Your garage is ideal place to start your spring seedlings

As the nights start to get lighter our brains naturally start thinking about spring: Spring cleaning, no more shoveling and, of course, gardening! Why not start your seeds off in the garage this year rather than in the basement?

Gardening is a lengthy process…

If you want to have vegetables ready to pick at the peak time, you need to start your seedlings off soon. Some plants grow quicker than others, so be sure to check the ideal planting dates for your plants.

A great way to start your seeds, bulbs and cuttings off early is to start them off in your garage so that when the risk of frost has passed, you’ve got healthy, good-sized plants ready to transplant in your garden.

There’s a whole host of plants you can start off in your garage, including most vegetables, herbs and annual plants and flowers.

How to set up your gardening space

You don’t need loads of fancy equipment to start seeds off in your garage, just light, warmth and pots.

If you can, set your gardening space up close to a window, this will provide your seedlings with both heat and light. You’ll easily be able to maintain the optimum temperature in a well-insulated and heated garage, but avoid putting seed trays on the cold concrete floor. A good idea is to build wooden shelves that circulate the heat and provide you with more space.

Garage garden space 101

You will need:

• Seed trays: You can also plant seeds in peat pots, yoghurt pots, eggshells and egg cartons.
• Potting soil: Make sure you use the best soil for the plants you are growing.
• A thermometer
• Spray bottle: Avoid overwatering your seedlings by lightly misting them.
• Markers: To identify different plants and the date they were planted.
• Lighting: Fluorescent 7 or 12 by 48‑inch T‑8 bulbs are ideal, you can also use halogen or incandescent light fixtures.
• A timer: To turn the lighting system on and off.
• Plastic sheeting: To control the temperature (if needed).

That’s it!

Like with any gardening project you need to be patient. For best results, research companion plants. For example, basil helps tomato plants to grow by repelling insects, whereas fennel can impede a tomato plant’s growth.

Don’t forget, if your garage door isn’t working properly…

Then contact us at 709-368-7222. We can send you a free quotation by email, or even better, come to your home to solve whatever problem you are experiencing.

If you decide to change your garage door and want to get an idea of what a new door would look like, use our design center or visit our image gallery.