My only problem with this system is that I would like to
have another one. The unit is currently in use for the onion starts and for
growing microgreens while waiting for the real seed starting season to begin.
It has worked great for the microgreens, a new growing venture this winter. It
is so nice to have fresh greens all winter. Here are some links to more
information about seed starting:
No comments:
Post a Comment