Subject: SEED PROBLEMS

From: [email-masked] (Dina Williams)
Date: Tue, 7 Mar 95 17:16:20 GMT

tr. posted:

>I'm a rookie seed-starter TOO but there's one bit of advice
>I KNOW might help ... as I understand it, you do not
>need to spend buckets on "special" lights. Simple fluorescents
>will do. We spent $8 on a hanging, plug-in , 4-foot-long "shop
>light" fixture & $1.50 more on the two bulbs it needs ... it's hanging 
>right over the wide east-facing windowsill where I'm starting a
>few hundred herb & flower seeds (one month along &
>so far so good) ...  The advice for this setup came from about
>a dozen allegedly experienced gardeners. (PS No warming
>mat either ... but the room is heated part of the day & is probably 
>fairly consistently around 60 degrees).

Thanks! When I asked about special lights, I was referring to the setups
sold in the Harris catalogue, the cheapest of which is $70.  Last night I
went to a hardware store and found equipment that sounds a lot like what
you've described. I found bulbs made by GE that claim to be good for plants
(ie. providing the right light), as well as some fixtures.  It only cost
about $20, well within my budget.  

Now if I could only convince my cats to stay away.  This morning I found
more crushed plants, a sure sign of feline interference....

Dina