Our Basement Nursery... And the Process of Getting Ready

We started planting seeds in January and now we have some beautiful plants growing. We do not own a greenhouse yet, but we do not let this stop us. We have a basement, some shelving units, and shop lights. With a little creativity, we make it work!

While it is cold and uninhabitable for most plants outdoors, we are in our basement planting seeds. 

 

We start the plants on heat mats to help seed germination speed up. Once the seeds are germinated, we move them under the shop lights and let them soak in the light. 

Eventually, we start taking our plants outdoors for short periods of times to help them acclimate to the outdoor temperatures and light. This process is called “hardening.” We bring them in each evening and set them on our dining room table to help them avoid the cold evening temperatures.

Baby basil plants

Our cabbage plants outdoors at sunset

Bringing plants into our dining room in the evening

 Eventually, the plants will be strong enough to stay out all day and night. This process takes a few weeks. We can’t wait to start planting them outdoors in April.  2015 CSA season here we come!