setting up your grow station
What started as a simple shop light hanging over a shelf, morphed into a dedicated shelf with four shop lights, which grew to be a couple of shelves with even more shop lights. Now, I’ve taken over the ping pong table in the basement as my primary growing space. Like some funky art installation, over a dozen shop lights hang at various heights above ready to be choreographed to the seedling’s height as they grow. It’s not pretty, nor is it small, but it works like a charm each year!
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO GET GROWING?
Seedling containers to sow in (you can pretty much grow in anything as long as it is clean and sterile. Check out my post on what containers I use for various seeds)
Seed Starting Soil…use quality seed starting mix or even make your own. For larger seeds like pumpkin and sunflower, you can sow directly into a heavier potting soil mix.
Tray (something to hold the seedling containers on that can collect water)
Plastic “greenhouse” cover for your tray. Plastic bags work just as well. I slide them over the seedling containers, and remove after germination.
Many seeds need warmth to germinate. A warming mat is an option, or you can just plop them on top of your refrigerator like I do. It’s worked great for me for the past two decades.
Light…plants need it. If you are blessed with endless sunshine pouring through your windows, you can probably go the whole windowsill route. But for those of us living in darkness this time of year, grow lights are a must. You’ll see all different options out there with all different bulbs. I go the very basic route and use a shop light that holds two 40-watt T12 fluorescent bulbs. Make sure to buy one warm bulb and one cool light bulb for best results. They’ll need 14-16 hours a day. Hang 2-3” above your seedlings, adjusting up as they grow.
Shelving…seedlings grow (well, hopefully!), so keep that in mind when setting up your shelving system. Being able to either raise the shelves to meet the light, or drop the light down towards the shelf will be necessary. You’ll want to keep the lights 2-4” above the seedlings as they grow (more as they get larger)
Screen to fence in your growing area…only if needed to keep “helpful” kitties or young ones at bay.
Up next in SEED STARTING 101, What Containers Work Best for Starting Seeds.