Lets try HTML code..

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Just a couple more details..

I plan on using small cups for growing containers. Figure that should make transplanting easy. Should be able to reuse them for several years.
The hard part will be watering them..

Also, this is in my garage. Its heated, but is usually around 60*. Should I add a heater to help with germination? Or will the lights (one warm and one cold bulb) provide enough heat? (especially with the doors closed) Althought Ill probably leave it open so it can breathe well.

I already bought my seeds from Lowes and Home Depot. They sell out fast, so I grabbed what I needed as soon as they came out. I just used a Burpee catalog for research. May still need to order a couple varities that are hard to find in stores. (Honey Bun canteloupe - Bush variety)

tommy2-WOW! I am impressed with your set up. I have the wire shelving unit you mentioned in our basement. Yours looks much nicer..and when the season is done you can just close the doors.

Wanted to say that 60 might be too cold for some seeds. I agree, I wouldn't leave the doors closed all the time...maybe just at night..or you risk damping off.

If you are adventurous, look into soil blocks. Just blocks of soil in a tray. Watering would be easier that way.

Again-I'm very impressed with your set up!

Wow, what a set up! It's so beautiful, I'd put it in my living room! I do agree that ventilation to prevent damping off once the seeds have germinated could be a problem, so if you're covering the cups with anything, I'd remove it at that time. As for watering, just punch holes in the bottoms of those cups (which you need for drainage anyway) and then when you need to water, set the cups in a pan and put your watering liquid -- with or without fertilizer, however you do it -- in the pan, and the potting soil in the cups will 'soak up' whatever water they need. This is also better to help with damping off, because you're not top watering the 'babies'. I just did this with a lot of daylily seeds and had good results. MacThayer

tom;i built almost the exact same unit but with closet shelves(plastic covered metal) instead of wood and used plastic on the doors so could see the progress.mine stays at about 70 degrees which works out well.the wheels work out great too.

The grow chamber looks like something one would pay an arm and a leg for at a store. Sweet.

One suggestion that will save you a lot of time - if you can find some kind of a tray or carton such as the seed trays flats come in at the nursery, put your cups in them. When it comes time to water, you can place the whole tray in a small tub and water several plants at once. I started doing that toward the end of last year and it saved me about 30 minutes each time, and I only had about 60 plants.

Also, I used rainwater (or melted snow - warmed to room temp of course) when possible. Plants don't seem to appreciate the chlorinated tap water. If I had to use it, I would let it sit for a day or two.

Mike

I apprecaite all the kind words. Thanks for the tip of using a pan to fill with water.
I guess the soil wicks up the water to the seeds height?

I'll practice with a cup in a bowl of water in the kitchen or something to see how well it works.
I can probaly find some good trays at HD or something.

I'm on a well, so the water should work well.

Also, the shop lights Im using are the $9 units from HD.

I'm definitely excited to start planting!

I used clear plastic cups for many of my seedlings last year and it was easy to see how high the water had wicked up to. Once I knew the roots were well taken care of, it was time to end their bath. It really helps with dampening off problems.

Well water. Want. Need. Love.

When I was a teen, I helped my uncle bale hay. This one farm had a deep well system - they used an electric pump to deliver it. Talk about some delicious tasting water, if water can actually have a taste.

Mike

You might consider using foil pans. The light reflects back up on the plants. And they are cheap at Walmart or the Dollar stores.

TOM;i use (1) two bulb fixture above each shelve and they provide enough heat for the seed starting cabinet.i use styro-cups with holes punched in the bottom.i use the black plastic seed trays to place the cups in. i also line the trays with clear plastic in case the trays have holes in them.

Foil pans! Good idea..

I had to chuckle at the title on this post. I'm sure it was supposed to be 'seed starting', but this time of year it really is 'seed STARING' in my basement. On cold bleak days I take my coffee downstairs, pull up a stool and just STARE at the bitty lettuce, the rooting coleus, the cuttings on the warming tray. All of us just waiting for spring.

Fabbo setup you built there, tommy2! Sure has more class than my makeshift effort.
Kris

Here is a link that might be useful: My basement

A few things I've learned through reading and doing over the past 2 years:

-If your tap water is chlorinated, set water out for 24hrs. (I use an old 5-gallon joint compound bucket); the chlorine evaporates

-Using a tray and watering from the bottom up is the way to go (putting water in the tray and allowing the pots to wick it up to the plant). I just read that making a chamomile tea (letting it cool) and then watering seedlings with that will help to prevent damping off. Chamomile is a natural fungicide. Came across this in the book The Bountiful Container - this is a great resource even if you're not "container gardening."

Also, I used rainwater (or melted snow - warmed to room temp of course) when possible. Plants don't seem to appreciate the chlorinated tap water. If I had to use it, I would let it sit for a day or two.

Brilliant! I use rainwater throughout the spring and summer, but never thought about melted snow in the winter months. Thank you!!

Do you have the demetional drawings on this thing wow it is awesome and I wanna build one now! Would you be so kind as to share with me how you made this and what you used cost so on so forth. I start seeds every year and this would be an awesome addage! As for the snow yea my mom would make snowballs in the winter put them in here freezer in bags and take them out, thaw them and water the plants I always thought she was crazy lol.

Thanks. It was probably a couple hundred $$ to build. 3/4 plywood is expensive.. I used a nice grade of plywood though. Any cheap stuff will work. You can get OSB for like $7 a sheet. I also overbuilt the strength of the cabinet for seed starting..I wanted it to be strong so I can store heavy things inside if I ever get sick of gardening. Basically just a few pieces of plywood and around 15 2X4s.

The doors are made from tongue and groove wainscoating. They were a pain to put together..

It was a learning experience. Not sure Id build something like this again (for the garage).

A wire rack is really all it takes lol..I have a tendency to go overboard when I start building something..I just hate buying premade garbage dumped on our shores.

Ive started my onion seeds. I cut holes in my dixie cups and placed them in an inch of water..It doesnt seem to be wicking up at all.. This may rot the dixie cups anyways, if they continually sit in a pool of water for several weeks. I think bottom watering works better with very small seed starting cells.

For heat concerns you could throw up some foam insulation pieces on the walls of your cabinet and throw a couple regular incandescent light bulbs in there to warm things up.

Then for air circulation - Since you probably don't want to ruin the finish that's visible - you could do intake top - exhaust bottom. With 120mm computer fans?