Sunni,
I am so happy for you! You'll have more seedlings than you'll know what to do with.
You are so smart to do research now instead of just jumping in, turning on the lights, and hoping for the best.
Let us know how your "babies" do!

Thanks, Marlin! I don't know that I feel smart so much as sort of 'finally catching on'. :) I certainly used to just jump into things and THEN do the reseach about why it was all going horribly wrong! I'm hoping that this will save us some money (in the long term) and provide better quality transplants. And provide hours of neccessary fun tending plants while the world outside works its way around to being hospitable to life again!

Cheers!

Sunni

You will LOVE your light setup! Mine changed my life! It's a small one, the 2 foot length, but I can get a whole garden started!

(During the Fall when I'm not planting, one of my lights even serves as "daylight" to shine on DH in the morning to keep him from succumbing to "Seasonal Affective Disorder" LOL)

Have fun! Good gardens to you!

Eileen

You will love lights! (They won't be enough. :)

I have mine on a timer and leave them on for sixteen hours a day and off for eight. My seedlings have done better.

I saw on another thread that someone "wraps" their light stand with a kind of foil (reflective) fabric to increase the light coverage. Anybody else do that? What do you think?

I'm planning on setting these babies up tomorrow, so I look forward to seeing them up close and in person! I'm glad to hear how much others like their lights! In fact, it makes me think I might even branch out this year and start some annual flowers, too. That will make the catalogues even more fun to leaf through this year!

As for the light-wrapping, I know I've seen that too. I'm not sure whether it will be desirable with the T5s, since they output more light than the regular florescents (I think). Something more to research! To get input here, we might have to start a different thread since mine doesn't actually mention the lights in the subject heading...

Cheers!

Sunni

Sunni,
Grow lights are probably one of the best gardening gifts I have ever received. Last year my husband had me pick out my own present...I love when he does that. I got an Economy grow light set. It came with three trays and two, two-foot grow lights. I love it.

Then Santa, my mom, bought me a second one this Christmas. I thought one stand would have easily been enough last year. Wrong! Last season I had both trays full of seedlings and plenty more on a table by our southern window. Maybe this year I won't have to pull out the fold-out table and take over the living room again.

You are going to love your lights. I turned mine on around 7am and shut them off before bedtime (around 7pm). My plants turned out great. You'll have to let us know how they work out for you.

Congratulations! It pays to be good. :)
Kim

Here is a link that might be useful: Kim's Garden

Alright, I'd like a drumroll please! I got them set up! It was pretty straightforward, only a little unbolting and re-bolting required on my part to get it right. And it looks just like the picture (minus all the pretty seedlings)! I put one of my geraniums on it just to have an excuse to turn it on. I think it can function as a SAD light for me and the parrot, too! Thanks, everyone, for sharing my (your)enthusiasm!

Cheers!

Sunni

Hi Sunni,

I started lots of seeds last year with my light set-up. Sold some at the farmers market and from my house, plus grew my own garden.

Anyways, I had nothing die, a few things I would do differently like remembering that when I grow 100's of tomatoes, they have to be transplanted :)

Anyways, I just want to give some encouragement. I loved doing it!

Andrea

Thanks, Andrea! I guess I had better get going buying some seed starting supplies, because I think some things are going to be starting soon! :) I'll keep that good advice about starting excessive amounts in mind.

Cheers!

Sunni