{044:365} Light Setup and Seed Starting

A few people emailed / commented on the last post with questions about the lights and timing for seed starting. I’m no expert by any means, but I had good success with this simple set-up last year. Enough so that I’m using it again, as well as adding to it with a couple of new light fixtures and a new shelf system (like Mike’s) in the barn once it has power next week.

I’ve talked a bit more about it below, as well as my seed starting methods. I’m not claiming they’ll work for you or that they’re 100% guaranteed. But nothing really is in life, right? If you disagree with me, or have an alternative method, feel free to add to the discussion in comments.

Lights:
The fixture above is a 4′, 2 lamp T8 fixture. I ordered it online somewhere last year (sorry, so cannot remember where) and it is supported with a somewhat flimsy metal frame. Last year, and right now, it is simply in our barely heated home office, set up on my mostly unused desk.

The most important features tho are the daylight bulbs (6500 kelvin) and the adjustable height hanging system. You want your lights almost on top of your seedlings (about 2″ above) and you want to continuously raise them to maintain that distance. Any less and you might burn the tender plants, any more and you’ll cause your seedlings to get leggy.

Although I know a lot of people pick up old T12 fluorescent fixtures on Craigslist, I recommend that if you can afford it you opt to buy T8 or T5 fixtures instead. They’re significantly less power intensive at the same time that they provide more light. You’ll save on your power bill, have happy plants and reduce the load on your local power plant, all at the same time.

ADDED: Generally you want to have the lights on for 14-16 hours a day. I have mine set up on a simple timer so I don’t have to remember to turn them on and off. I think I paid $6 for it at the local hardware store.

Flats / Pots:
I have an assortment of flats collected from various places and any will do, really. I recycle the small 4 and 6 pack pots that seedlings tend to come in - both ones I’ve gotten plants in and those I get from friends. You can definitely make your own soil blocks or newspaper pots if you don’t have an assortment of plastic ones - it’s really up to you to decide which you like best.

You’ll also want either the plastic domes that nurseries sell to cover flats, or some plastic wrap to cover your flats until the seedlings sprout. Once they’re up you’ll want to remove the lid and/or wrap so that you don’t cause damping off (kill your sprouts) with two much moisture.

Planting Seeds:
To start seeds, be sure to use a sterile seed starting mix. I buy organic Whitney Farms in the bigger bag from the local farm store. Check around at your local nurseries for a source. Put the mix in the pots you’re using and gently compact it (this increases the capillary action of the mix for your seeds). If my mix is dry I fill the flat with a couple inches of warm water (wicks up faster) and wait for it to be wicked up into the mix before putting my seeds in. Then put the seeds at the depth recommended on the seed packet and gently cover them up. Cover with plastic, put them under lights and wait.

Watering:
I water my seeds and seedlings from the bottom, meaning that I lift one or two pots out, fill the flat with an inch or so of water, replace the pots and let the plants wick the water up. I add more water until the tops of the pots are damp and then pour off any extra water. I’ve found that watering this way is gentler on the plants as well as preventing my seeds from being disturbed before they sprout.

Fertilizing:
Your seeds have everything they need to get started. The advice I got last year in my organic gardening class was to let the seedlings set their first pair of true leaves (not the seedling leaves) and then add a bit of liquid fish fertilizer to the next watering to give them a boost. Yes, fish fertilizer stinks but it also works like magic in my experience.

Once your seedlings have leaves, consult the seed packet or a gardening book for when to put them outside to harden off (adjust to outside temps) and then plant.

When to Start:
I’m starting a few things early (lettuce and broccoli) because I’ve got both a cold frame to move them to and a polytunnel to plant them in. I’m hoping to get a harvest of lettuce and broccoli out of the pretty much empty brassica tunnel before that row is planted with tomatoes in late May. Plus, our last frost date is 4/3 or so, a lot earlier than other parts of the country with colder winters.

To figure out when to start your seeds inside you’ll usually need to work backwards from your last frost date (find it here for the US). Consult the seed packet or one of many garden books or sites to figure out when to start your seeds. My go to resources are Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades (Solomon), The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide (Seattle Tilth) and the Territorial Seed Catalog.

Succession planting is a good thing to do (start seeds of the same species every few weeks) as it will give you a longer harvest period. I particularly like to do this with my brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower), my salad greens, root crops (carrots, radish) and beans/peas. That way we’re rarely drowning in a lot of something at once.

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Was this useful? There’s so much to be said on the subject, but I don’t want this post to go on forever. If people are interested I’d be willing to try to pick a topic each week or so for the spring. Whatever you’re interested in and/or whatever seems timely.

Perhaps some of the other experienced seed starters and gardeners would like to join in - we could each post on the same topic each time with our perspective. That way readers would get more than just one opinion (because you know we all have our own method…).

Thoughts?

Possibly Related posts (newest to oldest):

1. Starting the First Seeds of 2010
2. {053:365} Seed Shelves
3. {043:365} Season Kickoff
4. {039:365} Seed Storage
5. Growing Challenge: Seed Order #1