New from Texas - Need a grow plan
- Thread starter peterd
- Start date
I have modified v6 with much shorter legs.
The previous version came to 38.33 board feet of lumber, of which the current most economical 2x4 $/foot configuration to purchase seems to be the 2x4x8. All up, lumber investment is $32.50.
Reading through the store descriptions, the LED shoplights come with 10" adjustment chains. The tallest typical transplant size are usually my peppers which are at or around 7" tall at transplant with most other vegetables being transplanted at much smaller heights.
With the shortened legs, board feet only drops 4 feet down to 34.33 in lumber. The height reduction is better for getting lights closer to seedlings at the cost of using the frame to overwinter taller potted plants indoors.
At maximum 10" extension the chain gets you approximately 2" off the surface of the grow trays (after you have removed the taller plastic domes from the trays) and shortening the chain length to maximum will get your shoplights close to 12" above the seedlings, this appears to be plenty of height capacity before the seedlings get hardened off and transplanted.
Looking at the a quick shop competition on the market, Amazon for $56 has a frame but it handles only a single light.
The only other competition on Amazon at $98 but has parts I don't need or want and again limited to a single shoplight.
For myself at least, even at the cost of lumber today this has a stronger argument to build rather than looking at alternatives to buy.
The previous version came to 38.33 board feet of lumber, of which the current most economical 2x4 $/foot configuration to purchase seems to be the 2x4x8. All up, lumber investment is $32.50.
Reading through the store descriptions, the LED shoplights come with 10" adjustment chains. The tallest typical transplant size are usually my peppers which are at or around 7" tall at transplant with most other vegetables being transplanted at much smaller heights.
With the shortened legs, board feet only drops 4 feet down to 34.33 in lumber. The height reduction is better for getting lights closer to seedlings at the cost of using the frame to overwinter taller potted plants indoors.
At maximum 10" extension the chain gets you approximately 2" off the surface of the grow trays (after you have removed the taller plastic domes from the trays) and shortening the chain length to maximum will get your shoplights close to 12" above the seedlings, this appears to be plenty of height capacity before the seedlings get hardened off and transplanted.
Looking at the a quick shop competition on the market, Amazon for $56 has a frame but it handles only a single light.
The only other competition on Amazon at $98 but has parts I don't need or want and again limited to a single shoplight.
For myself at least, even at the cost of lumber today this has a stronger argument to build rather than looking at alternatives to buy.
One approach to a seed starting/seedling station:
underwoodgardens.com
Bob
Build Your Own Seed Starting Station
A seed starting station helps you germinate seeds better and grow stronger transplants for your garden. Better gardens start with robust, healthy seedlings; they grow from the ideal conditions a seed rack provides. We share our 20 years experience in how to build your own.
underwoodgardens.com
Bob
GreenDragon
Well-Known Member
if your trying to save money 2x4's are pretty overkill. my growing station is 6 feet tall with different shelves, junk piled on it and lights hanging from 2 layers and trays of wet dirt. and 2x2's holds that just fine. your design could probably hold a motorbike parked on top.
and idk what your situation is like for space or whatever. but if you build up with shelves out of 2x2's its very convenient in the off season cause everyone needs more shelf space. rather than something you take apart and put away.
and idk what your situation is like for space or whatever. but if you build up with shelves out of 2x2's its very convenient in the off season cause everyone needs more shelf space. rather than something you take apart and put away.
Last edited:
I have the floor space, the room is low south facing windows perfect for natural sun assist to the lights on the seedlings and lets light and views in general so I don't want shelves or plants in the way year round, only for seedling starts so for me a temporary design is best fit solution.
I was already shown the metal shelving setups by other local growers and I shopped around and looked at them with a critical eye and to me, everyone is different, cold metal shelving looks pretty cheap and nasty in my house or cold and industrial. Its not for me.
Maybe someone else wants this and that's fine, I don't try to tell anyone what they should get if they want metal, plastic, wood, in the house, on a shelf, on the floor or out in an outside facing enclosed room c'est la vie. If I had my wish, not likely with my HOA, I'd have an outdoors greenhouse with wire shelving and instead of 1020 trays I'd be using plug trays for market gardeners and plug nursery trade.
Not in my house.
Not in my house.
I was already shown the metal shelving setups by other local growers and I shopped around and looked at them with a critical eye and to me, everyone is different, cold metal shelving looks pretty cheap and nasty in my house or cold and industrial. Its not for me.
Maybe someone else wants this and that's fine, I don't try to tell anyone what they should get if they want metal, plastic, wood, in the house, on a shelf, on the floor or out in an outside facing enclosed room c'est la vie. If I had my wish, not likely with my HOA, I'd have an outdoors greenhouse with wire shelving and instead of 1020 trays I'd be using plug trays for market gardeners and plug nursery trade.
Not in my house.
Not in my house.
Of more import to the crowd here, the germination station is now operating at capacity. The first round of early seed starts have been cleared off and the second round of seed starts is now in play. This includes all my tobacco varieties to trial this year in the mulch system this year. The rest are 80% of annual flowers and vegetables up to the brassicas.
Once germination has commenced trays are removed from the heat and put under lights.
Legs are done
No glue needed. The Japanese LegZilla Forrest monster is complete.
And six hangers done. Which means this project is done. The only other piece is the 2x4 support spine which needs no cuts.
Edit: UPS arrived with the lights, perfect timing!
Welcome how did your grow go?
It’s been a long time but this will be #1. I was a bit too late in 21’ to sneak in a crop before frost so I held off for spring 22’.
Here is a test setup. One thing of note, my latest 2x4x8s were short by 3 1/2”. First time I’ve run into this all my 2x4x8s I measured from prior buys are the full 8 feet. I don’t know if it’s pandemic related sawmill shorting on board foot length or I’ve just not run into this before.
I’ve used an old warped board as a temporary support beam. I’m now looking at this and thinking maybe I’ll just make single units for each set of four trays. The overall hanger system is working great no changes there. With the physical lights to take measurements from I can make sure there is no cord or light frame impact at all chain lengths and adjust the design as needed.
Chain length is perfect one first go out of the CAD/CAM design. Even though I didn’t design it for overwintered pots they seem to fit perfectly under the lights when the chains are raised near maximum adjustments.
I’ve used an old warped board as a temporary support beam. I’m now looking at this and thinking maybe I’ll just make single units for each set of four trays. The overall hanger system is working great no changes there. With the physical lights to take measurements from I can make sure there is no cord or light frame impact at all chain lengths and adjust the design as needed.
Chain length is perfect one first go out of the CAD/CAM design. Even though I didn’t design it for overwintered pots they seem to fit perfectly under the lights when the chains are raised near maximum adjustments.
Seems like a lot of wasted electricity, without reflectors on the light fixtures.
Bob
Bob
Seems like but those tomatoes above are grown under this exact light. There is a point where you have to go with good enough and stop chasing rabbits down engineering holes.
Using the same concept but with my workstation replacing the legs. Now I have an extra grow light space. If I was really pressed I could lay a shelf on top and get another.
Orchard order arrives today, last chance to work on this for a few days dedicated to planting.
Definitely, I just used all that solarization plastic cover on my entire front garden. Just removed it now, neighbors still have their pillow case covers out. I am meeting up with the sheriff behind me one street over in a bit. I am going to give him my grape vines in my orchard order as they need to go into the ground within a week of receipt but I am starting jury duty Monday. My trees can wait in dormant mode in the garage but the vines need to go out after jury duty is done.
On the tobacco seedling front, I did both the jar method and the tray method this go around. So far my jars are outperforming the 1020 trays in both number of germination and quality of seedlings. I am going to grow out both but I may be a jar guy from now on for at least tobacco starts. Fun times comes later with the tweezers to do transplantation out of jars.
Yes. I have used domes on 1020 trays, and I have used cling film plastic wrap on 1020 trays and then jars sealed. So far the jars win, primarily because germination rates are different amongst the varieties so unless you do an entire tray in one variety you'll either pull the dome off and trays off the heat too early for some variety but too late for another. With jars its all dedicated to a single variety. My most early productive variety out of eight that is reaching ahead of others for the growth spurt seems to be herzogovina flor this grow around.
Google maps satellite view is nice for estimations, but due to slant angles and large shadows you cannot get the exact corners or edges of walls. I did an actual tape measure of most of the wall to wall and wall to fence and fence to fence and I have gained more planting space.
Old satellite based start of planning
Current planning with only a few updated real tape measurements of most but not all wall to wall and fence to fence and fence to wall.
And a big block patch option for the sunny Southern side for corn or an extra 3x47 of tobacco or whatever. This last one has the most up to date wall to wall and fence to fence and fence to wall measures with only a few on the north side left to complete.
I've only a single European grape variety, they are susceptible to various disease in the south so I will see how mine fares side-by-side with native grape vines and if its trash, I'll remove it and fill it in with more native grapes which I have expansion slots for another 4-5 of them.
Edit: this style of row edge systems of inter planting under story trees, bush layer and annuals all mixed together is known as Grocery Rows.
Google maps satellite view is nice for estimations, but due to slant angles and large shadows you cannot get the exact corners or edges of walls. I did an actual tape measure of most of the wall to wall and wall to fence and fence to fence and I have gained more planting space.
Old satellite based start of planning
Current planning with only a few updated real tape measurements of most but not all wall to wall and fence to fence and fence to wall.
And a big block patch option for the sunny Southern side for corn or an extra 3x47 of tobacco or whatever. This last one has the most up to date wall to wall and fence to fence and fence to wall measures with only a few on the north side left to complete.
I've only a single European grape variety, they are susceptible to various disease in the south so I will see how mine fares side-by-side with native grape vines and if its trash, I'll remove it and fill it in with more native grapes which I have expansion slots for another 4-5 of them.
Edit: this style of row edge systems of inter planting under story trees, bush layer and annuals all mixed together is known as Grocery Rows.
Last edited: