I was testing some seeds to see if they were still good, but my new seeds came in the mail yesterday, and this morning I decided to just roll the dice and try planting them. So exciting!

Over the last few days, I’ve turned an unused closet into a “greenhouse” of sorts. And by “greenhouse”, I mean it has a shelf and lights. That’s basically it. But I’m excited nonetheless! The first year I started seeds, I did it in the basement. This was fine, except that I don’t have a sink in my basement, so watering became a chore.

Last year my seed-starting setup was pretty janky. I set it up in an alcove in the guest room (bathroom adjacent, so water was available), but it turns out the alcove was narrower than the lights. Also, I had no way of hanging them. So they awkwardly sat on boxes. And since dirt and plants are considered toys to cats, I had to block it off with a room screen. It looks lovely in the photograph, but it was not very practical…

I have recently been rearranging the upstairs, ended up with an empty closet, and I realized it was a perfect solution! And the best part? I didn’t have to buy anything! Sometimes my hoarder tendencies actually pay off 😉

I had an extra wire shelf in the garage from when I re-did the pantry last year, so I rigged that up using some hanging chain (the kind for hanging potted plants or those old lamps from the 70s and 80s), some rope, and a bungee cord. I also hung the lights with the hanging chain.

Everything is adjustable, so as the plants continue to grow, I can move the lights up and/or the shelf down. And the best part? The lights are on a timer, so it basically takes care of itself for the time being.

I can’t wait for little plants to start popping up!!!