We're starting our first seeds of 2011!!

Last year, we started a ton of seeds indoors, using peat pellets and flats, but they didn't do very well.  Most (90%) didn't even germinate!!  We had them by the cold front window with limited daylight.  They never had a chance.

Today, we went to a seed starting workshop with Fitchburg Fields and learned the correct way to start seeds indoors.

Most seeds need a bit of warmth to germinate, so we now have two warming mats that sit under the flats to give the little guys a boost.  Once they pop up out of the ground, they need plenty of light - even artificial light will do, so we got a few shop lights.

After the workshop, we went to the hardware store and bought some 2 foot wide particle board shelving and 2x4s to build ourselves a seed-starting, plant-growing super light shelf system.

There's enough lighted space for up to 8 full flats, unlit space for another 4, and some storage underneath. Hanging additional lights from the ceiling would give us 12 full flats of growing capability.

We put the lights and warming mats on separate power strips so we can easily switch them off and on.  We'll add some programmable timers later.