On 30 Dec 2005 06:09:05 -0800, "Matthew"
wrote:

Hello:

I would like to start some seeds. The only environment I have to do
this in is my basement. My basement gets very little sunlight, it is
humid and it is drafty.

I do have a growing kit from Burpee which includes a flourescent light
and little plastic containers with their special starter soil on the
bottom.


I got the stuff from Burpee last year but then I was too late to start
anything. Now I am on time for seed starting.

Will these enhancements be able to mitigate the lack of available
sunlight or should I not bother trying to do this?

Well, let's take this step by step.

What seeds were you planning on planting, what's your area's
plant out date, and what are the temperatures in your basement?

The fluorescent light provided with the kit will probably provide
enough light for the trays that come with it, but you can tape
aluminum foil around the edges to reflect more light back onto
the plants to increase the intensity. This would also block some
of the drafts you mentioned.

Most seeds of edible plants require some heat to germinate, some
require a lot more than others. Greens like lettuce or cabbage
don't take as much heat as say, peppers or tomatoes, to
germinate. Most will germinate faster with some heat, though.
Some plants won't do well without some heat after germination,
either. Folks here have mentioned putting the seed trays on warm
appliances or heated seed starting mats until they germinate,
both of which work well. I've used a regular heating pad, too,
but watch out if you have a cat! I couldn't understand why one
tray of seeds wouldn't germinate, and then I caught the cat
napping on the warmed peat strips. Our compromise was that I
ceded her one of my seed warming mats, and she stayed off the
seed trays.

Penelope







--
"Maybe you'd like to ask the Wizard for a heart."
"ElissaAnn"