Here are a few pictures of our make shift green house located in Michael's shop. I have to say that I have been more than impressed at how our seeds have grown under the grow lights. I planted these plants in February, and I have spent the last week "harding them off" outside. It has turned cold here over the weekend, but it is suppose to warm up next week. I will be planting all of the lettuce and spinach plants in the raised beds later this week. I will keep a very close eye on the forecast so I will know if I need to cover the plants at night. I do not have all the equipment that I need to make this seed starting endeavor easier, but I have enough to make it work. When we bought our house, the previous owner had several Styrofoam tobacco seed starters left in the basement. I have used these to start many of our seeds. They have holes in the bottom to soak up the water. I place all of my pots in a tray full of water. I found some disposable cookie trays at our grocery store on clearance. These have made nice watering trays.
I am having to stage my seed plantings to keep in mind the amount of space I have. Seeds do not take up a lot of room, but the plants take up quite a bit of space. I find myself using Sunday afternoons to plant seeds. This is a very enjoyable project for me, and Michael is home to keep an eye on the little guy. Next year I will be happy to enlarge our greenhouse space by adding another tier of lights as well as another grow light cart.
grace and peace,
julie
4 comments:
Love your growing center. What type & where did you find your lights?
Michael made our growing center out of wood scraps leftover from other projects. The center itself cost us nothing, but we did spend about $79 for the lights and fixtures. He bought the lights at Lowe's. We bought the ones that were good for growing flowers and plants indoors. Just go to the light aisle and read all the different fluorisent light boxes. Hope this info. helps. If you need more details, Michael will be glad to answer with the specifics.
grace and peace,
julie
Julie, the plants look wonderful!What sort of soil/soil mix/"growing medium" did you use?
Mary Susan
Mary Susan,
You caught me on this one! I have tried hard to mend my ways and go all organic, but I got desperate for some potting soil. Michael went to Lowe's and read the bags. He bought the bag of potting soil that had as little of the "extra" added to it as possible. Tnfarmgirl makes her own potting soil mix. Her recipe is included in her Garden Calendar. I would have chosen to do that, but our supplier for all the ingredients is an hour away. By the way, I have enjoyed reading your blog and hearing all the updates that is happening at your farm. I want to borrow your tent dwellers for a little while!! It is hard when you have to wait on hubby to get home from work to get instructions or jobs completed. Have a blessed day!
grace and peace,
julie
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