Rack built
New lumber turns into new grow rack. This adds a fourth to the set, a measure of tiny farm growth. I started with two in Year 1, built another one last year (Year 5). It’s not like the focus here is on rapid expansion…this is the speed of staying tiny! ;) Although I don’t build these often, it seems to get quicker every time. Well under a hundred dollars of wood, wheels, screws, bolts, brackets, hooks and chains, plus a chop saw, a drill and a couple of hours, and there it is! Light fixtures are extra. In the pic, the shelves still have to go on. Lying across the middle supports is one of the four old fluorescent fixtures, given to me instead of being tossed in the trash. Not only free, they’re BETTER: the tubes are spaced further apart than in the standard shop lights I’ve been using, the light will spread more evenly over a larger area—for the seedlings, a lot less leaning and stretching…
Somewhat related posts: • Grow racks at night • Lightbox suspended • Seedlings aplenty • Trimming leeks • Lettuce under the lights
ewa said,
March 24, 2008 @ 12:44 am
great racks :) staying tiny is good strategy for keeping the profile :)
P~ said,
March 24, 2008 @ 1:38 am
I love the design your useing. Seems like your able to get a ton of sprouts going in a relatively small area. I don’t grow for market, but this is something that is definitely on my garden todo list as I am in a winter climate as well. Reuseing the lights is great too!
P~
hyd said,
March 24, 2008 @ 9:24 am
hi mike! love these. what are the measurements?
Mike (tfb) said,
March 25, 2008 @ 12:35 am
hyd: It’s from a plan in Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Gardening and Landscaping Techniques (a book worth having). It’s 1.5′x4′, and around 6′ high. At some point, I’ll take some close-ups and put up measurements…
P~ said,
March 27, 2008 @ 12:12 am
I thought you’d be interested, or could at least appreciate this. I was able to salvage two beautiful dual tube flourescent light fixtures from a remodel at my day job. The lights are the 4 foot type, and the fixtures not only come with concaved highly reflective backing, but are set approximately 12 inches apart. Does this sound like a good spacing to you? I assumed that wider was better than narrower.
Wasn’t planning on these, but now I will definitely be set to plant next spring even earlier.
P~