We would like to start our own garden seeds at home, but the only space we have is in our basement. Does anyone have any ideas on starting this and what we'll need.
Hello from Canada!
It is easy to start garden seeds in the basement or almost anywhere in the house if you have blue and white florescent lights or even regular white lights hung low and over your seeds to keep them warm.
Under these lights, place styrofoam cups or egg cartons with a mixture of peat moss and soft black earth. One third peat moss and two thirds black soil per small cup. Add water but don't drown the mixture. Ordinary styrofoam drinking cups make good seed starter beds, but if you have the money, buy seed starter cups created from biodegradable material and eliminate the transfer shock. In each cup, place one or two seeds on top of your soil/moss mix and press them down lightly into the mix or sprinkle mix over them. Start your seeds in April and transfer to your garden in May.The only worry is starting the seeds too early. My over enthusiastic first effort consisted of hundreds of seeds sprouting in February and dying in late March. Prepare your garden with a moss and black soil mix before transferring your flowers or vegetable plants.
Florescent lights give off very little heat (that's why they're used in offices, etc., -- no wasted power used in creating heat). They've been a total failure in many cases and require incondescent (heat creating) bulbs to warm the soil.
A timer on the light fixture is a great idea. Add a small, moveable fan to help strengthen the wee sprouts and consider sterilizing the soil before using.
