Ok, yes you can argue that using electricity to grow things indoors is counter productive - but I’m trying to balance self sustainability and minimal energy consumption - so hear me out!

If you’re going to grow vegetables from seed anywhere that you have a freezing season, you’ll probably need a small setup with lighting for growth. If you have a sunny south facing window, you may be all set, but many people still prefer to set up a grow light for consistent growth.

Here’s a quick guide to your grow light options:

Spot Grow Bulb

Spot Grow Bulbs – Incandescent Grow Lights
Spot grow bulbs are excellent for spotlighting specific plants - like tropical plants, small groups of plants and they can be effective for starting your seeds. This means that you may want a general light source, like a fluorescent system and then use the spot grow bulbs to supplement.

Spot Grow Bulbs can be used in most standard incandescent fixtures but ideally, you’ll want a fixture that can be clipped to a specific location or hung directly where you need it. They should not be too close to your plants because they run hotter and can cause damage.

Compact Fluorescent Grow Light

Fluorescent Grow Lights
Fluorescent grow lights are well regarded for offering low heat, indoor plant growth light. You can actually get these in multiple fixtures whether hanging or even built into a plant cart. There are also compact fluorescent grow lights for maximum light and minimal energy consumption.

High output fluorescent grow lights are also well regarded and put out the most light of any fluorescent bulb for growing. You can use these for cutting propagation, seeds and seedlings, and any planting that is less than three feet tall. One of the largest benefits of using fluorescent grow lights is their low heat. They can be as close as four inches away from plants without damaging them in any way.

Metal Halide Bulb

High Intensity (HID) Grow Lights
High intensity plant grow lights are very bright and strong and can actually be used to grow small herb gardens and fruiting vegetables like tomatoes indoors. High intensity lights usually come in metal halide(MH) type which is great for natural appearance and growth and sodium (HPS) which is excellent for the fruiting and flowering cycle. In fact, metal halide grow lights are the closest to natural sunlight and they produce plants that look the most like those grown in the outdoors.

I, for one, have fluorescent tube lighting fixtures over my greenhouse trays. But I’m tempted to test the energy consumption of a metal halide system to experiment with some leafy green vegetables and fresh herbs all winter long!

Spring in the Garden

I’ve been itching to start. I’ve been planning the garden for so long – plotting the space, learning what I’ll need to do and scheduling out the work so it can all get accomplished. And now the time is almost upon us! I’ve cleared the leaves and the pine needles and I’ve gotten organized and now we’re actually doing it – we’re growing vegetables from seeds!

I have to admit, this is my first time actually growing from seeds. Last year I decided to try vegetable gardening and I learned a lot. This year I decided to take it to a different level.

My first step was picking up How to Grow More Vegetables and Fruits (and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine. Yes, it’s the longest book title ever, but its full of great information.

I decided to take a stab at the plan they had laid out for their mini garden which is about 100 square feet. I looked at the vegetables they chose, and did make a couple of substitutions but otherwise kept the main vegetable choices intact.

Once my list was complete, I headed over to Johnny’s Organic Seeds and placed my order. Given the popularity of seeds this year (did you hear seed sales are up 19%??) I’m so glad I ordered in January! Of course, this means the box from Johnny’s has been sitting and taunting me and this week, we were finally able to rip in!

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

First, I looked in my handy, dandy book and I created a spreadsheet that calculated when I would need to plant my seeds to give them enough time to mature before they go in the actual garden, after the last frost. This helped me to establish that I needed to start my planting the weekend of March 29th – give or take.

Greenhouse Tray

Then, I got some great advice from a friend who is a veteran gardener. She suggested the greenhouse trays that come with the little peat/dirt discs and the lid.

The trays can be reused every year and once your little babies have grown enough that can be simply transferred in the little gauze enclosed dirt discs which expand when they’re watered.

There are many reasons why this tray system worked so well for me.

1. Relatively inexpensive at $10 and they can be reused year after year. You just buy replacement discs!
2. I can fit 72 seedlings in these trays which is extremely space efficient.
3. My husband and my daughter were both able to participate because of the simplicity and efficiency of the system!

In fact, I’ve been working so much I haven’t had time to plant my seeds – so yesterday my husband and daughter actually took over the seed project themselves!

• First, my daughter carefully arranged all of the discs in the tray and then my husband added the water. My daughter then patiently sat and watched as the discs magically grew!
• Next, my husband took a chop stick and he and my daughter carefully made holes in each little gauze encased dirt packet.
• Then, the correct numbers of seeds were sewn into each bundle and the peat/dirt mixture was used to cover them up.
• They pressed the lid into place and then put the seeds safely into a warm, dark space for three days for germination.

In another three weeks or so, we’ll be starting the next batch! I think we’ll be doing three trays altogether and then we’ll be able to rotate the first seedlings out of the tray and into the garden and we’ll begin germinating again!

And to finish off - a great video on the lifecycle of the seed!

The Seed from Johnny Kelly on Vimeo.