Now that my seeds have been started, I am completely obsessed with them! I check on their progress daily and make a mental note of any minute changes I see in them. Perhaps it is because everything is still dormant & brown outside but there, in my basement, under the grow lights is green...evidence that spring and summer will soon come.
Overall everything I planted had very good germination only the purple cauliflower has been a bit slow. A challenge for any gardener...thinning out the seedlings. It seems counter-intuitive to pull out the seedlings you just started but it is important to determine if there are some seedlings that are weaker than the others. Inspecting these seeds most of them look pretty strong. Fortunately a friend of mind has a plot at a local community garden and is more than happy to take some of my extra.
As for my grow system, there is a propagation mat under this seedling trays to bring the soil temperature up to 60F which is typically the best temperature for seed germination. This temperature also helps to encourage strong root growth. The lights are a combination of UV fluorescent lights that best mimic daylight. I have these on timers to provide the seedlings with about 18 hours of sunlight per day. There is minimum heat output from the lights so I keep them about 3" above the seedlings, the lights are on chains such that as the seedlings grow, the lights can move up. When they were smaller I had a clear plastic cover on them but now they are too tall for the cover.
I can't imagine what my grow lights must look like to my neighbors...but for me, they are my little patch of green that bring me joy. :)
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