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Paul Einstman isnt a gardener but hes picked up on the excitement coming from some of his shoppers. I was in Norwalks Home Depot this past weekend looking for a grow light and Paul, a sales associate in the lighting department, couldn't have been more helpful.
The average date for a last frost in our area is May 24, so gardeners are starting to rev up for spring. If you want to start your seeds indoors you're going to need a grow light -- unless you have a bright sunny spot for your seedlings.You can buy grow lights in gardening catalogs but I wanted to see if I could make one myself and save money.
Youre the second person today whos come in for a grow light, Paul comments, leading me to the lightbulb section. He asked, Do you want just the bulbs or do you need a fixture? I needed the whole kit and kaboodle so we set off to the lighting fixtures department where I found a basic shop light for under $10. If you need extra chain, its over there, but you can just use a piece of rope, says Paul. Im going to hang my grow light from the ceiling over the workbench in my basement.
When you start off, Paul explains with the authority of one whos done this countless times, You want to position your light about six inches above the soil. When the seeds come up, you raise the fixture a little at a time. I asked him how he knew all this since hes not a gardener. People come in and tell me, he laughs.
Back in the lightbulb section Paul picks out two fluorescent plant/aquarium bulbs. Stock was running low and he had to climb up to the stacks to find them. There you go, he says. The total cost for my grow light was $30. Lets hope it works!
Next week Ill tell you how Im going to set up my seed trays. Id love to hear how you get your seeds going. Please email me at fpearson@mainstreetconnect.us.
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