We designed this seed-starting rack to be functional and easy to build.
You can cut it and put it together in one winter afternoon.
Three lighted shelves provide plenty of room for your seedling flats.
The 4-foot shop lights are available at any home-improvement store.
Though these should come with chains for hanging, we used nylon rope
that wraps around wooden dowels. This way you can adjust the height of
the lights as your seedlings grow by simply turning the dowel and
locking it in place with a hitch pin.
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When you cut the lumber to the dimensions specified here, you'll use
almost all of the wood from the materials list and have little waste.
Our carpenter, Jimmy Sims, helped us design the rack so the cuts would
be easy, using the dimensions of the lumber. The shelf braces provide
extra support, and the corner braces at the top help you square the
whole thing up and make the structure more sturdy.
Once you've assembled the basic shelf using screws and braces, hanging
the lights is easy. Center the 6-foot dowel over the light and see where
the hooks would normally go for the chains. Then drill holes all the way
through the dowel in the spots where the chains would go. These holes
will now be for your nylon cord. We used 3/16-inch cord, so we made
1/4-inch holes.
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Make a 1 3/8-inch hole on both sides of the rack, with the top of the
holes 1/2 inch below the shelf above. Slide the dowels into place, and
hang the lights using the nylon rope.
Screw the L-hooks into the side pieces as shown in the photo. On one end
of the shelf, drill a hole through each dowel 5 inches from the end.
Roll the dowel to adjust light height, and lock it on the L-hook with a
hitch pin. Keep the lights 2 inches above your plants at all times, and
the stems will grow straight.
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You can keep the light cords organized by making holes in the side
pieces and threading the cords through them. We also mounted our power
strip to the side of the rack. The power strip can plug into a timer to
turn lights on and off automatically. Most digital timers cost less
than $15. If your rack is in a cool spot, such as a garage or unheated
basement, you might want to invest in heat pads. Check out the Hydrofarm
Heat Mats at www.homeharvest.com.