Winter growing under lights

Thank you for taking the time to write that @Scrungee
Now I have a much fuller understanding

 

All my runner bean seeds germinated, but I'm reluctant to chuck them all out, so I've been wondering about how I could keep one plant going. Unsurprisingly there appears to be no information on how to grow runner beans under grow lights! I'm thinking of training one onto a hoop of wire and gradually unwinding it at the pot end as it grows round the hoop part that remains in the box when the lights are on, and the hoop gets hung by the window at other times. Runner beans by Easter?

 

First early sowing of mini bush tomatoes, mini chillies, basil and half a dozen bush french beans yesterday, early sowing of cannas that have been soaking will be in this afternoon, together with some pot leek seeds. The runner bean plants are getting a bit unruly. It makes this time of year more bearable/interesting.

 

Nice one Scrungee you've got me chomping at the bit to get some Chillis sown now

 

This morning I sowed:

Spring onions
Chives
Ailsae onions
Kelsae onions
Leeks
Oregano
Lambs lettuce
Corriander
Mizuna
Lollo rosso
Salad leaves
Oriental salad leaves
Mazue lettuce
Tarragon
Parsley (flat & curly lesf)
French beans Ferrari

And got some more Canna seeds chitted and soaking to sow tommorow.

 

I've decided my lights will cope with an extension to my grow box, increasing the area on plan by 33%.

 

I tried to post this on Jan 20th, but the forum software prevented me from amending my own draft post telling me I didn't have permission to do so, and then it didn't save what I had spent some time drafting, so after that frustration I've left it a week before having another attempt.








Planned extension,



that's now completed (it was getting a bit cramy in there), and I can now get 4 thermostatically controlled propagators in there.

P.S. My French beans now have flower buds!

 

Looking very good Scrungee I bet that young basil will taste fantastic now.
Just looking at your chillies... you have Hungarian Hot Wax , lovely chilli I have grown , but what is Chilli Draky ?

 

@HarryS

Yes, Basil responds well to be growing solely under lights, and these tasty plants are from seed sown 33 days ago:

Saw them at Seaspring Seeds, Dorset on their open day last year, large, mild chillies http://www.seaspringseeds.co.uk/shop/chilli-seed/veg-type-chillies/product134-detail



My top plants for growing under lights are Chillies, Cannas, Tomatoes & Basil with heat, and then Onions, Leeks, etc. germinated using heat, then brought on using less heat, same as marrows, pumpkins, etc., later in the year

 

Looking brilliant Scrunge

 

My first French Bean!

 

Sowed some peas in the growbox this afternoon, not that I'm thinking of putting some twiggy sticks in there to try and get a crop, but 5 pots each with 2 seeds just to check out if I could get any advantage by starting under lights before planting in a polytunnel to get a crop from them before they get pulled up when tomatoes go in. I'm gradually trialing everything I grow to see how they perform under lights, including such stuff as mini round carrots (I don't think they'll get carrot fly in my growbox).

 

I have a little tray of Coleus growing in mine again now. I have the Garland grow light box.

I'm nervous after the last batch of lettuce, mimosa and basil grew well but got some kind of fungal infection. I have dispensed with the capillary mat which seemed to be the source of too much moisture and humidity. I know it means more watering, but the thing's only tiny anyway.

I used some non-sterile seed compost for the basil pot. I think that was the source of the actual fungal stuff!

Fingers crossed, I'm counting on this light box to grow all of my many seedlings later this month!

 

Seeds sown on Xmas Day, and the first French Beans are ready for picking in less than 7 weeks, good job they're self pollinating as there's not any bees in my grow box. (I would've normally given them a bit of a tonic for their leaves, but not bothering for this short term experiment)

 

Absolutely brilliant Scrunge