The Seedling Nursery

We have a proper space for the seedling nursery this year.  Last year it was in the office/dining room/guest bedroom.  It was a bit cramped in there what with the table, the desk, the hide-a-bed, AND the lights and shelves for the wee seedlings.  One more thing that we finally have appropriate space for....not that we let it stop us when we really didn't have the space!

Isn't it incredible and fascinating that even when they are only an inch tall the stems of the rainbow chard are already different colors?

We marked and drilled some holes into the ceiling beams in the utility room and hung the grow lights from chains.  It is a great improvement from last year because we can shorten the chain--raising the lights--as the plant grow.  With long chains we can still have the light close to them now while they are small.

We use a seed heating mat and it really seems to speed things up.  Most of these seeds sprouted within a couple of days. It is really quite amazing how big of a difference soil temperature can make.  It is also amazing how much cheaper it is to start from seed, especially if you save seed.  Its crazy.

We've started off with a few varieties each of kale, chard, spinach, and eggplant, perhaps an obscene number of types of basil and tomatoes, as well as cauliflower, and probably a thing or two that I am overlooking.  Here is hoping for another successful gardening year!