Greenhouse Boxes: Part II

Hi! I wanted to show you a little update on how the clear storage boxes are working as greenhouses. Like I said before, this is the first time we've tried using them, and I wasn't sure how well they would work. But I have to show you guys how awesome these are. First, I think I said last time that we could keep the lids on when it wasn't sunny. That's not really true. You really have to have the lids cracked all the time for ventilation or your boxes will get too hot. You can still stack them, just offset the lids a little, like this:  

Here's what our greenboxes looked like just one week after we planted the seeds.

This is the best start we've ever had! Here's what I think is working this year:

• Presoaking - I think that soaking the seeds made a big difference. We had some things sprout just two days after we planted these little guys! 
• Even, gentle moisture - The boxes work great for keeping everything evenly moist, which I also think helped them grow faster. I also only used a spray bottle to water the seeds for the first week. I think this also helped. Sometimes I think pouring water on the soil can actually push the seeds too deep. 
• Even Sunlight - What I love about the boxes is that they are easy to maneuver. In the past we were trying to rotate flimsy trays so that plants would grow straight (since they bend toward the window side), and rotating things from bottom shelves to top ones.  This gets especially hard when the plants are a little bigger and get easily tangled with each other. With the boxes; I just unstack them, water everything, and then rotate the other side to the window, switching the bottom and top box. The plants are totally undisturbed--no tangling, no spilled dirt. 

Once all the seeds have sprouted, you can remove the lid permanently. A week before planting you put the boxes outside during the day to harden them off and make the transition smoother.

This method definitely works for us. I took these pictures two days ago and most of the plants have already doubled in size just since then. With the fast growing rate, the boys have loved getting to watch the seeds sprout and grow. Since you can see the condensation on the lid and sides of the boxes we've been able to throw in a little pre-school science as well about water cycle and air flow. Bonus! Hope you are having a great week! You are loved!

-Haley