The 20-30 Something Garden Guide. Dee Nash

       Metal Rack, with adjustable shelves because as plants grow, you will need to move the light source further away. You can also put lights on adjustable chains if you can’t find a rack with shelves that move. Knowing my tendency to go big, I bought a five-foot tall metal closet rack. A shorter one would be fine, but I wouldn’t go taller. This one stretches nearly to my dining room ceiling.

       Four Casters to make your seed station easy to move. Mine stays in the dining room near the kitchen where there is water. My potting bench, a./k./a., kitchen sink, is one door away. That’s also where I write so I spend time there everyday. We have a basement, but I’m a forgetful plant mama.

       Four-foot light fixtures with full-spectrum, fluorescent bulbs. Note: Fixtures must be grounded, attached to the metal frame and then plugged into a grounded wall fixture to prevent electric shock.

       Four large heat mats, or eight smaller ones. Once plants are up and growing, you will no longer need heat mats unless your house is cold. These must also be plugged into a grounded wall fixture.

       Seed trays or other containers. If you use recycled trays and inserts, first dunk them in a ten percent, bleach solution to clean them and remove bacteria.

       Seeds

       Soilless seed starting mix or other potting mix. Don’t try to reuse your potting soil from previous containers as seedlings are highly susceptible to bacteria; and

       A watering can or a nearby water faucet. For the first few days, when seeds are covered by plastic, a watering can is great. Later, thirsty plants benefit from soaking in trays of water for a short time. I sometimes use jelly roll pans or cookie sheets with raised sides to soak trays from the bottom. You could also use rubber containers, a kitchen sink, or a bathtub to soak trays.