Several of you have been asking me to post a pictures of my grow light set up. It’s nothing fancy. Just 3 sets of grow lights {2 were purchased last year} sitting on a few old tables in my office next to the computer. If the Handsome Husband had his way, these grow lights would be set up in the garage, in the greenhouse, or pretty much anywhere else out of sight.
But the thing is, I wouldn’t be able to SEE my seedlings everyday and track their progress if they were far away {out of sight out of mind}. Plus, I’d probably forget to water them as well, which of course, would not be good.
Take a look at the artichokes! I planted these on January 2nd and their true leaves are just now starting to appear. I think it’s amazing how the packet of artichoke seeds I planted costs $1.99 each and I now have 51 little artichoke starts {I planted 3 packets}.
Most grocery stores sell 1 single artichoke for around $2.50 each. Holy cow batman! All I have to do is give these babies a little TLC and by the end of summer I will have saved a fortune. It’s pretty crazy when you break it down like that.
The Mesclun lettuce was started on January 8th and is looking sharp. The lettuce will need to be divided up and transplanted to larger pots soon. I love that I can grow lettuce indoors anytime of the year.
The onions were planted on January 1st and still look like aliens.
And HELLO wheatgrass! This is my second planting and I had no idea wheatgrass was so awesome in smoothies. I should totally open my own wheatgrass juice bar.
Well, there you have it. That’s how I am starting my seeds indoors this year.
How and when are YOU starting your seedlings this year? Or maybe you’re not starting seeds, but buying starts at a local nursery this year instead. Either way you look at it, gardening is rad.
Peace Out Girl Scouts,
♥ Mavis
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Heidi says
Where do the seedings go after being under the grow lights? Do you plant them in a raised bed, in the greenhouse or inside in bigger pots?
Jackie M. says
Did you ever try making a set-up of your own? The price in CAD was $150 + shipping for me and just looking at it I know my Dh would be able to make one, if I knew what type of light or ballast to actually use.
Cherri says
Great setup and even greater information. Love your site. Question: are those T5 lights?
anne says
Mavis, I think you mentioned green zebra tomatoes? The man who bred those lives in Everett and still breeds toms . He has a small seed co. which also sells spuds, squash and some other things. He breeds not just for PNW climate but for flavor. Seeds are more than you pay off the rack but he recommends saving for next year. Here’s his site. http://www.newworldcrops.com/zen/ I’m off to shop for toms.
Mavis says
I LOVE green zebras! Thanks for the link. I’ll take a look. 🙂
Cristie says
I am not certain why, it may be that I am in heavy clay, but I did not get any artichokes the first year, however I did start getting them this past year and I can’t WAIT for the new harvest!
Debra says
Ms. Mavis or other fans of “$100”,
Any experience or thoughts on heated grow mats?? I have never used them but understand that tomatoes and peppers (which I want to start soon) like warm soil and do better with mats? Waste of money or good to have? Inquiring gardeners want to know!
Derek says
Debra,
I’ve heard good things about the grow mats, but I built my own heat mat / germination chamber from a cardboard box and a set of Christmas lights. The temperature is >85 degrees in there.
I made a separate light box for my seedlings using inexpensive fluorescent bulbs. I don’t want a lot of heat in that box because I don’t want to bake em.
A bonus to my boxes is that they are fairly portable and I can sorta shove em in the corner and keep them out of my way.
Debra says
Derek, Thanks for the response. I hate spending money on single-purpose items that get used infrequently. (I had considered using a heating pad, but even on the “low” setting those get pretty darn hot.) GREAT idea to use strings of lights as a heat source! We seem to have collected dozens of Christmas lights over the years and this sounds like a terrific way to make use of a string of them.
I’ll definitely try your idea but think I’ll use a nesting set of plastic tubs so that moisture stays away from the lights. (Safety first!) Then I can disassemble it once the seedlings are up and growing.
Happy gardening!