Tomatoville® Gardening Forums


Notices

Have a great invention to help with gardening? Are you the self-reliant type that prefers Building It Yourself vs. buying it? Share and discuss your ideas and projects with other members.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old March 21, 2016   #1
kameronth
Tomatovillian™
 
kameronth's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: North Dakota
Posts: 111
Default Built a light shelf for my seedlings

I built a light shelf for my seedlings. I usually put the lights over my work bench but during seed season I can't use my bench for other projects. I used 2x2's and scrap plywood for the shelving and stained/sealed it. I also added casters to the bottom so it's easier to move out of the garage to harden off. It uses nine dual T8 shop lights with 6500k bulbs.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg IMG_6290.jpg (271.8 KB, 148 views)
kameronth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 21, 2016   #2
Ricky Shaw
Tomatovillian™
 
Ricky Shaw's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Zone 6a Denver North Metro
Posts: 1,910
Default

Very nice, and you can wheel them outside to harden them off.
Ricky Shaw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 21, 2016   #3
clara
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Germany
Posts: 1,350
Default

Very well done! I'd wish I had some more space in my garage for such a light shelf!
clara is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 21, 2016   #4
Cole_Robbie
Tomatovillian™
 
Cole_Robbie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Illinois, zone 6
Posts: 8,407
Default

Sweet. And when you're not using them for seedlings, they can just be a nice set of shelves....bonus.
Cole_Robbie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 21, 2016   #5
MissS
Tomatovillian™
 
MissS's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin
Posts: 3,145
Default

Awesome! Versatile too.
__________________
~ Patti ~
MissS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 21, 2016   #6
Ricky Shaw
Tomatovillian™
 
Ricky Shaw's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Zone 6a Denver North Metro
Posts: 1,910
Default

If I had a garage it would not be that orderly, and I'd have to put the unit closer to the door. Wheeling very far would not be an option.
Ricky Shaw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 21, 2016   #7
imp
Tomatovillian™
 
imp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Wichita Falls, Texas
Posts: 4,832
Default

Wower! How many trays can you get on each shelf? 6?

Looks very sturdy, too.
imp is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 22, 2016   #8
loulac
Tomatovillian™
 
loulac's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: France
Posts: 554
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ricky Shaw View Post
If I had a garage it would not be that orderly, and I'd have to put the unit closer to the door. Wheeling very far would not be an option.
The wheels are a big plus : It will be easy to take the seedlings in the open air, under the sun to harden them, and bring them back inside at night.
Kameronth did a great job : strong, elegant, not too expensive. I'm just asking myself questions about the lighting. Instead of T 8 lights I might have used 7020 LED bars, they are reliable as long as you don't buy bottom prices. They give less heat than fluo tubes and more light.
loulac is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 22, 2016   #9
kameronth
Tomatovillian™
 
kameronth's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: North Dakota
Posts: 111
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by imp View Post
Wower! How many trays can you get on each shelf? 6?

Looks very sturdy, too.
I'm not sure. I am thinking a decent amount. This year I am going to try more flowers in addition to my vegetables so this should give me enough room.
kameronth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 22, 2016   #10
lexxluthor
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: New York
Posts: 156
Default

Nice job.
lexxluthor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 22, 2016   #11
kameronth
Tomatovillian™
 
kameronth's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: North Dakota
Posts: 111
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by loulac View Post
The wheels are a big plus : It will be easy to take the seedlings in the open air, under the sun to harden them, and bring them back inside at night.
Kameronth did a great job : strong, elegant, not too expensive. I'm just asking myself questions about the lighting. Instead of T 8 lights I might have used 7020 LED bars, they are reliable as long as you don't buy bottom prices. They give less heat than fluo tubes and more light.
I was thinking about going with LED's but I already had 6 T8 units so I just stuck with those. One day I may upgrade to LED's. I do have a heated garage but I usually don't turn it up too high because my gas bill will spike, so I don't mind the extra heat from the fluo tubes.

In the dead of winter I usually set the garage thermostat to 40f. When it's 20 to 40 below outside, it actually feels pretty warm and my wife doesn't have to plug her SUV in! When I start my seedlings I usually set it at 65f.
kameronth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 22, 2016   #12
chiefbeaz
Tomatovillian™
 
chiefbeaz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Middle, TN
Posts: 271
Default

Great Job. I had been thinking about building something like your cart for roll seedlings in and out of the garage. What I hadn't thought about , was being able to use it as a lighting area for small seedling. You can kill two birds with one stone with your combination cart. Thanks for posting this
chiefbeaz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old March 22, 2016   #13
Father'sDaughter
Tomatovillian™
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: MA/NH Border
Posts: 4,917
Default

It's posts like these that make me really wish for a garage. If we ever get around to building one, I'm going to insist on it being large enough to accommodate a shelf unit (or two!) like yours. Great job with it!
Father'sDaughter is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:56 PM.


★ Tomatoville® is a registered trademark of Commerce Holdings, LLC ★ All Content ©2022 Commerce Holdings, LLC ★