pointer80
Senior Member
Posts: 233
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 1:50 pm
Location: northern Michigan

Need advice on seed starting set up

Hello all, I need some advice on how I want to set up my seed starting set up this year. In the past I would start all my seeds in my basement which works well until it is time to up pot and start taking them outside to harden them off. I have to carry them all upstairs and back down if there is a threat of to cold of temps at night. I have a workshop/barn that is well insulated and stays about 45 degrees most all the time this time of year. What I was thinking was buying a cheap 10x10 greenhouse(the kind you see on ebay, amazon) and putting that in my barn and putting my seed starting set up inside of it with a little milk house heater to keep it around 70 degrees. I am assuming the heater should do the job relatively inexpensive considering the shop is already staying around 45 degrees anyway. I also use heat mats to assist with germination and heat. I also use t-12 shop lights. What do you guys think of this idea? Thanks in advance.

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rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

I have an unheated garage where my seed starting operation is now. I have a mini-greenhouse like this one, but a wider version:
Image

I have a heat mat on one of the shelves for bottom heat.

My light fixtures are four tubes wide and four feet long, one for each of two shelves. Two of the fluorescent tubes were labelled bright white for work spaces. They give off tons of heat, more than any other fluorescents I have had. So between the heat mats and the lights and being inside a garage and being able to zip the greenhouse plastic closed, my plants stay toasty even when it is a bit below freezing outside (where I am we don't have ultra cold, but we do have temps in the 20's some times). I don't do anything to heat the garage just the mat and lights inside the mini-greenhouse.

I think if your space stays 45 degrees, you won't have any trouble keeping your greenhouse warm enough.



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