Starting Seeds Indoors Under Fluorescent Lights

By DavidLMO
February 22, 2016

Starting seeds indoors over winter can give you a leg up, save lots of money, and give you something to do in the dreary period. I grow from 500 to 1000 plants in my basement each year. A decent set up can be put together without spending a fortune.

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Feb 22, 2016 10:50 AM CST
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Name: Mary Stella
Chester, VA (Zone 7b)
Dahlias Canning and food preservation Lilies Peonies Permaculture Ponds
Garden Ideas: Level 2
I have read over and over articles about grow lights and indoor operations. Obviously in Alaska it behooves us to start early (and often Hilarious! ) to expand our growing season. The discussion about types of lights goes on. I have four T8's per shelf, four shelves per rolling racks, two racks. The I move the car out of the garage and set up a 4x8' plywood table and have two sets of four lights that drop from the ceiling on chains so they are adjustable. One of my biggest problems is things that grow at different rates; trying to keep the lights equidistant from the plants, even when seedlings. In addition to regular vegies and annual flowers I grow dahlias that are stored over winter. Makes for quite a mix. I bought a gizmo that is supposed to measure the lumens as I understand that the lights may be on but 'no one home' e.g. losing the power behind the lights. The fellow at the nursery suggested that I use two diff bulbs (flour) in each fixture - to cover the blue red spectrum. I only run the operation in the spring so I get a fair use from my bulbs. Thanks for a great article.
From -60 Alaska to +100 Virginia. Wahoo
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