So I picked up a buncha seeds from Victory Seed for this years plantings. Clearly, they have to be started indooors since its cold outside. Turns out they make little heating pads to sit your seed starters on. Well, thats all well and good but…I’m cheap.
So…
$3 at Goodwill gets me a pyrex baking tray and lid. Put my little peat pellets in there and insert the appropriate seeds. Add some water and cover. Now, what to do for a heat source…
Well, the DVR for the security cameras runs 24/7 and throws off heat. Lets set it on top of that.
And, sure enough, it works great. In my 65-degree house these little guys germinated and sprouted in about a week. The clear glass lets in light, and the lid holds in the heat and moisture. In effect…a heated greenhouse.
So there you have it…waste heat being repurposed. I suppose someone will ask why not put it on a heating vent or something like that. Obvious answer: the heat isnt running 24/7, the security cams are.
This worked out so well I have another one of these sitting on the cable/dvr box as well.
And, for the sake of completeness, here’s the ones I started from seed back in the first week of January:
Poor little guys can’t even go outside for another three or four months.
Commander:
I congratulate you on thinking “Outside the box” for your heat source, but be carefull!
If heat builds up in the DVR, it could shorten its life, and in extreme cases might cause a fire…
There are safer ways to roast your veggies!
Lol nice. I am using the heating pads, first batch was sprouting in mere days. Had a batch of peas go bad tho maybe too much humidity. Figure the extra heat the pads throw off will help keep the house warmer lol.
A sprinkle of cinnamon over the top of the dirt will help prevent damping off. I was skeptical, but its worked very well for me.
I do use the purpose made heating pads, they’re cheap, and I start a fair number of seeds. I splurged, thanks to a gift certificate, last year and bought a larger grow light and the panda plastic to build a small indoor grow tent for my seedlings.
What a great idea, thanks for posting this.
I just use a damp paper towel in a baggie on top of the fridge,almost 100% germination. Sprouts go into foam cups(insulated) in window that gets direct sunlight. Maybe groundhog was right and a early spring.