After months of excited planning, I recently started growing vegetables and flowers in a grow room in our basement. Overall, it has gone well and we will have lots ready to plant in the garden. I did, however, make one big mistake this first time starting seedlings in a grow room.
You may recall that we attempted to start seedlings in a greenhouse last year. Our homestead came with a small shed, with some clear ceiling panels near windows. It seemed like a great way to get ahead on the garden. Unfortunately, we struggled with a low germination rate, and the seedlings that did sprout, didn’t grow that big. Our best theory is that it just didn’t get warm enough, early enough, in the year. We live in Zone 5B, so our frost date is May 15th. It’s dangerous to plant anything sensitive to frost before that date.
We tried a new method this year, utilizing a spare room in our basement (the “scary” room that wasn’t being used for anything). There was already some large shelves, so we just added a big fold-out table. Did you know that grow lights are unnecessary for seedlings? Any lights with at least 4,000 lumens will work just fine. We purchased a set of ten shop lights and hooked them up from the ceiling with staples (the height can be easily adjusted as the seedlings grow). The set we found have also worked well, because they can be connected to each other, so we only needed a couple of outlets.
With surfaces and lighting complete, the next items needed were seeds and dirt. I was able to preserve seeds from our garden last year, especially lots from tomatoes. We did need to purchase a number of seeds, including ones for the flowers that are being added this growing season. The bags of potting soil did become a bit expensive, but only because I underestimated the amount necessary for all that was being grown. We purchased a few bags, a few more, and then a few more . . . For next year, I plan to research buying a bulk amount of potting soil and/or buying the individual components and mixing them together.
With all of the setup complete, I started planting, and that’s where I made my big mistake. There were all of these beautiful packets of sunflower seeds and a huge packet of peas, and I got a little over excited about growing them. They were planted way too early. The sunflowers and peas grew quickly, but now they are looking sad. These plants really need to go outside, but it’s still too cold. I am not sure what we’re going to do with them.
Otherwise, the grow room is doing really well. We’re growing: Roma and Cherry Tomatoes, Green Peppers, Zucchini, Summer Squash, Cucumber, Corn, Green and Yellow Beans, Brussel Sprouts, Cantaloupe, and Watermelon, as well as various herbs and lots of flowers. We’ve been working on readying the garden for these seedlings and have already planted onions and potatoes outside.
My gardening has certainly evolved over the past five or so years. We started with one small suburban garden, added a bunch of little suburban gardens, and then moved to planting a big garden on the homestead last year. It is so exciting to be expanding again, to utilize more of the land on our wonderful homestead, and be able to share the harvest with others via a farmstand (currently under construction). It’s also incredibly rewarding to see how these endeavors will support our family when I semi-retire in the near future.
Watch on YouTube for 2 Grow Room Bonus Tips!
