Well, this project won't get any point for beauty, but it might get points for ingenuity! Last week I posted a project that showed my readers how to make an affordable grow light station, and let me tell you it worked like a charm. I had zinnias germination in 12 hours and tomatoes in 72 hours. It was amazing! The only difficult was the cats kept getting into my seedlings. I added some foil sides to that grow station and the cats stayed out of it for the most part.
My seedlings quickly outgrew that growing station, and I really wanted to start some different plants so I decided to move my seedlings somewhere else. The problem was that my cats are everywhere and I needed a place to keep the seedlings safe. It then dawned on me that you could basically make a grow station in a very large dog crate with a few modifications.
We pulled our dog crate out of the basement and set it up in the dining room.
Then we hung our lights on chains from the inside. (I am going to hang 1 or 2 more fixtures, but my bulb wasn't working so I need to return it tonight...)
I then added the magic cat proof barrier to the outside of the crate. (Magic cat proof barrier is also known as aluminium foil.) I put this on with the shiny side facing inward toward the crate so that the light hitting the foil will reflect back in on the plants. (My cats, which are pretty bold, HATE aluminium foil!)
Finished product! Happy seedlings!
If this is going to be your only grow station then I would recommend having the foil come off the sides of the light fixture, making a tent so that you can keep some of the moisture in for the seedlings in the beginning, otherwise I think my contraption is going to work like a charm until I can move these plants outdoors. Then I will be squirrel proofing them, which is a whole different ballgame!
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What a clever idea. I haven't started my seeds yet, but I WAS wondering how I was going to keep the cat out, seeing as the grow light will be in the basement right next to his litterbox and cat bed. I am going to try the aluminum foil tent idea. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a good solution! I have a "salad table" outside that the cats kept getting into. I have a box with a lifetime supply of plastic forks from Costco so I stuck the forks all around in the box, tines up, and that seemed to help.
ReplyDeleteYou grow girl! I would love to have you share this on The HomeAcre Hop tonight!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/02/the-homeacre-hop-7.html
Thanks for sharing this on The HomeAcre Hop!!! Can't wait to see what you share this coming Thursday :) Here's the super easy link to the next hop!
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If you haven't checked out Wildcrafing Wednesday yet, please do! :) It's a hop I co-host for herbal remedies, natural living, real food recipes, and self sufficient living. Here's the link for tomorrow's hop:
http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/02/wildcrafting-wednesday-10.html