The other night I was in my basement seed starting up a storm when I realized that this is the best setup I've ever had. It's efficient, easy to use, all the stuff I need is easy to grab and all it took was 2 weeks of cleaning out my basement and 20 or so years of trial and error and error and error.
It was when I was doing my nightly inspection of my dahlia tubers that I realized how well things were working.
Everything is laid out in a way that's easy to maneuver and find things plus, I have plenty of space for starting vegetables and flowers. You need more room than you think.
When you're starting seeds you might just need 2 square feet for your tiny little seedlings. But once they start to grow you need to pot them up and suddenly they take up 2-3X as much space in your house.
The problem with gardening, and I've mentioned this 14 million times before is that you generally get one shot at doing things right per year.
If you want to be a good baker you can practicing baking a cake every day for the whole year.
If you want to be a good gardener you only have one chance, or maybe two chances to successfully grow that squash plant.
Also it's rare that a grub, caterpillar, bird, rabbit, mouse or raccoon will try to eat your cake every single time you make it.
This video was completely impromptu, showing you the basics of my seed starting setup. I'll do a more in depth post with more details later.
Would you like to save this stuff?
We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.
This week, possibly even tonight, I'm going to set my camera up with a wide shot of the seed starting station to record how I start seeds and how my setup works exactly.
I have a couple flats of Zinnia and Celosia I want to get seeded so those may be on the menu for this evening.
The post with that video will include more information on what I have growing already including:
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Lettuce
- Beets
- Onions
- Shallots
- Cosmos
- Dahlias
- Eucalpytus
... and more.
If after watching this quick video you have any questions about my setup or what I do, put your questions in the comment section below. I'll try to answer those questions in the next video and post.
That gives you time to bake a cake or 12 in the meantime.
Summer
Love your video tours. I find old basements like yours so fascinating and love how you have utilized yours. One tip for the next video, shoot it horizontally if you can. The human eyes are set up to see in panoramic and we can take in information better in this format. I had a professional photographer friend point this out to me many years ago, so thought I would pass this tip on to you. I still shoot the occasional vertical video, but try to avoid it whenever I can. Looking forward to the more in-depth grow-op video! One day, when my children are older and less demanding, and I cut back my work schedule, I want to have gardens like yours! Until then I dream, research and live vicariously through your blog posts. Keep 'em coming!
Karen
HI Summer! Yes, if I'm shooting a "real" video, I shoot horizontally. This was just a quick, I should do a quick hand held video situation. ~ karen!
Kathy Savage
Can you give me some information about how you handle dahlias. I was just going to pot mine up but it looks like you have yours bare on a heating pad. Do you force them to sprout before potting them up?
Judi
I love the capillary mats! I bought them after reading your past post on them. Although, I think I need to change my set-up as the top of the soil gets a white mold on it. I just transplanted my first seedlings to bigger pots and put them in my new greenhouse. So exciting!
I always read that beets don't like to be transplanted. Do you have any issues starting them inside?
Thanks for all your gardening help!
Karen
Hi Judi! I've never had a problem starting beets then planting them out, although I know, I've read the same thing over and over. Which is proof with gardening, just try whatever you want and see if it works. It very well could. :) ~ karen!
Janice
This looks wonderful!
From one 143 year old basement to another, do you find those mats hard to keep clean? I contemplated them but wondered if a mop would cut it or would gunk get caught in all the bubbles. Do tell! :)
I have some snapdragons and Gomphrena (first time!) started so far. Can NOT wait!
Karen
Hi Janice. I haven't tried washing them but wipe them all the time. They vacuum perfectly, which I do every week or two. Good luck with your snaps and Gomphrena! Snapdragons are a lesson in patience. ~ karen!
Jackie
Hi Karen. I love your setup. We have the same mats in our garage that you have on your basement floor. We got them a number of years ago at a Big Lots Store & got a great deal on them. They are holding up really well. They are in front of the tool bench & as a walkway between our 2 car spaces & also in a small storage room at the back of the garage. They were one of the best buys we made. I love them & being able to walk barefoot in the garage & not be on concrete is a plus.
Karen
Ha! I told a friend the other day that I went into my basement with bare feet for the first time in my life. ~ karen!
sandra d
I never see a video - I do see the ads on the sides, so my ad blocker isn't the issue, is it? I really don't want to disable it.
Ruth Howell
I also never see where the video is in the blog. I can click on links to other things to read but i never see where the link to the video is.
Karen
Hi Ruth. There is no link to the video. It appears right on the screen. You either need to disable your ad blocker for my site or try another browser. The one you're using could be outdated or incompatible. ~ karen!
Deb from Maryland
Don't ya love it when a plan comes together?! Your set up is amazing, because it fits you to a T. I love when I finally get a set up just right - the best feeling!
Karen
I'm still working on it. Moving things as issues come up but so far I'm thrilled with it. Mainly all due to getting rid of almost everything else in my basement, lol. I had to prioritize. ~ karen!
Lori
Hi Karen,
Thank you for the video. You have the best gardening tips and I have been following you and your gardening evolution for years.
I have a very similar looking basement to yours including the narrow stairs :) I’d love to do my seed starting downstairs instead of my dining room but it is pretty cold down there. I’m zone 3 and our winters can easily be -40C for weeks. Do you use a heater in your basement? I see you have heating mats but that would be for germination only, right?
Lori
Karen
Hi Lori! I use the heat mats for all kinds of things (like waking up dahlia tubers) but mostly for germination of certain seeds. :) My basement is where my furnace is and there are 2 vents down there, so my basement is actually warm. So warm I shut the vents down there. I *wish* it was a cold basement so I could store my vegetables there. You could probably use floor mats to help keep it warmer (blocking the cold concrete floor) and maybe some ceramic wall heaters around the seed starting area. ~ karen!
Wayne P Kivi
A VERY comprehensive explanation of how to use lights to start various plants. My question is I'm always frustrated with "leggy" tomato plants and am not sure about the distance from my lights.
Sarah
I successfully start thousands of plants every year, and I have my lights on chains approximately 3-6 inches above my trays. I move them up as the plants grow taller. This works great and I never have leggy plants.
Karen
HI Wayne. It depends on the type of lights you're using. If you're using LED lights you can get away with a greater distance from the top of your plants, plus you can use them close to the plants if you want because they won't burn the leaves the way a regular bulb would. If you are getting leggy plants it means your lights are either too far away (try to keep regular bulbs about 5" away from top of plants) or you don't have enough light. If you only have 1 bulb over the seedlings, for example, switch to 2 of them. ~ karen!
Mary W
I'm really going to enjoy watching you. My set up in in my living room all tucked behind my drapes in front of the main front windows. I've missed the opportunity this year and it is all still tucked up behind the drapes doing nothing. Even got another seed storing case as I love the two I filled to the brim and then bought more seeds. My mind is willing but not my body. That is why I'll enjoy watching you so much - starting seeds gives me hope, joy, satisfaction, and pride in producing what I love. Go for it all!
Becca
I tuck mine behind the drapes too! Though I am skipping the starting seeds this year. I may have to expand now that I have Karen’s how to info- pretty nice set up!
Karen
It's never not thrilling to seed seeds sprout! ~ karen
Jennifer
I have the same vintage basement and appreciate the efficient set-up. I’m intrigued in your dahlia ‘nursery’. I never thought to let them sprout on the mat before potting up. (I potted up 10 pots this weekend) It would save a ton of room in my limited set-up. How long do you let them go before potting them? And are you misting them occasionally to give them a little lift?
Karen
Hi Jennifer. I'll address that in the next video. For now, I let the tubers warm up until they start to eye up. Once they eye up I keep them in a cooler area in a seed starting tray with plastic dome over it so they don't shrivel up. You can keep them like this until you're ready to pot up or plant out. I will be potting all of these up before planting out because I have more success if I start them in pots. ~ karen!
Randy P
A very practical and space efficient operation Karen. A veritable 20 year overnight success story.... as is the case the case with most highly successful people and things. Happy growing to ya'.
Karen
Thank you sir! ~ karen
Anne
Hi! Love the setup. What kind of floor mat is that? Is it cushy? Waterproof?
Thanks!
Karen
Hi Anne. The mats are cushy and water resistant. They're much more comfortable and easier to vacuum and sweep than the concrete floor underneath.
Anne
Cool cool! thanks for the link :)