The Best Grow Lights for Starting Seeds

Here in Northern Nevada, we have a pretty short growing season. Frost can last as late as June sometimes, and begin as early as early September. 

I love everything about gardening, and I love being able to grow my own seedlings, but in order to have a productive year round garden, grow lights are necessary. I have tried a lot of different grow lights, but today I want to share the best grow lights for starting seeds.

I like my seedling growing to be organized and efficient, admittedly so this took a few years of different lights, different spaces in my home, but I’ve finally settled upon the easiest and most beneficial way to grow the healthiest of seedlings for my garden.

I use these lights from Amazon, and I love everything about them. Not only are they affordable, but they grow healthy seedlings. I use these specific lights for my beginner seeds and seedlings only. Once they reach about 6″ I move them to my other growing station that I’ll have to share another time.

There are so many options for grow lights, but for your typical backyard gardener, these are perfect! They result in healthy plants every single time.

I purchased these wire racks from Home Depot and placed them under a shelf in our pantry. The wire shelving is inexpensive and so convenient. In order to produce healthy light grown seedlings you need to ensure that your seedlings are at the appropriate distance from the light.

Easy to hang they come with the hardware needed for a quick setup. 

As they grow and mature, you can easily adjust your shelf to give the space needed so you don’t burn your plants! 

I do also use red and blue grow lights for my growing efforts, but I like that these have a gentle white light that they give off, making my house look less like an alien spaceship ready to take off.

One thing about growing seedlings under grow lights is that it’s different than beginning your seeds out in the natural sunlight. There is nothing better than true sunlight, however with the proper steps growing under a grow light is actually pretty simple, just different.

It is essential that light grown seedlings are hardened off before heading outdoors for good. Due to them growing in a controlled environment they need to acclimate slowly.

These grow lights have made my efforts so simple, producing healthy seedlings makes for hardening them off much easier. One thing I noticed with these lights compared to previous lights I’ve tried, is that the plants are stronger and not leggy. 

These grow lights don’t necessarily heat up too much, but enough that the plants have the ability to dry out in between watering. Soggy seedlings make for sick plants.

They don’t use a lot of energy, inexpensive for the hobby gardener, an excellent way to get a jump on your growing season and to grow your own garden from your own two hands.

When do you start your seedlings for your spring garden? I always start late December, early January!

Danielle