Seed Starting Lights | A Cheap Indoor Seed Starting System
Starting plants from seeds is the best way to get big plants, at a fraction of the retail cost. And cheap seed starting lights are all you really need to get started.
If you want to grow loads of vegetables, herbs, fruit and flowers at an affordable price, and if you want to start plants early, you’re going to need seed starting lights. But they can get crazy expensive! So I’m here to help you set up a cheap grow system to get you started growing your own vegetables and flowers, from seed, for many years to come.
Why Start Seeds Indoors
# 1 Lengthens the Growing Season
While there are plenty of seeds that can be direct sown (the seed is planted straight into the ground), lots of seeds need months to grow. And they need warmth to do it.
So we plant the seeds inside towards the end of winter/early spring, and come mid-spring, we have nice sized plants to put in our gardens when the weather is warmer.
#2 Major Cost Savings
The next reason, and the reason I began starting seeds indoors 5 years ago, was cost.
$7 for a perennial Shasta daisy may not seem like a lot of money. But, who wants 1 perennial flower? If you’re like me, you want dozens, (who are we kidding, hundreds at least) at a time. Buying plants at $7 – $25 a piece gets very expensive, very quickly. If you’re looking to save money on gardening, seeds are the way to go.
For reference, I bought a $4 packet of Shasta daisy seeds and grew over 3 dozen Shasta daisies in just 12 weeks. That’s 36 plants for $4. 36 nursery pot plants would have cost $252.
For me, cost is the driving force.
#3 Endless Varieties
The last reason is the variety. When you go to a nursery or Lowes/Home Depot, you are limited to the varieties the store carries.
But when you buy seeds, you can shop catalogs of different seeds. There are more varieties of plants than you can imagine!
Seed Starting Lights
Seed starting lights can vary greatly in price. And as I’ve already said, saving money is a staple for me in the garden.
I’ve found a basic set of 5000K LED shop lights, in daylight, work wonders to grow flowers, fruit, herbs and vegetables from seed, inside my home.
When shopping for seed stating lights, make sure your lights are a minimum of 5000K in daylight.
LED Seed Starting Lights
I love using LED lights for seed starting as opposed to fluorescent tube lights.
Tube lights are glass which means they can shatter. In turn, you have to be more careful with them during storage and also when hanging them. I don’t keep my lights up year round, because, well, they aren’t the best looking things! So these lights get moved around a lot. And I generally have little “helpers” with me. Glass is just too difficult.
My exact lights are no sold but the LEDs linked above are the closest I could find. For about $20 a piece, they’ve gotten the job done for 5 years and counting. And they do it wonderfully! My first year seed starting I bought 1 light and grew all of my vegetables and herbs from seed from that one light.
I’ve since added 7 more lights on 3 total shelves. I grow hundreds of plants each year with 8 lights on three shelves.
In 5 years I’ve only replaced 1 light (which was actually broken when I bought it). These guys last.
Seed Starting Lights Set Up
Setting up your “grow room” is pretty easy. You just need lights and something to hang the lights on. Most lights will come with chains that you can hook to wire racks.
My lights hang from wooden shelves in my basement. The shelves are permanent but the lights are not! I screwed simple hooks into the underside of each shelf (the top row is actually screwed into the ceiling). I then hang my lights from those hooks.
It’s simple and effective and cost very little money to get up and running.
Seed Starting Lights Placement
One thing to consider in the placement of your lights is its location.
Seed starting can get messy! We are working with dirt and water. And the occasional bug or two (on a gross side note, this past week I had two centipedes run out from 2 different seed trays. That’s a first for me and soooo nasty!) Try to find a spot where you can afford a bit of dirt to fly!
A good option for a temporary grow operation is a wire shelving unit. If your lights are 4′ long, make sure your shelf is at least 48″ long as well. You’ll want to maximize every inch of grow space you have!
Also, you need a space that’s about 68 degrees or more. A cold garage won’t work. Seeds need heat to germinate. Keep that in mind when searching for the right spot. An unfinished, but heated, basement is perfect. My basement is finished and I make a mess. Between you and me, I’m hoping a greenhouse of some sort is in my future – – a girl can dream:)
Seed Starting
If you’re new to starting seeds, I recommend getting started with soil blocks. Don’t even waste your time or money on seed starting trays.
I love this 2″ soil block that makes 4 soil blocks. You can also get a 20 blocker that makes 3/4″ blocks for tiny seeds or for seeds that take time to germinate and grow, like lisianthus. I love the bigger soil blocker for summer annuals as their seeds are bigger.
If you want to start with just 1, I would start with the bigger 2″ blocker.
If you just get the smaller soil blocker, you can simply use your hands to make a soil ball around the small soil blocks to bump them up in size, and it gets the job done, too. But the choice is yours!
Seed Starting Lights for Your Next Growing Season
If the thought of growing seeds overwhelms you, try pairing down what you’ll grow. You don’t have to grow everything. Pick just a few seed packets and let the first year be a learning year.
Use this first season to learn and grow. You’ll have success, some failures, and you build from there! That’s gardening! And life, really.
If you are going to try growing seeds this year, I recommend growing lettuce as one of your first crops. They germinate quickly inside your home and grow to full size in less than 2 months. It’s incredibly satisfying!
Let me know if you plan to start some seeds indoors under lights this year. I’d love to know what you’re starting. If you have any questions on seed starting, lights, or equipment, I’m happy to help. Thanks for visiting with me!
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