Basement gardening

Has anyone ever tried starting seeds in their basement for the spring. We live in Minnesota where it seems we get a few short months of growing time. I would love to have a hobby in the winter and be able to start on my plants early from seed.
Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
Meghan

Have you checked out the Propagation forum? Tons of people start seeds indoors over the winter and you'll find lots of good discussions over there.

Meghan,

We also have a short growing season here in Maine. For the last several years I have been starting seeds under fluorescent lights. I use the Home Depot 4-foot Commercial Shoplights which have Sunpark SL15 electronic ballasts. They cost about $8 per 2-bulb fixture.

Those shoplight fixtures can use either T8 bulbs (the fluorescent tube is one inch in diameter) or T12 bulbs (the fluorescent tube is 1½" in diameter). I use Philips Cool White 32-watt T8 bulbs. Home Depot sells them in boxes of 10 bulbs for $19.99 per box, so the bulbs cost $2 each. So a fixture with bulbs costs $12.

However, I overdrive my fixtures by adding a second Sunpark SL15 ballast cannibalized from another shoplight, so that brings the cost of an overdriven fixture with bulbs up to $20. The overdriven fixtures put out 50% more light than the single ballast fixtures. Since I can get only three shoplights over an 18-inch by 48-inch shelf, overdriving is the only way I can increase the light level beyond what would be put out by six T8s per shelf.

The overdriven fixtures put out the light equivalent of nine T8 tubes per shelf. That is a lot of light and the plants grow very well under it. The fixtures come with hanging chains and I adjust the chain length to keep the bulbs about one or two inches above the highest part of the plants. The high light intensity keeps the seedlings from being spindly and I use small electric fans to provide an artificial breeze to exercise them. The combination of bright light and breeze makes my seedlings very stocky with strong thick stems.

By using large pots made from the bottom part of 2-liter soft drink bottles http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/MaineMan/Garden%20plants/Pot-with-label-i.jpg (or even larger pots from 3-liter bottles) I can grow my plants to an advanced state of maturity before it comes time to set them out in the garden. I have grown pepper plants with peppers set on them large enough to pick at setout time. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/MaineMan/Garden%20plants/Pepper2.jpg My eggplants can be in bloom http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/MaineMan/Garden%20plants/EggPlant.jpg so that they quickly produce in the garden
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/MaineMan/Garden%20plants/Tango2.jpg
I get similar results with my tomatoes.

There are several ways to build a plant stand for fluorescent light gardening. I think the most cost effective way is to use the chrome wire shelves available from Sam's Club. http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=168602

MM

This message was edited Feb 8, 2007 1:52 AM

Thank you for your help, I will also post in propogation.
Meg

MaineMan could you please explain the term "overdriven" ? I'm not familiar with it and that makes it hard to visualise your light setup.

Thanks!
MollyD

MollyD,

Some more expensive electronic fluorescent light ballasts make extra current available to the fluorescent bulbs to make them burn brighter, so the bulbs are "overdriven". For some less expensive ballasts you can simply use two ballasts in a fixture, one per bulb, to get the same effect. That is what I do. The 50% brighter light makes a big difference in how well your seedlings grow. The overdriven bulbs run somewhat warmer and probably don't last as long, but my $2 bulbs are rated for 20,000 hours so I am not concerned if they last only 10,000 hours.

Converting a standard fixture to an overdriven fixture does require another ballast and rewiring the fixture. I am a rather slow, careful worker, so it takes me about an hour to produce an overdriven fixture. I learned the overdriving technique in another forum from a very gifted electronics hobbyist who goes by the handle "Zink". This is a link to the needed circuit diagrams: http://members.iglou.com/rons0z/lamps/ovdr.htm

Several years ago when I first started doing this I purchased model 140-904 Commercial Electric Shoplights from Home Depot. (Commercial Electric is a subsidiary of Home Depot.) Home Depot discontinued that model a couple of years ago and replaced it with model 732-334. They cleared out their stock of 140-904s at $4 per shoplight, but I missed out on that sale. Both models used the over-drivable Sunpark SL-15 electronic ballasts.

I actually like the new model better because it is only 5 inches wide, while the older model was 6 inches wide. I had to use tin snips to trim out corner notches in the 6-inch reflectors to make three fixtures fit over an 18" x 48" shelf or to make four of the older fixtures fit over a 24" x 48" shelf. The notches were required to provide clearance for the vertical chrome shelf tubes. The new 5-inch model doesn't require any trimming of the reflectors to get the same shelf loading.

The use of overdriven T8 fluorescent fixtures has revolutionized my seed starting operation and made indoor gardening itself a fun hobby during our cold winter months.

MM

This message was edited Feb 9, 2007 2:11 PM

Thanks Maineman. Excellent page. If I understand it correctly an overdriven fixture doesn't have more bulbs, it just makes each bulb burn brighter. Now between Rapid Start and Instant Start what are the differences in terms of the energy burned? I'm assuming there is a few seconds difference in the time the bulbs light up?
I too wouldn't mind brighter lights. I have a greenhouse but we get so little sun here in the winter that I'm planning on adding lights to my setup next year.

Thanks!
MollyD

Good posts, MM

When I began my indoor seedling project in my basement nearly 10 years ago, the first thing I did was visit my local supermarket and asked for every banana box they could give me. I stacked them 3-high all along my basement walls. Then I put 1//2 inch plywood as wide as the boxes on top. It's not a permanent arrangement, but I've never moved them. Then I hung ordinary 25 watt shoplights from the ceiling by long chains, utilizing s-hooks. I can easily raise or lower the lights, keeping them just a few inches above my seedling trays.

Stressbaby, thanks for the kind words.

MollyD,

"Now between Rapid Start and Instant Start what are the differences in terms of the energy burned?"

Instant Start uses slightly less energy than Rapid Start, because Instant Start doesn't have a starter filament and Rapid Start does. Also, some ballasts are more efficient than others and the actual energy consumption varies on a case-to-case basis. The less expensive Rapid Start ballasts leave the starter filament burning all the time (a very small current drain) while more sophisticated Rapid Start ballasts feed current to the starter filament only until the bulb starts.

"I'm assuming there is a few seconds difference in the time the bulbs light up?"

The difference is less than a second. The Instant Start bulbs do start almost "instantly". However, all of my Rapid Start bulbs start in only a fraction of a second, so the starting time isn't an issue for me. You know, regular incandescent bulbs actually also take a fraction of a second for their filament to heat up to their normal "burning" temperature, so there is a filament heat-up time involved for both incandescent bulbs and Rapid Start bulbs.

The Instant Start bulbs receive a burst of high voltage from the Instant Start ballast to start the bulb, so they don't need a starter filament.

In my experience, the Rapid Start fluorescents are just fine for my plant stands and the fixtures and bulbs from Home Depot are quite economical.

The heat dissipated by the fluorescent ballasts and bulbs isn't all wasted. It goes to warm up the micro climate of the plant stand. That warmth helps the seedlings to germinate faster and grow faster.

MM

I think I'm too late to try basement propagating this year, but by next I should have my set up. I was looking at the chrome shelves at Sam's Club just last Tuesday. MaineMan, do you happen to have a pic of your setup? I've been trying to explain to DH what I want and he looks at me like I have three heads. I think a pic of the finished project would help tremendously!

Another question...are your basements heated? Mine is not and it's darn cold in the winter. Just above freezing.

Thanks!
Michelle

Michelle,

Don't have a pic handy at the moment, but I do have pics somewhere on my hard drive or on a backup CD-ROM. Actually, we are living in our "basement", so it is heated with floor level hot water radiant heaters, which work quite well even in our sub-zero winter nights.

This is a two-level home owned by my daughter and son-in-law. They live on the top level with our 3-year old grand daughter, and we live in the lower level "in-law suite." One of our "rooms" is the furnace room, which we use mainly for storage and the washer and drier. My "office", where I am typing this, is at the north-east corner of the lower level across from the furnace room. I actually have chrome shelves here in the office, including a chrome wire shelving unit outfitted as a plant stand. I am in the process of cleaning it off to start some seeds.

I simply hang the fluorescent shop lights from the chrome wire shelves themselves, using 1-inch S-hooks (I got mine at Home Depot) and the light-weight chains that came with the shoplights. The chrome wire shelves are very handy, which is why I am having to unload the stuff that got stored on them since last spring. All told, we have three of the 18" x 48" chrome wire units that come from Sam's and two of the 24" x 48" chrome wire units that come from Northern Tool, but two of the Sam's units are currently used for storage. Both sizes are very suitable as plant stands, or for book cases or storage.

When I get time, I will post some pics.

MM

Michelle..its not too late..Go ahead and start..

Okay, I spent yesterday putting my chrome, 18x 48 Sams Club shelving unit together! It's finished. I forgot how weak my hands and wrists can get. I could barely move them yesterday afternoon, lol!! Oh well. I only put lights on the top two shelves because I don't have that many seeds to start this year, but I do have enough lights for the entire unit.

I also found out that if I open the furnace vent in the basement and shut the doors (they lead to an unheated garage). It's pleasant down there. I figure about 60.

Here's a question...should I use a heating pad under my seeds or will the lights give off enough heat?

Thanks so much!
Michelle

Michelle,

Eggs_Zachtly is right that fluorescent lights don't put out a lot of heat. They are much more efficient than incandescent lights. Unlike incandescent bulbs, you won't get burned if you touch a lit fluorescent bulb. The Philips T8 cool white bulbs that I use are about 120 °F to the touch (noticeably warm) and the overdriven ones are about 10 degrees warmer at 130 °F. Of course the seeds aren't in direct contact with the bulbs, so those figures aren't particularly meaningful.

Until my seeds come up, I keep them covered with plastic covers and I place my fluorescents pretty close to the plastic covers, but not touching them. There is some buildup of warmth under the plastic cover that is enough to aid the germination of many types of seeds. I remove the plastic covers as soon as the seedlings emerge, to keep them from getting spindly and susceptible to Damping Off.

However, last year my triploid seedless watermelons weren't warm enough and had very low germination, about 10%. So this year I have purchased a couple of heating pads and I will be using them for the first time for seeds that require quite a bit of warmth.

MM

Maineman, When do you start your plants with this method? I also would interested in best growing varieties doing this if you have favorites, since I am only a few miles from you. Thanks, Cyndie

Cyndie,

Wow! We are practically neighbors. Actually, I am washing up some pots today to start some zinnias as an experiment. This zinnias thing is an exception, because I am a "budding" amateur zinnia breeder, and I will be building a lean-to greenhouse this spring.

Normally I count back from our "safe" no-frost date of Memorial day by a number of days that will produce plants that need to be set out. For big fast growing plants like squash, pumpkins, pole beans, and watermelons, that is only three or four weeks.

For slow growing things like onions (which I am not growing this year) that would be 90 to 100 days. In the past I have made the mistake of setting my onions out the last of April, because they are very cold hardy. But a hard freeze fools them into thinking they are entering the second year of their biennial life cycle, and they send up seed stalks as the bulbs enlarge, which reduces their quality by producing a hard core. Last year I started my onions in mid February and delayed setting them out until mid May, gambling that they wouldn't experience a prolonged freezing spell, and they didn't. So they produced large bulbs without producing seed stalks.

For some reason most of the Walla Wallas split into two onions as they matured, which looks kind of ugly, so I won't grow them again. The Ailsa Craigs grew to the one to two pound size, but they grow more than twice that size for some people. Maybe I didn't fertilize them enough. My favorites were Johnny's Super Star F1 hybrids, which were very white and sweet. I didn't grow any storage onions.

Pansies are also relatively slow growing, so now would be OK to start them, especially since you can put them out a few weeks before the no-frost date. Now would be OK to plant coleus, since you can grow them essentially forever under fluorescent lights.

Peppers and eggplants are also slower growing, so along about now or two to three weeks from now, might be OK for them, with the idea that you will have them in larger pots before setting them out. Tomatoes grow considerably faster, so they will be getting big enough to be a problem after six to eight weeks.

We quit growing bush beans, because you have to stoop over to pick them, but we grow pole beans on the garden "fence" trellis. Last year I started a couple of Fortex beans (left over in an "empty" seed packet from the previous year) in pots in early May as an experiment. One came up badly with broken brown cotyledons, but the other one was normal, grew quickly, and began to vine under the fluorescents. I set it out on the fence about June 3rd and that one bean plant quickly spread to an impressive size, and produced several "messes" of beans over a period of months.

I plan to repeat that this year with several Fortex bean plants in pots. I will also plant a few Kwintus (from Parks) in pots, because the Kwintus from Parks are very early--apparently earlier than the same variety offered by some other seed companies. Maybe Parks gets their Kwintus from a different grower with an earlier strain. I saved a few selected Kwintus pods, with the idea of improving the strain for this climate. Starting the beans in pots under lights solves the problem of poor germination in our cold soil, and gets beans on the table a month earlier.

Well, I have a bunch of pop-bottle pots to wash and sterilize and plant. Last year I made several hand-pollinated zinnia crosses, and I want to get some of them started extra early. Got to get busy.

MM

This message was edited Mar 14, 2007 12:17 PM

Here's a photo of my basement set up ..... Basic shop lights on Chrome shelving.

Hi Maineman, Thanks for all the helpful hints. I'll have to watch for your zinnia pics. I grew them for the first time a couple of years ago and they are one of my favorites. Now I know you must be from away. ;) I am from the midwest originally and was made fun of when I talked about "pop". LOL

Tree_Climber, that is a great setup. Are all those plants daylilies?

Both of you have a lot of experience at basement setups. Do you heat those spaces? The reason I ask is my basement at the moment has just the heat that radiates from the furnace. We are finishing it this spring, but am not there yet. Cyndie

Cyndie,

As Mainers say, I am "from away." I grew up in north-western Oklahoma, attended college at the University of Oklahoma, worked as an aerospace engineer in Fort Worth for 20 years, then in Wichita Kansas, and then in St. Louis, where I retired. I have accents from all of those places, and none of them sound remotely like a Mainer. Soda pop became "pop" in some areas and "soda" in others. I can't utter a sentence without the natives knowing that I am "from away." I suppose the local idioms gradually wear off on you, but I hope I will always continue to drive a car and not a "cah". I do like the "Wicked Chocolate" ice cream.

"Both of you have a lot of experience at basement setups. Do you heat those spaces?"

The "basement" we live in is a lower level "in-law suite" in my daughter's and son-in-law's house. There is a furnace room where our washer and dryer are also located. It is mostly underground in front and fully above ground in back, because this property slopes from front to back. Both levels are heated by a hot water baseboard radiant heating system, and both also have wood-burning stoves in the living rooms. So it's not at all like a typical unheated basement.

But even in an unheated basement, in addition to the furnace, you will get some warming from the fluorescent lights themselves. If you have a lot of lights, the warming from the lights can be significant, and possibly sufficient. Zinnias, like a lot of plants, need their maximum warmth during the germination stage, and the developing plants can tolerate, and may even prefer, cooler temperatures.

Gotta continue washing up my "2-liter bottle" pots. I've got some fat hybrid zinnia seeds that can't wait to explode upon the world.

MM

Yes, they are all Daylilies ........... I'm obsessed ...........

Our basement is a "walk out", so the corner where I have my racks is exposed to the elements. (Southeast corner)

Our basement does have a couple heater vents, but it is pretty cool down there all year. I think that seedlings actually prefer the cooler temperatures, I've grown them in an upstairs room and they do better in the basement.

Maineman and Tree_Climber, I wanted to thank you for the inspiration. I have a setup that I only use for a few weeks for tomatoes, broccoli, veggies etc. I never realized how much I was missing. I didn't realize the possibility that some plants might prefer the cooler temps, and I could be utilizing my setup for a lot for flowers. Thanks a lot... I think?? :LOL.