Off to a good start

Several seedlings, that had just developed their first true leaves, were placed in my new grow chamber when I launched it on October 18, 2010. It has only been five days since they were placed in the chamber, and to say that I am perfectly satisfied with the results would be an understatement.

My primary concern was that the heat from the lighting would raise the temperature in the grow chamber above eighty degrees making lettuce cultivation difficult. The rear access port, although admittedly an afterthought, has worked perfectly in cooling the chamber. I have been monitoring the temperature and humidity daily, and the temperature has averaged seventy degrees during the photoperiod, with drop of about ten degrees at night. The humidity has averaged forty percent.

The plant in the above photo is a baby romaine lettuce; and it should be evident that it is a compact and healthy specimen for a plant being grown indoors. The seeds were marketed by Livingston Seed Company, and there is very little information regarding the variety on the seed package. As I recall, the seeds cost little more than a dollar, and there were a lot of seeds in the package. So, I guess I will have to grow them and make my own determination about this cultivar.

At this point is appears that the grow chamber is going to be worth the effort that I put into constructing it.