Wow! I can’t believe another year has passed.
Right now seeding collards and chard is on my list, spraying the pluot and pruning the fig.
Anyone else?
I’m researching an indoor grow tent to set up in Feb so I can get my plants a proper start before putting them outside. My house is kept quite cold during the winter (my wife and I both prefer to be slightly chilly) and my garden is a fairly hostile environment with unpredictable weather and strong winds. Both of which have made starting my own somewhat challenging.
I have a big open space in my home office that I’ve used in the past to set up a super janky grow area, including an old coffee table and some clip-on grow lights that I bought on Amazon. Time for an upgrade. Most of these products seem geared to indoor weed growers, not vegetable gardening. I’m hoping to find some decent product that’s a bit more about width than height, with a built-in fan and heating, maybe in the $500 range. Can anyone help?
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My house is usually in probably the 55-60F range all winter. I have heating mats, and little plastic dome starter things, and the plants pop right out and look great. Everything I’ve read says that keeping them on the mats for too long is bad for the roots(?), so I diligently take them off of the mats, remove the domes when the plants get too big, and then … they just don’t do anything again. They stay green and alive for five or six weeks until it’s time to go outside, but all growth seems to halt. Happened twice now. Very disheartening! I don’t know for sure that it’s the temperature at fault but it’s my best guess.
I’d like something that I won’t have to keep up for the entire year in the other half of my office. Not that I’m using that space for anything better, it’s just empty, but still. The tent seems like an ideal solution to both that and the space problem and also I like new toys 
… but I’m open to alternate suggestions! My current setup, as mentioned, is really makeshift, so anything at all will be an upgrade. Appreciate any input!
Plants are mostly peppers, some eggplant, maybe some cucumbers and tomatoes. Climate, 6b. (Eastern Massachusetts.) Up on a big hill higher than everything else around me, which causes the wind issues. (A wind storm early last summer almost wiped out everything. I subsequently researched staking techniques and I think I have that problem mostly solved, but having nice big and hearty plants certainly won’t hurt.)
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Wow! That’s pretty chilly! Maybe heaters to keep the room around 70? Grow stands and lights make cool toys, but may not be easy to store.
And you probably want to get the timing fine tuned so you are not growing indoors any longer than necessary.
I have something like this in my garage, they have lights that move up and down, I add grow mats, and occasionally wrap with frost blankets or that reflecting insulation stuff.
I can grow dozens of tomato and pepper seedlings on them.
I also use remote thermometers.
For example, I think starting cucumbers in the place they will stay usually works.
Do you know how long your growing season is?
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I direct sowed my cucumbers last year and was not happy with the results: I didn’t get any fruit until late July. The prior year I’d started them indoors and even with my stunted growth situation I had fruit sometime in June. The growing season here is mid-May through mid-September or so. Not a ton of time, and even in May it’s often still kind of chilly.
That setup with the racks looks really nice. Do you know a product name I can google?
I don’t need anything too big: My growing area is two large raised beds, approximately 3’ by 20’ each. Last year I grew maybe 12-15 pepper plants in one bed and a few tomatoes and a few cucumber plants in the other. (I think I can optimize the space more too but that’s a next challenge…)
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I call it a grow stand, but maybe that’s just me!. That one was from Grower’s Supply. I think I got mine from Lee Valley, but that was probably 20 years ago.
Be aware of evolving laws about fluorescent light bulbs. Mine has flourescent bulbs.
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Considering the spectra of plants you mentioned, all of which are warm-growers, you probably should keep the plants on the heat mats. The idea that it’s bad for the roots is nonsense, unless the heat is set too high. Once the seedlings are up and growing, say with a second set of true leaves, you can lower the heat to 78-84°F without worry. If moderate heat at the roots was a real issue, what happens when the outdoor soil hits 85°F, which is pretty common in many areas? I grow seedlings in an often cool room, 60-65°F, but use heat mats with a controller to keep the plants happy, many of which are peppers and tomatoes. They stay on the heat mats until they’re ready to harden off outdoors. A strong LED plant light also warms the plants a little while it’s on. I don’t use a tent, but at 55-60°F, it may help.
Another option is to set up a heat mat with controller (thermostat) and use a grow box like this one There are multiple adjustable vents, which is important. If you see a lot of condensation, open the vents more. With this type box, you’ll need to elevate the plants above water that collects in the bottom tray. A battery-powered siphon comes in handy to remove collected drain water into a bucket. Or, if it’s on a table, you can siphon water from the bottom tray. I own one of these 3-level boxes and they’re made reasonably well. My purpose was different, to root cuttings or to let grafted seedlings heal; but the boxes work well for other applications.
We’re using one of these LED lights in the greenhouse, and it has been working well, so far. I’d estimate this light would illuminate two of those grow boxes, placed in a squarish position, side by side vs. end to end. Also, be sure to insert the temperature sensor for the heat mat controller into the soil of one container with plants; so you know the soil is getting monitored. You can use one of the vents to thread the sensing bulb in, or drill a small hole.
Be sure to fertilize the seedlings regularly, and some Cal-Mag fertilizer ,applied once or twice a month is a good idea. The vast majority of fertilizers (liquid/soluble) type do not contain Calcium or Magnesium. Plants will suffer if these critical nutrients are not supplied in some fashion.
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I finally dug the last of the Chinese Water Chestnuts from their icy pool.
It was a pretty good harvest, but I’m still experimenting with storage temperatures and techniques.
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Your post led me to make my second purchase in 2026: a big order of vegetable and flower seeds from Veseys in Prince Edward Island.
Here is my order:
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That looks quite promising, thanks! Only thing missing is some sort of fan/airflow, I guess? What do you do for that?
I generally don’t use a dedicated fan in grow areas. Because the light itself isn’t enclosed and/or it’s outside of a grow chamber/box, the chamber’s vents have been enough. It’s important that the light isn’t boxed in or resting within 8 inches of any grow chamber, so it can cool itself and not heat up the grow chamber too much.
This illustrates the advantages of open-air lighting systems over grow tents, which box in the heat. Grow tents do reflect light otherwise lost to the sides, but that’s weaker light and can be captured with mylar panels, vs. an enclosed tent. Personally, I’ve not had to use additional mylar reflectors.
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Hello, 2026.
Updated garden layout. 
Updated task list.
Seed order.
Tomorrow, if it’s dry as promised, will prune the blueberries and keep chipping away at pruning the fruit trees. Need to weed the asparagus beds, as well.
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I have three ripe Meyer lemons on my tree and no blooms. I had no blooms last year either, anyone have any helpful suggestions? I did some pruning last year but that didn’t help.
I didn’t have any lemons this year, and have read as much as I can find tn my yard I think it is probably not enough water, and too hot at the wrong times. Still, I tend to get some fruit every other year or so.
I’m starting to get a few flowers, and I hope to feed soon.
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Assuming your tree is getting sufficient sunlight, one of the more common reasons for lack of flowering is not enough phosphorous and/or too much nitrogen. Depending on your soil type, phosphorous can leach out (non-clay soils). Look for a fertilizer with a higher middle number, e.g.: 5-10-10 and apply it before the normal flowering season. Also, if buds form and drop, look for insect pests, which can cause bud drop.
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Thank you @bogman ! I usually use this Citrus and I notice phosphorus is not the biggest number.
I don’t always do it before flowering. Might it help adding a separate phosphorus source? I have some bone meal if that’s appropriate. I often get plenty of flowers that drop,my soil has a lot of clay, and I have never tested it.
Thanks for the reply. Mine is a Four Winds dwarf, growing in a 15 gallon pot, probably 30 years old, re-potted two years ago. I use 5-10-10. It might be lack of sun since I brought it up from the greenhouse and put in on the deck. I think I’ll do a harder pruning this spring and make sure it gets plenty of sun.
