by Karen 17 Comments
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The other night I was in my basem*nt seed starting up a storm when I realized that this is the best setup I've ever had. It's efficient, easy to use, all the stuff I need is easy to grab and all it took was 2 weeks of cleaning out my basem*nt and 20 or so years of trial and error and error and error.
It was when I was doing my nightly inspection of my dahlia tubers that I realized how well things were working.
Everything is laid out in a way that's easy to maneuver and find things plus, I have plenty of space for starting vegetables and flowers. You need more room than you think.
When you're starting seeds you might just need 2 square feet for your tiny little seedlings. But once they start to grow you need to pot them up and suddenly they take up 2-3X as much space in your house.
The problem with gardening, and I've mentioned this 14 million times before is that you generally get one shot at doing things right per year.
If you want to be a good baker you can practicing baking a cake every day for the whole year.
If you want to be a good gardener you only have one chance, or maybe two chances to successfully grow that squash plant.
Also it's rare that a grub, caterpillar, bird, rabbit, mouse or raccoon will try to eat your cake every single time you make it.
This video was completely impromptu, showing you the basics of my seed starting setup. I'll do a more in depth post with more details later.
This week, possibly even tonight, I'm going to set my camera up with a wide shot of the seed starting station to record how I start seeds and how my setup works exactly.
You can read about:
The automatic felt mat watering system I use here.
The actual shelving units are Amazon basic wire shelves.
The shop lights I use instead of grow lights.
I have a couple flats of Zinnia and Celosia I want to get seeded so those may be on the menu for this evening.
The post with that video will include more information on what I have growing already including:
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Lettuce
- Beets
- Onions
- Shallots
- Cosmos
- Dahlias
- Eucalpytus
... and more.
If after watching this quick video you have any questions about my setup or what I do, put your questions in the comment section below. I'll try to answer those questions in the next video and post.
That gives you time to bake a cake or 12 in the meantime.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
sandra dI never see a video - I do see the ads on the sides, so my ad blocker isn't the issue, is it? I really don't want to disable it.
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- Deb from Maryland
Don't ya love it when a plan comes together?! Your set up is amazing, because it fits you to a T. I love when I finally get a set up just right - the best feeling!
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- Karen
I'm still working on it. Moving things as issues come up but so far I'm thrilled with it. Mainly all due to getting rid of almost everything else in my basem*nt, lol. I had to prioritize. ~ karen!
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- Lori
Hi Karen,
Thank you for the video. You have the best gardening tips and I have been following you and your gardening evolution for years.
I have a very similar looking basem*nt to yours including the narrow stairs :) I’d love to do my seed starting downstairs instead of my dining room but it is pretty cold down there. I’m zone 3 and our winters can easily be -40C for weeks. Do you use a heater in your basem*nt? I see you have heating mats but that would be for germination only, right?
Lori
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- Karen
Hi Lori! I use the heat mats for all kinds of things (like waking up dahlia tubers) but mostly for germination of certain seeds. :) My basem*nt is where my furnace is and there are 2 vents down there, so my basem*nt is actually warm. So warm I shut the vents down there. I *wish* it was a cold basem*nt so I could store my vegetables there. You could probably use floor mats to help keep it warmer (blocking the cold concrete floor) and maybe some ceramic wall heaters around the seed starting area. ~ karen!
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- Wayne P Kivi
A VERY comprehensive explanation of how to use lights to start various plants. My question is I'm always frustrated with "leggy" tomato plants and am not sure about the distance from my lights.
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- Sarah
I successfully start thousands of plants every year, and I have my lights on chains approximately 3-6 inches above my trays. I move them up as the plants grow taller. This works great and I never have leggy plants.
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- Karen
HI Wayne. It depends on the type of lights you're using. If you're using LED lights you can get away with a greater distance from the top of your plants, plus you can use them close to the plants if you want because they won't burn the leaves the way a regular bulb would. If you are getting leggy plants it means your lights are either too far away (try to keep regular bulbs about 5" away from top of plants) or you don't have enough light. If you only have 1 bulb over the seedlings, for example, switch to 2 of them. ~ karen!
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- Mary W
I'm really going to enjoy watching you. My set up in in my living room all tucked behind my drapes in front of the main front windows. I've missed the opportunity this year and it is all still tucked up behind the drapes doing nothing. Even got another seed storing case as I love the two I filled to the brim and then bought more seeds. My mind is willing but not my body. That is why I'll enjoy watching you so much - starting seeds gives me hope, joy, satisfaction, and pride in producing what I love. Go for it all!
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- Becca
I tuck mine behind the drapes too! Though I am skipping the starting seeds this year. I may have to expand now that I have Karen’s how to info- pretty nice set up!
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- Karen
It's never not thrilling to seed seeds sprout! ~ karen
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- Jennifer
I have the same vintage basem*nt and appreciate the efficient set-up. I’m intrigued in your dahlia ‘nursery’. I never thought to let them sprout on the mat before potting up. (I potted up 10 pots this weekend) It would save a ton of room in my limited set-up. How long do you let them go before potting them? And are you misting them occasionally to give them a little lift?
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- Karen
Hi Jennifer. I'll address that in the next video. For now, I let the tubers warm up until they start to eye up. Once they eye up I keep them in a cooler area in a seed starting tray with plastic dome over it so they don't shrivel up. You can keep them like this until you're ready to pot up or plant out. I will be potting all of these up before planting out because I have more success if I start them in pots. ~ karen!
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- Randy P
A very practical and space efficient operation Karen. A veritable 20 year overnight success story.... as is the case the case with most highly successful people and things. Happy growing to ya'.
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- Karen
Thank you sir! ~ karen
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- Anne
Hi! Love the setup. What kind of floor mat is that? Is it cushy? Waterproof?
Thanks!Reply
- Karen
Hi Anne. The mats are cushy and water resistant. They're much more comfortable and easier to vacuum and sweep than the concrete floor underneath.
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