songbird wrote:
Terry Coombs wrote:

As mentioned in my last post , I don't believe my seedlings get
enough light due to the type of insulated glass in the window . I
have a 250 watt halogen work light and wonder if that will work as a
supplemental light source . I can hang it from the ceiling above the
shelf so that I can adjust the height - these lights do put out
quite a bit of heat , which may be beneficial for the sprouting
phase .

not really, top heat isn't as good as a little
heat from below.

spindly tomatoes should not be a problem. plant them
deeper anyways so they will root out from the leaf nodes.

other plants you may want to time better so they are not
quite so tall. or are plants getting too much N to start
with?

if you want sturdier taller stems then the plants need
a bit of challenge to do that. an oscillating fan can
work (shift it around or rotate the plants so it comes from
different directions) but you do have to watch your moisture
levels closely when using one.

for the price of the electricity you'll be burning up
i'd look into LEDs. also, i'm not 100% sure but i think
that halogen puts out UV (can damage eyes and increase skin
cancer risks).


Just an idea to use what I have instead of spending money for a
single-purpose device . We also have several house plants that seem
to be doing fine with just the usual room lighting , none of them
are near a window ... but I don't have a fixture suitable for
hanging CFL's above the seedling shelf .

house plants are often shade plants adapted from tropical
places (and are not too likely to be fast growers either) so
i wouldn't compare them very directly to the needs of a
veggie plant (often selected for fast growth in full sun).

you may need to rig up a holder of some kind. clamps, few
extention cords, old drying rack or old lamp or ...


songbird

After reading George's post ... well , see my response to him . I'll be
using a flourescent fixture with grow bulbs . The shelf is about 4 feet from
the wood burning stove - this is a convection stove , not a radiator - so
it's probably plenty warm without being too hot . I had problems last year
with getting peppers to germinate , hoping the difference in temps due to
the ceiling fan will help . The ceiling fan keeps a continuous air current
there , enough to stir the curtains a little . The seedlings (most of them)
will be transplanted into 4" pots as soon as they're about 6"-8" tall
(depending...) and shortly thereafter will go out into the hot box I'm
planning for the southeast facing wall of the house . My goal is to have
strong plants 12" or slightly taller ready to set out in mid-April . Using
the hot box also gives me an opportunity to harden them off without dragging
them in and out - the window sashes I'll use for the top will be hinged .
If I get my timing right I can recycle the small pods to start some flowers
and herbs .

Snag
The next 10-12 weeks are going to be busy , fun , and interesting . I also
have a beehive to split this spring . Fortunately I have all the equipment
needed built and ready to go . YEE-HAW spring is a-comin' !