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Classic Indoor Garden for "do it yourselfers"

FBG Indoor Garden

About the Classic Indoor Garden

The indoor garden pictured above was designed by Friends of Burlington Gardens in 2002 for home and classroom use. Several Vermont schools are now using these indoor gardens for classroom projects.

Basic plans, materials, and specifications are listed below. The materials used in the design are generally available at hardware and home stores. For schools or community programs interested in building a quantity of these units, FBG offers bulk pricing on Perma-Nest trays, tray inserts, and 24-hour timers.

For those interested in purchasing iindoor gardens from FBG, please click on the link to Vermont Indoor Gardens.


Materials needed for the Classic Indoor Garden

Frame materials:

1  10 ft. long x 3/4" (inside diameter) steel electrical conduit pipe cut to 92 inches long
2  11" long pieces of 2 x 3 lumber (note: the actual dimensions of 2 x 3 lumber are 1-1/2" x 2-1/2")
2   standard metal shower curtain hooks for hanging light fixtures
2   6" plastic cord ties to secure shower hooks
2   1" S-hooks to hang from shower hooks

Light fixture:

The fixture in the photo is made by the American Fluorescent Corporation, Model 234SLESW. If the fixture is not available locally, it can usually be special ordered through a True Value Hardware Store. Click on the link to review the product specs is below:
http://www.americanfluorescent.com/display/products/images/files/information/234slesw10-22-01.pdf

The American Fluorescent light fixture works very well with the new 32-Watt energy efficient T-8 lights, or you can use the older 40-Watt T-12 light tubes. There are no sharp edges, and the sockets are recessed inside the fixture, rather than hanging down. The tubes are spaced adequately and the reflector is solid without exposed wiring. The fixture has a 3-prong grounded cord. The electronic ballast in the fixture does not hum like the magnetic ballasts found in older fixtures.

If you choose to use other light fixtures, be sure that they are safe with no exposed wiring or loose sockets. Ideally, the tubes should be spaced at least 3 inches apart and the reflector should be at least 5 inches wide.

Fluorescent tubes:

Choices of light tubes vary widely in cost and performance.

1) The least costly arrangement is to use two 40-Watt Cool White fluorescent tubes. These tubes have a higher concentration of light in the blue spectrum, which promotes plant growth. The down side is that seedlings and plants are apt to become leggy. To help alleviate this effect, gardeners may wish to use one cool white tube and one warm white tube. The warm white tube will provide more concentration of light in the red spectrum. To make best use of this approach, seedlings should be regularly rotated under the lights.

2) 40-Watt Wide Spectrum tubes produce stockier plants and reduce the need to rotate plants as much under the lights. Although the tubes are more expensive, they last much longer and are specially designed to provide concentrations of light in the red and blue spectrums. GroLux Wide Spectrum fluorescent tubes by Sylvania are one of the most common tubes used for seed starting and produce excellent results. As with all fluorescent tubes, the phosphor coating on the inside of the tubes will wear off over time, resulting in lower light output. With Wide Spectrum tubes, it is easy to see when the tubes need to be replaced, as they will have lost their pink glow. As with any fluorescent tubes, please recyle the tubes after they have worn out rather than tossing them in the trash.

3) The new T-8 fluorescent tubes provide higher lumen output per watt, but they must be used in a fixture with an electronic ballast, such as the fixture cited above. An example of a lower cost tube that worked effectively in our seed starting trials is the Phillips Universal Alto T-8 tube with green ends. Home Depot stocks Phillips tubes.

4) Full spectrum fluourescent light tubes strive to provide a higher light output that is closer to natural sunlight. They are also rated at a longer life span that cool white, warm white, or wide spectrum tubes. The tubes are available from several manufacturers, retail stores, and catalogers. In terms of plant growth, the results in our trials were comparable between full spectrum and wide spectrum tubes. We did observe some bleaching of leaves on basil plants when using the full spectrum tubes as opposed to the wide spectrum tubes.

Trays:

The trays in the photo above are Perma-nest Trays which will last 20 years or more under normal use. Other trays or nursery flats can be used provided that they do not have holes in the bottoms. The Perma-nest trays are 22" x 11" x 2-1/2" deep. They are available from FBG along with inserts that allow each tray to hold 18 3-1/2" pots. The inserts also provide a means for bottom watering. See the Indoor Garden Accessories Order Form for details.

Timer:

A 24-hour timer is very helpful for regulating plant growth, especially if you plan to be away for a few days. For safety, the timer should have a 3-prong plug and receptacle. Do not use 3-prong adaptors with lights or timers.
For bulk orders of 6 or more timers, please use the Indoor Garden Accessories Order Form.

Table:

The overall dimensions of the indoor garden pictured above are 57 inches long x 11 inches deep x 22-1/2 inches high. The garden may be placed on the floor but it is best situated on a 6 foot long table, countertop, or book shelf.

Basic plans, dimensions, and tools needed

Note: Links to tools are included as a visual aid. If you have not used a pipe bender before, it's better to have an experienced person assist you.

1) Use a pipe cutter to cut the 10 foot long conduit to 92 inches.

2) Mark the conduit at 21 inches from one end. This will be the corner mark for the first bend in the pipe. Then use a 3/4" pipe bender  to bend the pipe to a 90 degree angle. Use a framing square to verify the angle. The first bend is the easier bend. Be sure on the next bend that the pipe bender is aligned with the first bend.

3) Make a mark at 21 inches from the other end of the conduit. This will be other other corner mark. Lay the conduit and pipe bender on the floor and position the pipe bender on the corner mark. Lift the pipe bender into position, ensuring that the pipe bender is in the same plane as the bent pipe. Use the 3/4" pipe bender to bend the other end of the pipe to a 90 degree angle. Measure the angle with a framing square.

4) Cut the 2 x3 lumber into two pieces 11 inches long. Sand any rough edges and paint the pieces with white latex primer. Place each piece on edge. Make a cross mark at 5-1/2 inches from the ends and 3/4 inch from the sides. Use a 15/16" wood boring bit and a power drill, or drill press, to drill vertically down 1-1/4 inches in each piece. A drill press is preferable if available.

5) Tap the wood chips and dust out of the drill holes. Place some caulk around the inside edge of the holes and on the ends of the pipe. Insert ends of the pipe into the holes in the wood base. If your drill holes are vertical, the pipes are bent at 90 degrees, and the pipe bends are aligned, the frame should not wobble.

6) Position the shower curtain hooks on the conduit frame directly above where the light chains will hang down. Close one end on each of the S-hooks and hang them from the shower curtain hooks. Use the plastic cord ties to secure the shower curtain hooks. Cut off the extra plastic from the locking ties.

7) Insert fluorescent light tubes into the fixtures and gently rotate to lock into place. Using the chain and S-hooks supplied with the light fixture, gently flip the light fixture and hang it from the chains. It helps to have another person help you. The fixture should hang down six inches above the table or counter top.

Questions and feedback

We hope that this design will help more people enjoy seed starting at home and in schools. If you have questions or feedback about the Classic Indoor Garden design, please email Jim Flint.

The instructions supplied on this page may be used for educational purposes or for individual use, but they may not be reprinted for publication or distribution without the express written permission of Friends of Burlington Gardens.

For those interested in purchasing a manufactured indoor garden that can be shipped via UPS, please click on the link to Vermont Indoor Gardens.

The Web www.burlingtongardens.org
  
Friends of Burlington Gardens & the
Vermont Community Garden Network
 12 North Street #5
 Burlington, Vermont  05401
 802-861-GROW
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