Light Stand - Finished / Indoor Seeds Arrived

Finished the light stand. Just in time the seeds to be started indoors arrived with the mail today. I hope to get them planted in containers by weeks end. I have Supersweet Cherry's, and Big Beef tomato's. I had ordered a grape tomato as well, but it was discontinued. I wish they had just substituted another variety rather issuing a credit. I am also starting Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Straightneck yellow, and Zucchini squash.

Building a Light Stand

Another project I started is building a simple light stand to start plants indoors. I have tried starting plants inside from seed with only limited success. The biggest problem is the stems will grow long and spindly trying the reach the light source such as a nearby window. This make the plants a target for failure. So I decided to try using a fluorescent light that can be adjust above the plants and be raised upward as they grow, until it's warm enough to move them outside. The goals is starting good strong plants that will survive. The light I have to work with is 48" long and two lights wide. A shorter wider light might be a better choice for space reasons. But I'm working with what I have. The stand will be made from old bed rails. With a little cutting and welding I have found old rails to have many uses. In the photo below you can see I have cut the necessary pieces to get started. Hope I can find some time this weekend to work on it. I can start the indoor seeds six week prior to the last freezing temperature. April 17th is the average last frost for my area. AH

Build a Garden Bench

Build this beautiful garden bench. If you can cut a 2" x 4" with a 90 and 10 degree cuts, drill a hole, and use a screw driver you can build it. The instructions are listed above. If you follow the instructions it can be built for about $35. Less if you already have some of the materials laying around. I have built two so far. One for my Mother which she has in her vegetable garden. And one I built for my wife. They are solid, and should last a long time with minimal care. AH

Wild Flowers