As part of my attempt at seed starting again, much to my wife’s chagrin, I did a fair amount of research to determine when to start each type of seed for successful transplant based on our Agricultural Zone. I took the time and marked up a calendar so I know exactly when to start plants as seedlings, and when they should be transplanted. I have had unsuccessful attempts in the past and I am horrible at remembering when to plant, so I am following the calendar I made up to the letter this year.
I have upgraded my flimsy seed starting rack with this surprisingly sturdy plastic shelving unit from a box store. It cost just under $40, but I needed something sturdy and with a decent footprint. I re-used lights and a timer that I had from previous attempts but replaced the bulbs. Each fixture has one 2900k and one 6500k lamp. I remember reading somewhere that the plants benefit from the different temperature (color) lights.
The holes in the shelving unit were located perfectly for hanging two lights side by side and you can see that the 4’-0” lights overhang each side of the shelving system by 6”. The 48” wide shelving unit had a much bigger depth and was just too big for what I need. Plus if this doesn’t work this can be used in the basement for storage!
I was using up some leftover planting stuff so I took a seed starting tray filled it some seed starting mix and was ready to go. I pre-wet the peat pots, and moistened the seed starting mix with warm water prior to filling the pots. I
My calendar calls for onions, parsley, and pansies. So I don’t forget three pots of Pansies on the right and three pots of parsley on the left. That leaves fifteen pots of onions in the middle. Below is the first tray of seeds in the middle of the rack, eventually I will rotate and add more flats. Fingers crossed!
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