This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Re: basic gardening 101

At 05:50 PM 3/5/98 -0700, you wrote:
>I was also wondering how you started your seedlings. 
> I don't have $400 for
>a gro-light rack set-up. 
>
Mike, I start mine under two 40-watt fluorescent bulbs.  My husband built
me adjustable shelves (You want to keep the lights 2-3" above the flats
until they germinate, then about 2" above the plants as they grow, for most
vegetables) for very little cost.  An even cheaper way is to buy a good old
shop light, and hang it above a table, raising it as your seedlings grow.
For extra light, put a white-painted or foil-covered board as a wall behind
your seedling flats.  Most vegetables do well with temps. around 65-75F to
germinate.  I was given advice from this chat group to move the plants to a
cooler location after they sprout, so they will develop stockier 'bodies'.
One thing I learned the first year I tried seeding indoors:  Keep your
flats out of the path of forced-air registers; the seedlings will dry up in
a matter of hours sometimes.

Have fun!
Sheila Smith
mikecook@pipeline.com
Z 5/6
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index