I am totally loving this. I am off to Home Depot to get some wood to make mine. Already have my lights.

Thanks for the pics!!

DL

Nice set up. Can your light be lowered to the correct height or how do you plan to raise the flats up to the lights? I'd agree that your trays could be improved on but they may work ok. Plastic flats or even the aluminum cake trays from the store might work better...something 2" deep. And you don't really need a 4" soil block to start the seeds - it would be a good growing on size but the 1" or the 1 1/2" soil block is perfect for the germination part.

Good luck and enjoy your seedlings.

Dave

Another improvement would be to use reflecting surfaces around the growing area, to reflect light back towards the plants. I use sheets of white insulating foam. I agree with Dave that you need to get the lamps down closer to the plants.

This is what my setup looks like. To support the plants, I used a 4'x 4' piece of plywood, sealed with polyurethane. I hang my light fixtures from the 2x8's in the ceiling of the basement, with lightweight chains. I am growing plants that don't need huge amounts of light, so the lights are higher than you would want them for veggie plants.

{{gwi:9572}}

Hey all,

If you look real close, you can see the chains hanging from the ceiling. All the light fixtures can be moved up and down.

I've been thinking about how to reflect the light and like your white foam insulation idea, lilydude. they have the added benefit of providing a bit of insulation in a cold basement, I'll bet. Have you ever attempted to wrap them with aluminum foil for even more reflection?

digdirt, I have the 5/8"X5/8" blocker and the 2"X2" blocker. You germinate in the small ones, move them to the bigger ones, and move toms to the 4 inch ones as they grow. The first two sizes were 22.50 and 29.50 at the Jungs in Sun Prairie. I've only found the four inch size at Johnnys for $95. The idea is to be able to start a huge amount of seedlings in a very small area.

This is my first year blocking so I'll find out how well they work. Eliot Coleman swears by them. He makes three sided flats out of plywood. I kinda shy away from wood for seed starting but maybe I'll end up making some anyway.

This is my fifth year starting seeds. I hope to get better year by year.

farmerboybill -

My set-up in the pantry looks very similar. If you want a few ideas this is what I've done.

I use old telephone directories to raise the plants to just under the lights, if they need it. (you were wondering what to do with them anyway).

As mentioned in previous postings - I like the plastic shoe box/yogurt cup method of managing the drainage problem. I see a plastic container in your pic with a cover. A bit bigger to hold about 8 cups would be ideal. I use the top cover to start seeds in paper towels. The bottom part hold the seedling cups.

To facilitate more warmth - slide the loaded shoe boxes into a large plastic bag and then place on the shelf - raising the phone books as necessary - under the lights. The temps should be around 70. A thermometer would be ideal.

This set-up has worked well for the past 5 years. If you are on a budget - as I am, you will find there are many ways to cut costs. I've tried peat pots, newspaper pots, window sills, etc., etc., but always come back to the simple basics.

Just my 2 c's.

Bejay

The aluminum sided foam insul-board available at any lumber yard makes a great reflective surface and insulates too. Around here a 4x8 sheet of it costs the same as a 4x8 sheet of the white foam. Easy to cut to size with a box knife.

Another idea - the cheap aluminum heat reflective blankets available in the camping section of Walmart etc. ($1.95 for for a 4x6' blanket have perfect reflective qualities and can be cut or shaped to whatever you need to totally surround your lighted area - they also help some heat in cooler areas like basements.

Just some suggestions.

Dave

Great set up! I'm sure you'll enjoy the set up. I use the reflective blankets too. I think they are WONDERFUL!!!! Keep us updated on how it goes. The fun of having set ups is watching things grow.

Trish