My Simple Seed Starting Setup! 🌱 + What I Do & Don't Start From Seed

[@douellette7960]

Nice rack Bethany. I like your setup there. I've found that the basic led shop lights are plenty adequate for growing up seedlings. Grow lights are probably needed for older plants esp if you're trying to induce flowering. I like to start mine in smaller sized flats and can then raise them individually as needed toward the lights instead of lowering the entire light setup. Germination and growth rates vary so much if you're trying to start so many diff types. If you have lots of diff things growing in a large tray (with one humidity dome) it's more difficult to manage humidity and light for all of them. My racks are 3ft across too, but I use 4ft lights which I think helps the seedlings on the edges. I think heat mats are helpful for those that may be using a cool basement or starting some summer veggies that like warmer soil to germinate like peppers for ex.

[@ChicagoGardener]

That's a good point about the temperature!

[@Alysbar]

I like your idea of lowering or raising the plant vs the lights 🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@mercurybard9794]

I have the good fortune of being able to do my seed starting at the office. We have huge south-facing windows and the temperature is kept around 72F (as opposed to at home where the furnace struggles to maintain 64F). Plus, my coworkers can cheerlead "the babies" and then get to reap the rewards come summer in the form of bowl after bowl of cherry tomatoes and flowers.

[@estreetangel]

I raise the seedlings to the light by putting their trays on shoe boxes and the like because I zip-tied my light fixtures to the under-side of the shelf above.

[@ChicagoGardener]

That's such an easier solution!!

[@Idaho_Garden]

I use Barrina (6 Pack) LED T5 Integrated Single Fixture, 4FT, 2200lm, 6500K Super Bright White. They are about $43 right now for six of the four foot length. I love them BUT I raise and lower them with my seedlings. Can’t wait to see how your testing goes. 🤞

[@JordyLaundrie]

Amazing! I’m in 5b and have started some perennials and herbs already! I try to get the tiny slow growers started about 10-12 weeks before last frost. Thank you for your videos!

[@pattireichel3197]

I have used the Barrina lights for 4 years. I like them. I use zip ties to attach to rack. You will like.

[@andrewhollander-urbach5114]

Great video! That Jiffy starting kit seems like a good option to get going :)

[@ChicagoGardener]

Let me know how it works for you!

[@grisespino5342]

🌱A suggestion, place books or a box under seed trays to raise closer to the lights. Remove the books or box to lower as they grow. No light finagling 😀 🌱Works well when starting seeds at different times and are at different stages of growth!

[@ChicagoGardener]

Omg I needed this tip a few years ago when I was getting irritated adjusting my lights 🤣

[@rebeccawolf3196]

Such great info. I am interested in those grow lights - the ones I bought last year work fine but only came in a pack of two and my rack is similar to yours, so I need 4 more - but that 6 pack is a fantastic price. I think we are in the same growing zone (6a-6b) - I am in Missouri but only about 6 hours south from Chicago. I am going to start onions soon (indoors) but that is an experiment since I have never grown those before. Very impressed with your container gardening. You do so much with the space.

[@ChicagoGardener]

Thank you so much! I’ve had a few other people let me know they use the same brand and it works really well so it’s giving me hope!!

[@Cmash5195]

Thanks for showing your seed starting setup. Have you ever tried winter sowing?

[@ChicagoGardener]

Only tossing seeds into my beds during the winter but not in jugs! I like being lazy as long as possible before seed starting 🤣

[@43tusitala]

Thank you for that video. It suits my small scale needs perfectly. Where did you get your bakers rack?

[@ChicagoGardener]

Amazon at least 6 years ago! I can’t find the exact one anymore but they have a lot of options.

[@BarbaraNeugent]

Great setup. Just wanted to add that those new lights may have a thin film that needs to be pulled off before use. Many people don’t realize that then have issues. Love your videos! Your zone is closer to my own than many other channels so I really appreciate learning how you do things

[@ChicagoGardener]

Thank you for letting me know bc I definitely haven’t checked for film yet!

[@mycraftroom6872]

Very helpful! If you can’t add magnets, try hanging them from zip ties. They’re easy to raise as needed.

[@rossbeauty4141]

Hi, so I'm new to gardening not so much to plants as I have a lot of house plants and I use the barrina lights for them and they work amazing. Those are what I plan on using for my seedlings once I start ❤

[@ChicagoGardener]

Yay!! I’m so excited now to try them.

[@carollewinson1555]

I have been using the Gardeners grow lights for 4 years now and love them! Will definitely try the new lights as I’m going to expand to a second rolling shelving unit. I want to start my flowers early this year to get some size before planting in May. Our HOA mistakes my little seedlings for weeds and has pulled most of them 3 years in a row (and left the weeds😂). I believe MissOrchidGirl uses them too

[@DianaEvergreen]

Very helpful information! Thank you! 🌺

[@ChicagoGardener]

I'm glad you found it helpful!!

[@Cmash5195]

Thanks so much for sharing. I’m fairly new to seed starting and I really love your set up. Unfortunately, I will not be able to start seeds indoors this year because I’ll be away for 2 weeks in February and again in April. 😞

[@ChicagoGardener]

I literally plan trips around my seed starting schedule now 😆 I must be here from mid March to mid May!

[@Chawhite-t1c]

Hello Bethany, I am located in zone 5A in Montreal . I also have a bakers rack similar to yours. I am able to make use of that top (4th shelf) by putting 2 jiffy self standing grow lights one in front of the other, daisy chained together ,say on the left side of the 4th shelf ,and placing a 10x20 tray under them. Then on the right side of the 4 th shelf , I can fit a 10x10 tray with a clamp style spotlight fitted with an led grow light bulb over it. That clamp style spotlight is held in place by clamping it to a vertical piece of wood that has been taped to the back vertical legs of the bakers rack. That way I get full use the 4 the shelf. I hope this suggestion helps. Have a great day!

[@ChicagoGardener]

Omg thank you so much! I need to do that.

[@modelno2004]

I think I’m going to try one of those seed starting trays this year. I’ve had such bad luck with seed starting and subsequently, not successful plants. I also don’t use grow lights, but I figure if I start earlier, I can use window light in my bathroom to let them take a little longer to grow. Fingers crossed!

[@ChicagoGardener]

Let me know how they work for you!

[@anounimouse]

We're practically neighbors - (Elmhurst - here) and we use heat mats to avoid the dreaded Damping Off, which occurs whenever we don't keep them warm from underneath.

[@ChicagoGardener]

Do you water from top or bottom? I’m wondering if watering from the bottom in the trays has helped me avoid dampening off.

[@43tusitala]

Thank you. I’ll check it out.

[@carollewinson1555]

I have been using the Gardeners grow lights for 4 years now and love them! Will definitely try the new lights as I’m going to expand to a second rolling shelving unit. I want to start my flowers early this year to get some size before planting in May. Our HOA mistakes my little seedlings for weeds and has pulled most of them 3 years in a row (and left the weeds😂). I believe MissOrchidGirl uses them too. I wonder if using commercial grade double sided tape would do the job with attaching magnets directly to the light backing.

[@ChicagoGardener]

Omg there was a legal battle a few years ago here in Chicago because the city was fining people for “weeds” that were actually native plants!

[@carollewinson1555]

@ there is so much people (and governing entities) do not understand. I think in one of those emails I sent to you on IG regarding grow bags, there was a reference to a law that allows people to grow food as needed on their property and HOAs cannot prevent it from happening!

[@jeannequick9551]

Great info. Instead of raising the lights on my set up I raised and lowered my flat by putting something under the flat to raise it up. Much easier than raising the light up and down. Do you have success using the Jiffy pods? Last year I had terrible germination using them. But, maybe it was me and not the Jiffy pods.

[@ChicagoGardener]

They’ve worked well for me the last 5 years. Do your seeds not germinate at all or start to grow but then die?

[@cgilly1858]

Why don’t you just get magnets and attach them to the new lights? Would that work?

[@debbyL2210]

I just ordered the seed starting kits, etc. Can you have a link for shelf on wheels? amazon? thank you!

[@MarianneHuff]

Hi, I invested in the gardeners supply lights and they are fabulous. This year I will use the Jiffy pellets to start seeds. I am so anxious to start zinnias. Have you experienced any root disturbance when transplanting zinnias?

[@ChicagoGardener]

I never have! They’ve always transplanted well for me. I think using the pellets helps.

[@karenneese5820]

I've used the heating mats years ago however I quit using them. I found that using them seemed to dry out my seedlings. Also I have seen magnetic strips that you can buy. They come in rolls and have an adhesive backing. I don't know how heavy those lights are but they might work for you and would be super easy to install. I've seen them in craft stores but I would imagine maybe Home Depot may have also.

[@ChicagoGardener]

Thank you!! I’ll definitely check that out. That seems better than my solution involving super glue 🤣

[@pedepy]

Cool video, couldn't be more timely for me.. I've been shopping for grow lights and boy can you quickly fall into the rabbit hole with those... I've seen the lights you are trying out so I'm curious to see how they fare. In defense of so called actual "grow lights" I have seen, they do seem to better mimic sunlight and tend to come with additional features such as water resistance and overall better efficiency which might be worth the price.... I have similar growing conditions to yours, growing on a condo rooftop deck, in a similar climate in Canada, and am planning on setting up a grow space of similar size to yours in a walk in closet. I'm lucky enough to also have a large fully south facing window, but it gets crowded and messy pretty fast. I'm the exact opposite of you by the way, as I grow mostly veggies and take pride in starting them from seed using varieties that can't easily be found while I usually buy my flowers are the store lol .. but I'd like to create a tidier system with perhaps room for more seedlings, notably some flowers. Anyway keep up the good content and keep us posted !

[@ChicagoGardener]

I miss our south facing windows so much! They also got crowded with plants, sometimes so many there wasn’t much light coming into the room past the plants 🤣

[@esthefanyortizgutierrez4441]

@ChicagoGardener do you water them manually? I want to do this but can't water them myself everyday.

[@ChicagoGardener]

I do but using these trays I don’t need to water every day. It’s usually every 3-4 days at the most.

[@betty_haynes]

Hi there! Do you usually use just one light per shelf?

[@cosmoscosmos2855]

Pour faire des semis, ça prend au début, de la chaleur. Mais ensuite, des néons, c’est indispensable car le bord de fenêtres, ça ne va pas pour moi. Je n’aime vraiment pas tourner mes pots! Cela fait beaucoup de dégâts…J’ai des Barinna aussi et elles sont blanches, jaunes et quelques roses. Il y a des néons de 48 pouces. J’en ai une dizaine! Je mets de 4 à 5 néons par étage! Mon étagère est sensiblement comme la vôtre, à 4 pieds de large. Je sème des tomates, salade et fleurs. Je les remonte avec des fils en métal ajustable avec une petite douille. C’est pratique…car les néons suivent l’évolution des plants. Les plans sont trapus grâce à ce rapprochement! Je mets les néons très près des tiges! Oui, une multiprise et minuterie et aussi un petit ventilateur. . J’utilise du terreau à semis. Parfois, je mets mes semences directement dans un plateau « sans trous ». Et oui, en faisant attention aux arrosages! 😅 En effet, il ne faut pas ajouter de l’engrais au début. À partir de novembre, j’ai semé des tomates et laitue. Bientôt mes tomates seront rouges. J’ai choisi de petites tomates Venus. J’ai semé des Brugmansia pour la première fois cette année. Et c’est vraiment facile! Ce sont tellement de belles fleurs. J’ai hâte de semer mes Pétunia, Zinnia et Pavot! Des roues sous les étagères? Non pas vraiment pour moi car je ne déplace jamais cette étagère car il y a tellement de fils! La réussite des semis interieur est vraiment dans la lumière, la chaleur au début et l’arrosage. Pas de lumière, on obtient de petits plants allongés et frêles. Bonne continuation. 🎉

[@ChicagoGardener]

Usually two lights per shelf!

[@yesidtac7863]

Quedo muy bien organizado

[@ChicagoGardener]

Gracias 😊

[@deshgouri]

Why doesn't everyone do giveaways like this?! This should be the new norm! I hate tagging ppl ❤ 😅

[@ChicagoGardener]

Me too! I always tag an old IG account I have for my cats 🤣

[@AmsNl2BcnEs]

I feel really sad when I still see people using peat which is usually very harmful to the environment, habitats and biodiversity to extract and releases methane as part of the drying process. The EU has banned it for this reason so many international viewers won’t be able to buy those pellets for that reason. There are coco coir variations available (with their own pros and cons). Please just by the peat-free compost, it’s better for the environment and a hell of a lot cheaper per ‘serving’.

[@darcyclark1523]

Yeah disappointing to see people continue using it!

[@ChicagoGardener]

I believe Jiffy is transitioning to 100% coco coir pellets!

[@AmsNl2BcnEs]

@@ChicagoGardener good, but maybe people shouldn’t buy them in the meantime…

[@ChicagoGardener]

@@AmsNl2BcnEs It looks like the Jiffy-7C pellets are the ones already 100% coconut coir, so I'll get those for refills!

[@emkn1479]

Coco coir has its own sustainability issues. There is no perfect solution…yet. Let’s hope we get there someday.