Best light for germinating seeds11/18/2023 ![]() Spindly quinoa seedlings grown on a windowsill. If you’re starting more than a few flats each year, and will continue to use your grow lights to start additional seedlings for succession and fall/winter planting, you will likely find that a simple light set-up pays off. The bottom line: So, what IS the best way to start seeds? If you’re new to seed starting and just want to try your hand at growing a few tomato seedlings without investing much money, stick to your (hopefully) sunny, south-facing windowsill. Grow-light stands, like these at Halifax Seed, are available from garden centres. Plus, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that our winter days are often interrupted by cloudy skies, resulting in even less light for windowsill seedlings. Jump ahead to April 1, and you’re looking at 12 hours and 48 minutes of day-length, still lagging quite far behind my trusty lights that are left on for 16 hours a day. For example, I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where the day-length is just 10 hours and 23 minutes on February 13th. By March 1, we’ll be up to 11 hours and 11 minutes. If I used a window, even a south-facing window, my early sown seedlings would receive far less light than they need for healthy growth. To minimize my daily workload, I use a simple, inexpensive timer to turn my grow lights on for 16 hours each day. My homemade three shelf grow light is used non-stop from February through August to produce a steady supply of sturdy seedlings for the spring garden, as well as for succession planting in late spring, summer, and even autumn. ![]() The next year, I got smart and bought my first grow light, and never looked back. A peek under my grow light set up, which is simple, inexpensive, and effective. Their stems were long, but alarmingly thin and the seedlings flopped over, never to rise again. In my naivety, I thought I had the perfect setup, but boy, was I wrong! The seeds germinated just fine, but within days, the tiny plants were reaching – stretching – for the meagre light and were soon growing sideways. I began with eight flats of annual flower, herb, and veggie seeds and may have been in a bit over my head! Oops! The only light source was a north-facing window that was located 10 feet from the closest seed tray. I was only about 16 years old when I first started sowing my own seeds indoors. Best way to start seeds: grow lights or windowsills But, early on, I used my mother’s dining room table (sorry mom!). Today, I use a homemade three-tier light stand with simple four-foot long shop fixtures fitted with fluorescent bulbs. When it comes to seed sowing, the big question is what is the best way to start seeds – with grow lights or sunny windowsills? Are grow lights worth the expense? If you’re serious about seed starting, the answer is yes.įor me, the seed-starting season begins with early sowings of slow-growing plants like leeks, onions, geraniums, and pansies in mid-February.
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