Seed incubator

[karpes]

I have used this system to starting seeds for the last three years with very good success. It’s just an old refrigerator with lights for heat and a thermostat. The picture below is the freezer compartment with a bellows type thermostat on the top left side. I use this part of the refrigerator to start small quantities of seeds. Karpes

[karpes]

These are pictures of the refrigerator side filled with seed flats. At the bottom is the heater and fan. It’s just a mail box with three light bulbs and a radio shack fan that runs continuously. The thermostat and temp gauge are on the left side of the second shelf. Once the seed starter media is completely wet you rarely need to add additional water.
I have germinated peppers, tomatoes, beans, eggplant, cucumber, papaya and citrus using this set up.
Karpes

[amideutch]

Karpes, nice setup. Once your refrigerator gives up the ghost you turn it into a seed starting chamber and it comes with shelves. I take it the thermostat controls the light bulbs and the fan runs continuously? So what do you do with them after they sprout?

[karpes]

Ami
That’s correct, the thermostat turns the lights on and off as heat is needed. The fan constantly circulates the air to keep the whole chamber at a constant temperature.
For the last two years, I moved the newly germinated plants under florescent lights. This year they were put into the greenhouse. Now that I have a greenhouse I may discontinue the use of the incubator, but it has served me well before the luxury of the greenhouse.
Karpes