I used to start my seeds in a south facing window with additional lighting at night to accommodate the short winter days. My plants were strong and gave me a great head start on my garden. Since moving to Wisconsin, my new house lacks strong enough natural light to get my babies going. Last year I grew a few things on my kitchen counter with a halogen desk lamp, with underwhelming results. Like most people, my basement stays cool, so I decided to invest in a grow tent and an LED light.
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I chose a grow tent with two compartments. Set up was a 3-person job as the canvas/Mylar covering fits so snugly around the frame. It went together pretty easily, but it's definitely not a one-person job. I bought a fairly inexpensive full spectrum LED grow light and some temperature/humidity gauges.
Without a heat mat, the inside temp stayed about 60 degrees. The recommended growing temps for peppers, eggplant and watermelon is around 70+ degrees and the heat mat does the trick.
My watermelons sprouted within 10 days! I must admit, this is all very foreign to me, growing vegetables in a tent in the basement, doesn't give me the same joy as using the mighty sun, but if all goes well, I'll be happy at planting time.
I've been playing with the height of the light. Everything says 18 inches but I felt like the light was just too far away as my plants are lacking a deep green. The purple light of the LED's make everything look a bit sickly, but I'm not panicking yet! I got an early start on these seeds, because I wanted the flexibility of experimentation, and time to regroup if it failed. I started these plants from seed on March 23, this is the results after 2 weeks.
I am using two different light sources in each compartment, and the full spectrum (purple) light seems to be doing better, but, this is also where I am using the heat mat. LED's run quite cool, so I couldn't count on the lighting to produce much heat. Since I only have one heat mat at this point, I am growing the lettuces in the cooler compartment. I also added a small fan to keep the air flowing. The tent has screens and venting holes for airflow, as well as viewing windows. I hope this set up works without adding too much more expense, only time will tell!
If you have any tips or questions for me, please leave your comments below. Thanks so much.
Sheri Kaz is a digital storyteller and an Emmy award winning Writer, Producer and Director with a love of gardening. Visit Kaz Creative for more information.
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