Hi Karen, how ya doing? Snasxs.. You don't risk enemeies..you're just stating your opinion. When you say cool temps will kill a Gardenia, how cool are you talking? Cool as in 60F? Less? More? IMO, Gardenias live comfortably between 50-90F. I also agree they do well in full sun, which is one problem people (in northern/cold states) face in winter..Lack of sun, humidity, AND fresh, circulating air. One reason insects attack is because there isn't any air in our homes, to circulate..LOL. But I have to disagree cool temps kill them. Extreme cold, yes, but cool? We northerners have to contend with artificial heat, lack of sun and dry air. Thankfully we have the options to improve conditions. And even then, most people lose their 'denias..When avialable at the market, their sold left and right, since the majority here grow as annuals, then toss in fall. Back to cool vs heat. It may be coincidence, but my 'denias bloom more and keep longer when temps range between 60-65F. In winter, 'denias are kept in a room with a south picture-window and artifical light. Temps vary, but remain cool. If I had to depend on the LR where it's warm, (gas-heat warm,) my denia would have kicked the bucket long ago. BTW, Snasxs, what is a soil humidity meter? Is it a combo of two guages, (soil and humidity) or something else? Toni Wanted to add, your Gardenia is very nice..Vibrant green, so much so it looks like you sprayed with Leaf Shine..lol Toni

What kinds of indoor space do you have available for seed starting versus your outdoor space? If I'm growing seedlings indoors for weeks, I prefer to use the unconditioned basement rather than conditioned space to grow seedlings. The warmer conditioned spaces encourage the seedlings to grow faster, which is a no-no without LOTS of light, which is difficult to provide. So growing under lights in cooler temps (like an unconditioned basement) typically lead to sturdier transplants than growing warm under lights. Before I got my 480 sq ft hoophouse put in I used a very sturdy low cold frame that I put about fifteen steps out my back door. Mine looks very similar to this: The outdoor mini cold frame was *EXTREMELY* useful in hardening off plants prior to transplanting them out. I also had a small heat mat out there to put the more cold-sensitive plants on top of if it was just too cold. I think that the short cold frames retain heat in the right places a little better than the tall ones with tops that are too high off the ground. My frame is about 4 feet by 8 feet and was totally indispensable until I got my big hoophouse. I think this year I'll get the little cold frame in operation again because it's a shorter trip than making the way to the big hoophouse for setting out and bringing in transplants. I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I like to use a combination of a small indoor growing space (at cool temps and under fluorescent shop lights) and a small outdoor cold frame (with a little heat mat if needed). You will always need to harden off plants prior to transplanting them out permanently, and a well-made polycarbonate cold frame allows you to do so at much lower risk to your plants!

Hi Liz, Since I have been growing for over 25 years I have found that the 4' fixture is best for my plants and also the most economical. When I was working and could afford them I used Varilux bulbs which I found gave the plants a great growth rate, however, they are expensive and cost retail over 12 dollars each. Since retiring I switched to 40 watt cool whites which I purchase by the box at Home Depot or Lowes. They work well and give me no problems. I have on occassion in the past used Gro-Lux and Gro-Lux WS. Both bulbs give good growth to the plants and make the plants look really beautiful and healthy under the light. But when you remove the plant from the light into natural light there is great disappointment. They loose their color and look rather ordinary. The Gro-Lux WS bulbs were always cheaper than the Gro-Lux. Many people prefer to use one cool whit and one warm white to grow. Since I cannot find warm whites I now use cool whites exclusively. Hope this helps. Fred in NJ

You might not want to keep the best plants in the window for very long. The lights can actually produce a more robust plant than the window, that's one reason why a lot of people use them. If you don't have enough room under the lights and need to use the window for extra growing space, I would plan to rotate the plants every couple of days from one location to the other so that they all regularly spend some time under the lights. Rearranging them periodically will also help them grow a straight stem, since plants tend to lean toward the direction that the strongest light is coming from. For your window this will be the outdoors and for the light fixture it will be the center of the fluorescent tubes, because even though you may not be able to see it, the light intensity falls off dramatically as you go from the center toward each end of the tube.