This year we wanted to upgrade to a larger space for our seedlings to grow. In the past, we had a large shelf with grow lights, but with the garden getting bigger this year, that means we need more space to grow seedlings. (Tip: Check out my post on how to germinate seeds). We began to look at premade grow carts from all the garden suppliers and were shocked by how much their grow carts cost. They were anywhere from $700-$1300.. and sometimes more! Not being ok with spending that much money on a growing system that we knew we could make for a lot less, we set off to our local home improvement store to make our own!
Why Grow Lights Mean Bigger Plants
What will the results be like? They’ll be amazing. We love these lights so much we even started growing plants indoors, look at how we grow bok choy indoors! We always grow our plants from seeds, but they usually take a week to come up with sometimes not every seed being germinated. With seeds and these grow lights, the plants were all up within 3 days. 3 days! Also, every single seed came up, including our double “just in case” seeds which means we’ll be double the plants! This is one week after planting.
How to Make a Grow Light Stand
You’ll need 3 main supplies to make your own Seedling Grow Light Stand. Next, you need a light wireguard. We’ve been using Lithonia for the last few years and they’re great. Each one will require 4 bulbs. For each shelf, we use 2 of these so the entire shelf is covered from front to back. Lastly, you need lights. This is important. Your plants need light! We always use Philips T8 Daylight Deluxe bulbs. The stand took about 30 minutes to setup (thanks Matthew). We will be using 2 shelves for growing, with the other shelves acting as storage and possibly more growing as the seedlings need to be put in larger pots. Put your bulbs in. I’d recommend getting a timer for your lights so you don’t have to worry about turning them off/on. Ours goes off at midnight and comes back on at 8AM. And just like that you’re all set to grow!
How to Make Leggy Plants Strong
Another tip is that once your seedlings are up, add a fan on low. This is going to simulate wind that the plants will have to deal with eventually, so it’s worth getting them strong from the very beginning. You can see the fan on the far side. And within a few weeks, you’re going to have some awesome looking super strong seedlings ready to plant outdoors! Check out our bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, onions… And tomatoes and peppers. The majority of the tomatoes came up in 4-5 days! Good luck planting! I hope this helps you as much as it’s helped us! Pin for later:
