Seed germination tent

The shelving arrived the other day so we could finish a seed starting greenhouse. The seed catalogs are full of great varieties. Starting plants from seed and growing them out to about 6 weeks is a way to garden in mid-winter. If you are like me the itch to garden is strongest in winter and even seeing small plants growing is satisfying.

The spot we picked in the barn is perfect. It was a washing station for horses so it has water and a drain in the middle of the space. Below is a peek through the door at the potting station and water faucet.

A simple potting bench with soil basin made with a blue tub.

We used 4 mil plastic to form a vapor barrier. It will act to keep the humidity in the space and does help insulate too by forming a small air space between the wall and plastic. I also thought the condensation would form on the plastic and roll down the plastic on the walls and drip to the floor. I hope this will save the paneling.

The rest of the space is for plants.

More lighting will be needed for the racks on the left. These shelves, plus a 2′ x 4′ cart will accommodate 12 flats. The single shelf to the right can hold 4 more flats for seed germination of 300 or so individual plants. The rolling cart will be used to take the near ready plants outside to begin hardening them off. Scheduling the seed starting will be the trick, so that plants are ready for the garden when the weather allows and having ample room for all the plants we want to start.

The black trays on the shelf are planting flats. They are perforated so 6 packs of plants can be detached easily from the flat. Each pot is about 2″ x 2″ x 2″.