Seed starting station..

Thanks for the links Camprn ,

They got me thinking ... I've moved to UK eBay for the LED red & blue lamp versions... and have ordered some for the green house heated bed area to kick start my big onions for next year.

Now all I need is a photo electric cell switch & plug in timer to set them up for extending the day light hours .

Here is another source for online ordering for lighting... hmmm... I wonder why?
Property Room

This is the stand that I am going to try to build this winter. I don't know how much this guy knows about the actual light bulbs. But I like the two tiered stand. I may try for a third shelf on the top instead of the single rod. This will give me room to store my seed growing equipdment. Maybe add some wheels so I can keep in on my porch and roll it into the house on really cold nights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxqh9KG9bQo

Thanks for the vid link Yolos! It gave me some ideas for modifying my station this winter!

GG

Looking for fast, cheap, and low-tech? Pull books off the bookcase and pile them up flat making 2 towers. Place both ends of the grow light on the towers. Put plants below. Plants did fine.

I stacked 3 bricks on some unused barspace in my kitchen and placed a shoplight on them. Not very decorative but works just fine and easy to change the height.

I built a seedling station, but of course I got carried away. I also placed it in my dining room.

The station is 6 feet long and 6 feet high with a useable length of 4 1/2 ft. There are two shelves for seedlings, plus a top that I use for storage.

The shelves are approximately 24 inches high, which makes it easy for me to work on each shelf and gives the babies room to grow. Standard seedling flats are 11 X 21 inches, so this will hold two seedling flats on each shelf.

There are two shop light fixtures over each shelf. Hoping this will correct the low light problem of last year.

Supplies:

*18 cinderblocks
*Lumber to build two shelves and a top, 6 feet long and 16 inches deep (I used various width boards I had on hand to make each shelf. )
*8 screw in cup hooks
*4 – 4 ft fluorescent light fixtures (inexpensive shop lights)
*4 cool white and *4 warm white fluorescent light bulbs

Directions:

Step 1. Place two stacks of three cinderblocks 52 inches apart

Step 2. Place 6 ft wood boards across the top of the stack to make a shelf 16 inches deep



Step 3. Add two sets of three cinderblocks on top of the shelf, 52 inches apart and directly on top of each of the cinderblock bases.

Step 4. Add 6 ft wood boards across the new cinderblocks, again making the shelf 16 inches deep

Repeat steps 3 and 4 to add a second shelf

Step 5. Insert one cup hook on the bottom side of the boards over each shelf, fifteen inches from each end (42 inches apart) and approximately four inches from the front of the shelf. Then, insert another cup hook on the bottom side of the boards over each shelf, fifteen inches from each end (42 inches apart) and approximately four inches from the back of the shelf.



Step 6. Hang two shop light fixtures over each shelf from the cup hook.


Now GROW babies

Furbalsmom...

Do these have a brand name? Are there inserts holding them together?

Tom

furbalsmom.....Love that cinder block setup.

I have a banquet table in the furnace room I use. I just place bricks or old VHS tapes under both ends of my shop lights and raise them or lower then as needed. I can even raise one side higher than the other this way.

ashort wrote:I want to make as stand for a shop light style grow light out of pvc - does anyone have plans for one or maybe have run across a site with plans... looking for a 4 footer....

Shortly after the grey hair started, the memory went next so my apology in advance for not remembering his name, but there's a sixteen year old Certified SFG Instructor on this forum who just posted a really clean set up he built last week. At least I'm pretty sure it was on this forum and then linked to a Youtube video.

A follow up to my follow up. His name is Josh and here's the link to check out:

https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t9897-made-a-plant-light-stand

tomperrin wrote:Furbalsmom...

Do these have a brand name? Are there inserts holding them together?

Tom

Tom, these were casts offs from a construction project nearby. These blocks, which seem a bit smaller than standard cinder concrete blocks, had been installed and the building inspector said they were not compliant for the intended use. They are 5 1/2 X 7 1/2 X 15 1/2 and have a curve shaped cut out which was to allow for plumbing lines (or something like that) to be run through.

They were given to us. We had to chip off the mortar and then we painted them so they would look "nice" in the dining room.

I have no idea about the brand name.

We did not put any inserts in them. I would not allow any kids to try to climb on them, but they are sturdy and stable enough for my use.

I thought they looked rather spiffy!

Tom

My mom was happy with how mine turned out, she has put it to use starting some cuttings of some flowers.

Thanks everyone for all the links and ideas. I was able to cobble one together from bits and pieces I have leftover in the garage from other projects. Only took about half an hour and now I have my own grow light!

Great Job, Noie!

Always a good thing when we can re-use things we already have around the house.

Noie wrote:Thanks everyone for all the links and ideas. I was able to cobble one together from bits and pieces I have leftover in the garage from other projects. Only took about half an hour and now I have my own grow light!

This looks like one I sketched out yesterday. Nice!! Last year I borrowed one that is similar and added extra long jack chain to wrap around the top pipes to allow for raising or lowering the lamps.

I attached the lights with little metal shower ring thingies. Was the easiest (and cheapest) way I could come up with to be able to raise and lower the lights.

Now as long as the hubby doesn't wonder why the shower curtain looks kind of saggy, I'm in the clear!

Noie wrote:Thanks everyone for all the links and ideas. I was able to cobble one together from bits and pieces I have leftover in the garage from other projects. Only took about half an hour and now I have my own grow light!

Excellent!

Noie.....Great set of growlights. Now you're ready for anything.

So here in Michigan, the weather has been super warm. I've had spring fever something fierce, and it got worse when I started planting my spring seeds.

Last year, we had a horrible time with seeds, germination, and a late start. But this year, I wanted to build something that was practical for our small living space AND appease my SFG addiction! As some of you know, my SFG's are on the patio because we have no yard.

So real estate is always a premium.

I also have to factor in a 1 yr old toddler, a mischievous cat, and a wife who is cramped when she is moving about the condo. The latter problem is because I HAVE GARDENING STUFF EVERYWHERE.

So...I built a new shelving unit. With all the tutorials and demos available, the small PVC 4 x 2 types were going to be too impractical. I tried to modify an existing bookshelf, but 24" Shop lights cost MORE than 48".

So here is a pic of the new system,




The setup was easy. The tier system has stoppers that allow you to adjust each tier in 1" increments, allowing you to adjust accordingly for plant height. This is more appealing to me instead of constantly moving the chains on the shop lights and risking a broken bulb. I chose to do two tiers, which would allow me to grow about 288 plants at a time if need be. This is also me thinking forward when I have more room for plants in the garden when we move in a few months.

The price breakdown only includes the shelving, lights, and a timer. The domes, seed trays, heating mat, and thermostat came to about $120.00.

Items and Materials	Cost w/Tax
5 Tier Chrome Wire Shelving	$84.77
2 Outlet (grounded) Timer	$11.63
(2) - 4ft 2 Light T-12 Shop Light	$21.06
(4) - 4ft Plant/Aquarium T-12 Bulbs	$35.37
Grand Total	$152.83
Total Time to Setup	1.5 Hours

jamesindetroit, what a great set up. The shelving unit looks pretty space efficient.

My son has salt water aquariums, and is encouraging me to try the aquarium lights because of their better color and light intensity. Maybe next year. Good Luck with your seedlings.

Just wait until next year when the 1 yr old can reach even more. My 20 month old grandson was just visiting and decided to help thin my seedlings this past week.

That is an awesome setup you have got and I just went through the same process myself this year. My wife is seven months pregnant and has made it clear that my seed starting area must be banished to the laundry room.


My costs were a little less than yours, but your setup is much larger than mine.

http://georgiahomegarden.blogspot.com/search/label/Seed%20Starting

Love your boxes they look great. I got my lights and seedlings in a closet and it is working out well.

James,
That's a great station! Just be sure to anchor it to prevent tipping.
We're empty nesters but the "Boss" still relegated all my indoor stuff to the basement. Turns out, it's a very useable space though - steady ambient temp, waterproof floor, quick access to back yard garden, kinda kid-proof (4 y/o grandson loves to explore).
I wish I'd seen your set-up back in December, 'cause I have that SAME shelving unit. Could've saved myself some time & $$$ (for more MM). Oh well!

Oh!, and as for your raised beds... Now, THAT'S what I'm talkin' 'bout!
Lee