I got to thinking about starting some seeds today and thought I needed some way of hanging lights above the plants. I thought about it for a little while and came up with an idea. It was a nice day so I went outside and built this.
I ripped 2 x 4 lumber into 2 x 2 lumber to keep it light. I connected the top piece to the end supports with angle brackets so that it could be easily taken apart and bundled for storage.
I cut triangle brackets from 1/2" plywood for support at the bottom.
As you can see in the first photo, I hung 2 loops of small chain to hold the lights. These can be adjusted to keep the lights 2 - 4 inches above the plants as they grow. I used 2 aquarium light fixtures that I had for the lighting. Hopefully this will be enough light to get them started. I built the stand so that I can add more lights if needed. And I should be able to take the plants outside on nice days to give them some sun and to help harden off the plants.
During the holidays my house mate was making stuffing. She was using Chestnuts as one of the ingredients in her receipt. I started wondering if these nuts would sprout and grow. While she wasn't looking, I grabbed one. It was a very hard nut so I cut a little off the bottom thinking this would help water soak into the nut. I planted it in a pot with some organic potting soil. A couple of weeks ago I got curious and dug the nut out to take a look. It had sprouted a root! I put it back in the pot and covered it up with soil. Today I checked on it and it has sprouted above the soil and and is trying to grow leaves! .
I'll let it grow until it out grows the pot and then add it to my food forest. It will be a welcomed addition.
Starting seeds is a good way to be actively gardening during the winter months. If you are doing anything to stay active with your gardening, let me know . Maybe it will give me some ideas to work with.
Soooo......Until next time......HAPPY GARDENING!
We are attempting to grow pecans (Missouri Hardy). We have to wait 12 years until we start to get pecans. We planted them 8 years ago so we're starting to get excited. I really should try to forget about them for a few more years.
ReplyDeleteI planted some Pecans, too. One of my neighbors has Pecan trees and I picked up a few when I was walking my dog. I put 3 in a pot, but so far only 1 has came up. These nut trees do take a long time to produce....hopefully I'll live long enough to enjoy them. :)
DeleteChestnuts, that will be interesting to see how they do for you. I've been sprouting some heirloom beans, cranberry and mortgage lifter in baggies with a damp paper towel on our counter. Then transferring these to small pots on the front patio. Being a relative newcomer to Central Florida (zone 9) I've been scouring blogs and online info to prepare for this years garden. Coming from zone 9 in So. Cal hasn't really prepared me for the sand, rain deluges, and various other conditions to factor into gardening here. Since I homeschool and like to involve the kids I'm doing my homework to be as prepared as I can be beforehand. Appreciate the work you trailblazers present to help give advice to those of us just getting started here. Have listed you in my "favorites" list now of blogs I check on for advice or inspiration. Happy Gardening to you too.
ReplyDeleteHi Lynda, The best thing you can do for our sandy soil is add lots of organic matter......leaves, manure and especially compost. This helps with holding moisture in the soil. Mulch is also very helpful for holding moisture and shielding the soil from our intense summer heat.
DeleteGood luck with you're gardening.....keep us informed as to how you do.
Welcome to Florida and thanks for reading and commenting!