Seed Starting Setup - Shelving, Lights the works

[TNTiger]

I want to purchase a seed starting system and wonder if anyone can suggest a good one. I'd prefer to purchase a complete set-up that includes the shelves, lights, and timers. Any recommendations for a good one that will allow me to start about 100 plants from seed?

I want to be able to start tomatoes, peppers, and a few other summer vegetables and flowers from seeds. I know peppers are harder to start so I won't be heart broken if I'm not successful with them for the first year.

Thanks!

[newatthiskat]

I am in Texas and do not have any sort of "setup" I have grown several hundred plants in the past and probably that many next season. I am blessed with Texas being fairly warm and just put them outside on sunny days. Peppers I bought a heating pad and just put that under the peppers. I use those dome seed starters and use dense planting. The transfer up to Styrofoam cups with holes punched in bottom. I carry in and out as the temp changes. Since I have moved to a new house with less windows I might have to get some grow lights this year but we will see. I do not know what your average temp is where you are so it may be a totally different setup

[TNTiger]

Originally Posted by newatthiskat

I am in Texas and do not have any sort of "setup" I have grown several hundred plants in the past and probably that many next season. I am blessed with Texas being fairly warm and just put them outside on sunny days. Peppers I bought a heating pad and just put that under the peppers. I use those dome seed starters and use dense planting. The transfer up to Styrofoam cups with holes punched in bottom. I carry in and out as the temp changes. Since I have moved to a new house with less windows I might have to get some grow lights this year but we will see. I do not know what your average temp is where you are so it may be a totally different setup

Two years ago we had an unusually warm early spring so I started seeds outside and they did pretty well. If I had tried it this year it would have been a complete bust! Our spring was cool and rainy! Overall, I think we're a little too cool to start seeds in time to plant after risk of frost.

[RJGlew]

http://parkseed.com/parks-intense-li...elves/p/32242/

[TNTiger]

Originally Posted by RJGlew

http://parkseed.com/parks-intense-li...elves/p/32242/

Thanks - have you used this set-up?

[RJGlew]

Originally Posted by TNTiger

Thanks - have you used this set-up?

Absolutely not, I was simply answering your question.

For myself, I bought the cheapest 2 * 48" fluorescent shop lights & bulbs from HD and mounted them `evenly' on a 10" wide piece of plywood (the width of a standard 1020 tray). This allows me to place 2 * 1020 trays lengthwise with very good light intensity over each. I set up the unit next to a south facing window and I move each 1020 tray up & down (independently) by changing the spacers under each.

I use an inexpensive digital timer programmed to give the plants 16 hrs of light a day. I manually turn this off on sunny days from 11:00am until 2:00pm if I am at home.

I purchased an inexpensive seed heating mat through Kijiji. I highly recommend these - this spring all my tomato seeds sprouted between 3 and 7 days.

I purchased a bunch of 2"square plastic pots from an eBay seller. This size allowed me to place exactly 50 pots in each 1020 tray, giving me the potential to start 100 plants with my setup. This spring I did 50 tomatoes & 50 zinnias (Magellan & Dreamland), hence why I needed to be able to move each tray up & down independently. Bottom watering is easy - just take out one of the pots, pour in water then slip the pot back in.

I planted the tomato seeds directly into the 2" pots, each one filled about 1/3 with soil, covered the trays & put them onto the heating mat. The low soil depth allowed me to mound up soil around the seedlings as they grew upward. I replanted the seedlings into 4" round pots during week 6 and left myself the following note for 2014 - "Potted all into 4" pots (May 11). Plants in 2" x 2" are becoming rootbound, optimal re-potting would have been 1-2 weeks earlier into 2.5" square. Interestingly, potato leaf varieties are behind & not at all rootbound - next year, consider starting them (Stupice, Matina, Kimberley) a week earlier."

I have purchased a bunch of 2.5" square pots for 2014 which are 1" deeper than the 2" pots to allow me to do a deep first transplant. I also went dumpster diving at the local garden center and came up with a few hundred 4" square pots & trays for the final transplant next spring.

I follow Wayne Schmidt's sage advice for soil selection - http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/pottingsoil.htm

So that's my story...

rg

[Father'sDaughter]

If you're just looking to start seedlings that will be moved outdoors, then you can get by with shop lights from the hardware store. A lot will depend on how much space you have and how many plants you want to start at one time, but for example, here's my basement set up, all from Home Depot:

A chrome shelf unit with adjustable shelves - http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-48-in...872C/100655787

My garden is not that large, so i only use the bottom three shelves for seed starting and have them set at different heights. As the seedling grow taller, I move them down to a taller shelf. I use the upper shelves for storing things like my canning supplies and equipment.

Two of these shop lights for each shelf - http://t.homedepot.com/p/Lithonia-Li...-RE/202052422/

I suspend them from the shelf above and can move them up and down as needed. And as both the light fixtures and the shelf unit are 48" wide, the work together beautifully!

One of these timers - http://t.homedepot.com/p/GE-Plug-In-...075/100685854/

The only other thing needed is a power strip or two to plug the lights into, then the power strip gets plugged into the timer.

[TNTiger]

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

If you're just looking to start seedlings that will be moved outdoors, then you can get by with shop lights from the hardware store. A lot will depend on how much space you have and how many plants you want to start at one time, but for example, here's my basement set up, all from Home Depot:

A chrome shelf unit with adjustable shelves - http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-48-in...872C/100655787

My garden is not that large, so i only use the bottom three shelves for seed starting and have them set at different heights. As the seedling grow taller, I move them down to a taller shelf. I use the upper shelves for storing things like my canning supplies and equipment.

Two of these shop lights for each shelf - http://t.homedepot.com/p/Lithonia-Li...-RE/202052422/

I suspend them from the shelf above and can move them up and down as needed. And as both the light fixtures and the shelf unit are 48" wide, the work together beautifully!

One of these timers - http://t.homedepot.com/p/GE-Plug-In-...075/100685854/

The only other thing needed is a power strip or two to plug the lights into, then the power strip gets plugged into the timer.

Thank you for a very complete shopping list! This is very helpful and perhaps this is exactly what I should do instead of looking for a complete "Kit".

My garden isn't that big and I've done a tally of the plants I want and came up with about 80 total. This includes some companion plants like marigolds since I've found that they don't start blooming quite as soon as I'd like when sown in the ground. I'm not sure how many extras I would need to start when I get going to ensure that I get enough for my actual garden.

I think my spreadsheet needs more work to include pot size and start date so I can have a better idea of how many I need to start at any given time. Ugghhh . . . I'd rather just play in the dirt than try to figure all of this out!

[Marshallflyer]

I built a seed starting rack using these plans. I made it 18" wide instead of the 12" called for in the plans. I would also use two or three lights per shelf. The more lights I used the better plants I seemed to have.

http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/...ing-stand.aspx

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by TNTiger

Thank you for a very complete shopping list! This is very helpful and perhaps this is exactly what I should do instead of looking for a complete "Kit".

My garden isn't that big and I've done a tally of the plants I want and came up with about 80 total. This includes some companion plants like marigolds since I've found that they don't start blooming quite as soon as I'd like when sown in the ground. I'm not sure how many extras I would need to start when I get going to ensure that I get enough for my actual garden.

I think my spreadsheet needs more work to include pot size and start date so I can have a better idea of how many I need to start at any given time. Ugghhh . . . I'd rather just play in the dirt than try to figure all of this out!

You're welcome. I hope it helps.

I just took a look at my plan for this year's garden, and for a point of reference -- I planted out 36 tomatoes, 5 eggplant, 25 peppers, 4 zucchini, 2 cukes, at least 20 heads of leaf lettuce, 20 pole bean and 8 bush beans, 12 herbs, and about 100 onions. All were started using just the bottom three shelves of that shelf unit. The secret is not starting stuff too early, staggering it based for the most part on plant out dates, and having someplace to move them to a week or two before plant out for hardening off. I have one of those plastic $20 portable green houses that I set up in the spring for hardening off, then pack away once everything has been moved to the garden.

And when I first jumped into this whole gardening thing, I picked up this book - http://www.amazon.com/Week-Week-Vege.../dp/1603426949

While it doesn't cover everything, It helped me a lot in having a quick and easy reference on what I should be starting when. I still refer back to it every winter when getting set up for the next round of seed starting.

Happy shopping!

[ScottinAtlanta]

Someone published last year on this Forum a plan for a rack made of PVC pipes. I made one for me - works great - 3 flourescent lights per shelf - and the whole thing was under $100.00.

I can't find the site now or I would publish the link.

[tlintx]

I've been wondering the same thing, since starting outside seems to be less than optimal for me. I end up with plants that are either lanky or broiled.

I am planning on utilizing the garage over the winter, and maybe a couple of south-west facing sunny windows. What lightbulbs should I get?

[newatthiskat]

Originally Posted by tlintx

I've been wondering the same thing, since starting outside seems to be less than optimal for me. I end up with plants that are either lanky or broiled.

I am planning on utilizing the garage over the winter, and maybe a couple of south-west facing sunny windows. What lightbulbs should I get?

What part of Texas do you live in? I am east texas near Tyler

[nnjjohn]

Any use the new Led grow bulbs yet? I read about them and decided ordering a couple on ebay. Two for just under 10.00! Low 2 watt so very energy efficient ordered 110v screw these in the 2 round drop light fixtures and clamp over the preferred distance from the seedlings

[tnpeppers]

Be careful with that set-up...the 'wrong person' sees grow lights coming thru the garage windows, and you have the police on your doorstep.

Originally Posted by tlintx

I've been wondering the same thing, since starting outside seems to be less than optimal for me. I end up with plants that are either lanky or broiled.

I am planning on utilizing the garage over the winter, and maybe a couple of south-west facing sunny windows. What lightbulbs should I get?