How to build our 8 tray seed starting bench

  

     This seed starting bench is designed to hold 8 standard 10" x 20" seed flats directly in front of 2 double hung windows.  One light fixture can be supported by the unit, the upper fixture is hung from the ceiling above it.

Tools Needed:

Measuring tape

Pencil

Straight edge

Drill / driver

Saw (for crosscutting lumber and ripping plywood) 

Framing square

Shopping List: 

(Use this list if you are planning to buy all new materials)

(Prices are based on my current local prices for these materials and are for example only)

Quantity               Material               Actual Size           my current local retail price

1                            2' 1x4"                 3/4" x 3 1/2"                             $1.09 for 47"

7                            8' 1x2"                 3/4" x 1 1/2"        $.78 each =  $5.46

1                            4'x8' x 1/4" plywood                                             $9.47 for luan

1                            4'x8' x 3/8" plywood                                             $13.57 for CDX

18                         2" wood screws                                                      $2.97 for 25

37                         1 1/4" wood screws                                                $3.29 for 50

51                         3/4" wood screws                                                   $3.79 for 100

                                                                                                       -------------------------

                                      Total example price for all new materials =  $39.64

Cut List:

(Use this list if you are planning to salvage materials)

Quantity             Length            Material                               Piece Name

10                       4'                     1x2"                             Legs and Side Rails

6                         20 1/2"            1x2"                             End Rails

1                         3' 7 1/2"          1x2"                             Top Support

2                         15 3/4" x 3' 7 1/2" x 1/4" plywood      Side Walls

2                         15 3/4" x 1' 8" x 1/4" plywood            End Walls

1                         1' 8"                 1x4"                             Light support

1                         3' 9" x 1' 10" x 1/4" plywood              Bottom

1                         3' 9" x 1' 10" x 3/8" plywood              Shelf

1                         4' x 1' 10" x 3/8" plywood                   Top

Please keep in mind that 1x2 and 1x4 is given in nominal dimensions and the actual size of these boards are 3/4" x 1 1/2"  and 3/4" x 3 1/2" respectively.

Easy to salvage materials:

All the plywood needed for this project is in pieces less than 2' wide and under 4' long allowing for a great many salvage opportunities.  Other thickness can be used though some measurements may need to be adjusted depending where the pieces are located.  The 1x2" (3/4" x 1 1/2" actual) material that is used for most of the frame can be ripped out of any 1x or 2x dimensional lumber available if you have access to a table saw.

Step 1:

Create a side wall frame by attaching 3 side rails to 2 legs as shown below.  Use 2 of the  1 1/4" screws on each connection.  Pre-drill these holes to avoid splitting the wood.  Use a framing square to ensure good 90° corners.

Step 2:

Repeat step 1 and make a second side wall frame

Step 3:

With the side rails facing out, connect the two side wall frames using 6 end rails as shown below.  Use 1 of the 2" screws per connection to complete the frame.  It is helpful to have someone hold the pieces at this stage.  Be sure assembly is square.

Completed Frame

Step 4:

Install side walls to inside of side rails as shown below, leaving approximately 1/8" of frame exposed above and blow the plywood.  Attach using 10 of the 3/4" wood screws for each panel.  You do not need to pre drill these connections.

Step 5:

Attach End Walls to inside of end rails using 6 of the 3/4" screws per panel.

Step 6:

Install bottom support centered to inside of side walls as shown below.  Attach using 4 of the 2" wood screws through both bottom side rails and side walls.  Pre drill these connections to avoid splitting the wood.

Step 7:

Attach bottom using 19 of the 3/4" wood screws as shown below.

Step 8:

Install the top support to the center of the Top End Rails using 2 of the 2" wood screws as shown below.

Step 9:

Install the Top using 13 of the 1 1/4" screws

Step 10: 

Finish as desired, we used a coat of all purpose primer followed by an exterior latex house paint.  Stain or penetrating oil can also be used but some measure should be taken to protect the wood from the moisture involved with planting.

Step 11: (Optional)

Install incandescent light fixture to bottom support for heat source.  Be sure to follow local electrical code.

Step 12: (Optional)

Drill 8 medium size holes in shelf to allow heat to reach the bottom of the seed trays.  The holes should be centered so that 2 holes are heating the center of each tray.

Set shelf in place,  it does not need to be fastened.

That's it, you are ready for planting!

Our Seed Starting Setup

5/7/12

     

      Ok, so the cranes and the groundhog were both wrong, and Spring is still nowhere to be seen.  The 20° to 30°F weather, lingering snow, and grey skies have made it hard to find motivation to get our seeds started, but now is the time.  To be honest the equipment and methods we use for starting seeds are probably the least sustainable aspect of our garden.  When I learned the importance of saving open pollinated seed a few years ago, starting our own plants suddenly became a priority.  It was important to me to be successful at this new enterprise, so I gravitated toward the packaged solutions easily available at the store.  We use a name brand seed starting mix which includes slow release fertilizers.  This is the one place where our claim to use no chemical fertilizers simply does not hold up.  We are also using plastic trays and cell packs, fluorescent lighting, as well as electric heat and fans.  I have plans to try other methods as we go, but for now this works.  Lets face it, the argument against chemical fertilizers was never that they don't work.  Right now my biggest challenge is having enough finished compost in the Fall, and getting it screened and packaged before it is frozen in the winter.  We do wash and re use the trays and pots as many times as we can.

     I built the seed starting benches last spring.  They are designed to take advantage of the windows in our sun room, placing a row of trays in front of each pane thereby getting the maximum amount of natural light.  The bench pictured above is built out of 2x2" lumber and 1/2" plywood.  It is very sturdy, but also fairly heavy.  I re designed the unit and the result is the one pictured below.  It is made out of 1x2" lumber and a combination of 3/8" and 1/4"  plywood.  Still plenty strong for the purpose, but much lighter.  Both units have an incandescent light bulb in the box in the bottom that provides bottom heat to the lower four trays.

5/7/12

     The lighting is T-5 florescent full spectrum bulbs.  The fixtures are set back away from the windows so they do not shade the plants from the Sun.  Every few days I turn the trays so the plants stay straight as they tend to bend toward the stronger light source which can be either the window or the bulbs depending on the day.  For watering I use a 1 gallon pump sprayer.  It takes a bit of time to water each cell that way, but it is a very controlled way to deliver the water where it's needed as the cells don't always dry up at the same rate, and it does a great job of oxygenating and degassing the water as it's delivered.

     My next post will be detailed plans on how to build the lightweight version of our seed starting bench.

Watching the water flow

     It's been a rough last few weeks out here, including a couple rounds with the common cold combined with a few good snow falls.  I'm getting to that point where I'm just plain sick of winter.  Still, I have it on good authority that Spring is just around the corner.  On the last day of February, 4 sandhill cranes took a walk through the alfalfa behind our yard.  Now I happen to believe that the cranes have a much better perspective on these things than a groundhog ever will, more at stake too.  The snow is lingering despite several days above freezing and about an inch of rain.

     The chickens have tracked a lot of that moisture into the coop, leading to damp conditions inside and a bit of ammonia odor.  We have had to add quite a bit of dry straw and pine shavings to keep it under control.  I plan to clean out the bedding again as soon as things are dry enough to get the wheelbarrow around.  Otherwise they are doing well.  We still have all 20 birds (17 hens and 3 roosters) and the 6 that we moved to a farm are also still kicking.  I'm really proud and a little amazed that we have managed to keep everyone safe and healthy for this long.  Egg production has been really good at about 12-15 a day.  Yesterday we got 17 for the first time.

     The great part about this time of year is the opportunity to get out and observe the water moving over the landscape.  It is a great way to understand the direction things are flowing.  Which is an important thing to consider when building, laying out gardens, or planning rain collection or water harvesting land features such as swales and ponds.

     Tracing water's path can also help to locate and identify areas with erosion damage.

      One thing I have noticed is the way that the chickens work to help us capture water and recharge our aquifer by creating texture in the landscape.  Watching the snow melt and slowly seep into the dust baths our hens made has driven this lesson home.  It also leads to another profound concept.  That just as an arc between two points is longer than a straight line between the same points; textured land has more surface area.  Thus, we can literally make the world a bigger place, or at least add square footage to our yards and gardens.  This has me motivated to try my first true hugelkultur bed this year.

The 2013 Garden Begins!

I discovered that the hard neck (unk variety) garlic tops sets that I saved from last year had started to sprout.  So I decided to try an experiment and plant them in seed a seed tray.  

If you have big clumsy fingers like me, a pair of angled forceps is a great tool for planting seed trays.  1/2 the tray is the garlic, the other 1/2 is the rest of the Yellow Spanish Sweet onions we got from sand hill preservation center in 2011.  

We are also running a germination test on all the seeds we plan to sell this year.  

Listed from left to right;

Lot 13  Margaret's Pepper

Lot 26  Margaret's Pepper

Lot 28  Mayo Indian Amaranth

Lot 12  Gardener's Delight Cherry Tomato

Lot 24  Harlequin Marigold

Lot 16  Gardener's Delight Cherry Tomato

Lot 10  Black Locust

Lot 17  Gardener's Delight Cherry Tomato

Lot 20  Aunt Molly's Ground Cherry

We also have the Deep blue alpina columbine, but unfortunately I forgot to stratify it, so we won't be able to test that for another 6 weeks or so.

It's not a lot, but it feels good to have some seed planted.  Here's to balmy weather and a great season.

What's In Bloom- June 2012

Click Images to view larger.

6/5/12

Valerian

Valeriana officinalis

6/5/12

Arugula

6/5/12

Comfrey

6/5/12

Lobelia

6/19/12

Geraniums and Margaret's Peppers blooming in the Raised bed by the porch.

6/19/12

Lily

6/19/12

Feverfew

Tanacetum parthenium

6/19/12

Lily

6/19/12

Geranium

6/19/12

6/19/12

Hollyhock

6/19/12

Strawberry Spinach

Chenopodium capitatum

6/26/12

Bachelor's Button

Centaurea cyanus

6/26/12

Calla Lily

6/30/12

Hollyhock

6/30/12

Dill, Dukat

6/30/12

Echinacea

6/30/12

Safflower

6/30/12

Globe Thistle

6/30/12

Purple Scabiosa