show-off Cold Garage Germination/Grow (Construction Complete! Now with Pics!)

MGOLD86

MGOLD86

So I have a 3 bedroom home. One of them is the master, one is the guest bedroom/office/pet room, and the third is for the baby that is on the way. So I have pretty big garage that I don't keep my cars in and would really like to use it to start seeds in January and keep them there till plant out in late April/early May. The temps outside at that time of the year are anywhere from the low/mid teens to mid 30s. Sometimes it even gets colder. I am not a carpenter, but I have access to just about any tool I need and I am pretty confident I could assemble some sort of structure. If not I have buddies that are very good and they work for :beer:

My questions are:

1. Does anyone have any experience with growing in a cold garage/space? Germination, seedlings, etc.

2. What kind of setups could potentially work to achieve a relatively steady heat? Insulation, space heaters, extra lights?

3. Any other tips that I can use? I have about 4 and a half 5 months till I plan on starting, so I have time to gather materials, start construction and test.

Thanks for any help.

Matt
 
MGOLD86 said:
So I have a 3 bedroom home. One of them is the master, one is the guest bedroom/office/pet room, and the third is for the baby that is on the way. So I have pretty big garage that I don't keep my cars in and would really like to use it to start seeds in January and keep them there till plant out in late April/early May. The temps outside at that time of the year are anywhere from the low/mid teens to mid 30s. Sometimes it even gets colder. I am not a carpenter, but I have access to just about any tool I need and I am pretty confident I could assemble some sort of structure. If not I have buddies that are very good and they work for :beer:

My questions are:

1. Does anyone have any experience with growing in a cold garage/space? Germination, seedlings, etc.

2. What kind of setups could potentially work to achieve a relatively steady heat? Insulation, space heaters, extra lights?

3. Any other tips that I can use? I have about 4 and a half 5 months till I plan on starting, so I have time to gather materials, start construction and test.

Thanks for any help.

Matt
Click to expand...

We built out a 6' by 6' room in our garage last year. Basically we framed off the southeast corner of the garage, installed 1/2" foam board on the inside walls and ceiling and drywall on the two outer walls. The foam board gives a R-value of 3 which was not enough for our area so we added reflective barrier to the walls and ceiling as well. We use a 900 watt space heater with a thermostat to keep the room about 75 degrees all winter. For lighting we use 2 - 4ft 4 bulb T5 fixtures connected on a pulley system to adjust height. We also keep an oscillating fan in the room to strengthen the plants. In the dead of winter we see sub-zero temperatures often and our heater never ran more than 4 hours a day. The key is to seal the room with aluminum tape in all the corners and to install some sort of floor to break the conduction between the concrete and the air. If we had it all to do over we would go with a 400watt MH or HPS. The T5 bulbs worked great but the plants took a pretty big shock when we hardened them off. We were able to start several hundred plants in the 36sq ft room.
 
theghostpepperstore said:
We built out a 6' by 6' room in our garage last year. Basically we framed off the southeast corner of the garage, installed 1/2" foam board on the inside walls and ceiling and drywall on the two outer walls. The foam board gives a R-value of 3 which was not enough for our area so we added reflective barrier to the walls and ceiling as well. We use a 900 watt space heater with a thermostat to keep the room about 75 degrees all winter. For lighting we use 2 - 4ft 4 bulb T5 fixtures connected on a pulley system to adjust height. We also keep an oscillating fan in the room to strengthen the plants. In the dead of winter we see sub-zero temperatures often and our heater never ran more than 4 hours a day. The key is to seal the room with aluminum tape in all the corners and to install some sort of floor to break the conduction between the concrete and the air. If we had it all to do over we would go with a 400watt MH or HPS. The T5 bulbs worked great but the plants took a pretty big shock when we hardened them off. We were able to start several hundred plants in the 36sq ft room.
Click to expand...

What did you use for a door/walls? Do you have any pics?

That definitely is a great option. I have a 6x15 indention in addition to the square garage. I could definitely frame off a 6x4 area and that would probably be plenty. Did you have the space heater set to an auto on/off wired to the thermostat?
 
check post 9 out in this thread...it kinda gives you an idea about my "growrage"....

http://www.thehotpepper.com/topic/16904-bunch-of-n00b-questions/
 
Hey Matt. Glad to see your post dude! Sounds like you and I are both new to the garage-grow and we both have them same intentions. Were both about the same age and have the same interest and same life style except my babys 15months old and yours is still to come(congrats to you guys!)So I'm definitely aware of the space issue:D First off, I started a post on lighting in the garage a bit back.. It has a link to the GH I'll be using in my garage and some comments from pretty well known THP members...
http://www.thehotpepper.com/topic/24049-questions-on-overwintering/page__p__490562__fromsearch__1#entry490562

I will be bringing 30+ plants in my garage come first frost, and starting hundreds of seeds this November(it's my first year as well doing something indoors or ingarage). The temperatures get down to the teens at night for a month or so here, sometimes below for a week or 2, and definitely below freezing temps for a month maybe 3months.. I wasn't sure if you were talking about your winter temps or your early spring temps. Anyway.. To give you an idea of what I'm doing

I'm using an 8X6 greenhouse as a grow-tent, it was 200dollars from lowes. I'm converting it to a grow room by doing a number of things to it, I'm putting 10+ (depending on my budget, I'll be buying them next week..) T5 Bulbs, I've covering the border on of my garage with plastic, and then emergency blankets (keepin it cheap lol) Than I'll be taping the greenhouse to the floor, outside and in, inside will be aluminum tape like posted above. I've covering the GH with frost clothe (have lots of it at my work and it works on plants when we have 2 ft of snow outside,they're not peppers but still.. I can tell it has it's advantages) I'm going to use a small space heater with a thermo, just to be safe, and more.. I'm actually trying to continue growth on top of overwintering.. so we shall see. I can tell ALOT of people are interested in this topic so I plan on posting everything I do with pictures. It might be interesting to start a overwinter growlog together being both new to it n all, kinda like the, "Redtail vs. Tonly grow contest" except notta contest, an info log for others trying to overwinter. What you did, What I did, What worked, What didn't. Might be fun :beer:
Good luck to ya Matt! keep us updated!
:cheers:
Brandon
 
BigCedar said:
Hey Matt. Glad to see your post dude! Sounds like you and I are both new to the garage-grow and we both have them same intentions. Were both about the same age and have the same interest and same life style except my babys 15months old and yours is still to come(congrats to you guys!)So I'm definitely aware of the space issue:D First off, I started a post on lighting in the garage a bit back.. It has a link to the GH I'll be using in my garage and some comments from pretty well known THP members...
http://www.thehotpepper.com/topic/24049-questions-on-overwintering/page__p__490562__fromsearch__1#entry490562

I will be bringing 30+ plants in my garage come first frost, and starting hundreds of seeds this November(it's my first year as well doing something indoors or ingarage). The temperatures get down to the teens at night for a month or so here, sometimes below for a week or 2, and definitely below freezing temps for a month maybe 3months.. I wasn't sure if you were talking about your winter temps or your early spring temps. Anyway.. To give you an idea of what I'm doing

I'm using an 8X6 greenhouse as a grow-tent, it was 200dollars from lowes. I'm converting it to a grow room by doing a number of things to it, I'm putting 10+ (depending on my budget, I'll be buying them next week..) T5 Bulbs, I've covering the border on of my garage with plastic, and then emergency blankets (keepin it cheap lol) Than I'll be taping the greenhouse to the floor, outside and in, inside will be aluminum tape like posted above. I've covering the GH with frost clothe (have lots of it at my work and it works on plants when we have 2 ft of snow outside,they're not peppers but still.. I can tell it has it's advantages) I'm going to use a small space heater with a thermo, just to be safe, and more.. I'm actually trying to continue growth on top of overwintering.. so we shall see. I can tell ALOT of people are interested in this topic so I plan on posting everything I do with pictures. It might be interesting to start a overwinter growlog together being both new to it n all, kinda like the, "Redtail vs. Tonly grow contest" except notta contest, an info log for others trying to overwinter. What you did, What I did, What worked, What didn't. Might be fun :beer:
Good luck to ya Matt! keep us updated!
:cheers:
Brandon
Click to expand...

That definitely is a ton of good info. It does seem like we are in the same boat and I am definitely interested in some sort of combined something or other. We can get together through messenger and see if we cant work something out.

The Green House tent really intrigues me. I think the wife would like that a whole hell of a lot more than me framing a room in the garage. I definitely want something that I can walk in and move around, but doesnt need to be big enough to run laps in. I have also kicked around the idea of getting one of those growtents I have seen around the web. I have seen a few guys here use them, and they are still on the potential list.

I will definitely keep you updated and will keep up on your thread. I look forward to seeing what we can do in the future.

Matt
 
MGOLD86 said:
What did you use for a door/walls? Do you have any pics?

That definitely is a great option. I have a 6x15 indention in addition to the square garage. I could definitely frame off a 6x4 area and that would probably be plenty. Did you have the space heater set to an auto on/off wired to the thermostat?
Click to expand...

We framed the walls out with 2x4's and wedged them between the rafters and floor. For the door, we built a frame out of 2x2 lumber with a few crossbeams. We used the foamboard on the inside and drywall on the outside then used weatherstripping to seal around the door. Also, I would recommend using "greenboard" instead of drywall on the outside wall with your door on it especially if you plan to use a humidifier because it will not absorb moisture and develop mold.

We bought a fairly cheap space heater with a built in thermostat but we also used a separate plug in thermostat as a fail safe to make sure we didn't cook the plants.

I will try to take some pictures of it soon as we are getting ready to convert it into a walk-in refrigerator. We are building a 14x16 greenhouse so no more garage grows for us.
 
How cold does your garage get in the winter?
 
TGPS, thanks for the update. I look forward to seeing some pics to help me visualize the setup. I didnt even think about the mold possibility. You are totally right, I need to make sure I avoid that. Would a vent help with that?

AJ, I havent tested the temps because I have only been in the house for about a year and last winter/early spring I was out of the country. The wife says it gets cold, but how cold I do not know for sure. I am guessing about 10-15 degrees warmer than the outside, but that is a guess.
 
understand...if you are only going to use your garage for starting and raising seedlings IMO a large project of building a room isn't worth it...no offense meant to the others that have built rooms in their garage...I start so many seeds and grow so many seedlings the lights in the garage heat it a little bit and I have a couple of old strip heaters I use too...got the garage door insulated and I don't open it in the winter time...

if you haven't checked out my growrage, you should...
 
AlabamaJack said:
understand...if you are only going to use your garage for starting and raising seedlings IMO a large project of building a room isn't worth it...no offense meant to the others that have built rooms in their garage...I start so many seeds and grow so many seedlings the lights in the garage heat it a little bit and I have a couple of old strip heaters I use too...got the garage door insulated and I don't open it in the winter time...

if you haven't checked out my growrage, you should...
Click to expand...

I agree, trying to handle plants larger than about 8 inches in our room gets really difficult. Our garage is detached and unheated so the only option other than a greenhouse was to close off a space. I think there are many other, less expensive, less complicated solutions for most people.
 
AlabamaJack said:
understand...if you are only going to use your garage for starting and raising seedlings IMO a large project of building a room isn't worth it...no offense meant to the others that have built rooms in their garage...I start so many seeds and grow so many seedlings the lights in the garage heat it a little bit and I have a couple of old strip heaters I use too...got the garage door insulated and I don't open it in the winter time...

if you haven't checked out my growrage, you should...
Click to expand...

I definitely have read your threads and studied your growrage, hoophouse, and germination chambers. I am with you. I would love to do this without a bunch of construction, I just want to make sure I can have enough room to germinate about 130-150 plants, and keep em warm until April. If I can accomplish that with something like a growbox/growtent, I am all for it. The only issue with insulating the garage door, is above the garage is the attic and I do not think it is insulated. So I think that will end up costing more in the long run to insulate above the garage and the door.

I saw some growtents on online (the ones they use to grow pot), and emailed the company asking about heat conduction and maintaining. Anyone have any experience with these? Couple hundred bucks and I can put it up when I need it and take it down when I am done. 6X8 would give me more than enough room. Just an option.

Matt
 
So I have been out of town for a bit, but I went back and forth between going super cheap, framing a room, insulating the garage and getting a grow tent. I went with the grow tent. I found a 5x5x7 grow tent on ebay for 150 plus free shipping. It retailed for a little more plus shipping, so the price was right. I researched it and looked at a few other companies and ultimately decided it would be easier to throw it up and take it down at the end of the season or when I move.

I am planning on putting in a L table and running some T5s for my lightsource and a vortex digital heater to try to keep the temps right. Also it is equipped for exhaust fans so I am looking for a decent fan that can turn over the air in there. Any suggestions? Ill post pics soon.

Matt
 
If your garage is attached, I would germinate inside with fluorescents till you have three sets of leaves.
Then transfer them into the garage under a 400 watt Metal-halide for 15 hours a night, run the light from say 6pm till 9am and they will do fine. Running lights at night will heat the home via the concrete, waste less energy, and keep the plants from overheating during the day.
 
Hey Matt. To give you an update. I have 3 4tube Highoutput T5 fixtures in the garage house. I'll be buying a space heater.. but that's all I have left to do. As for advice. I think you should germinate indoors.. It will be too cold to germinate in the garage in Jan IMO. Buy 2 heating mats (a must). 2 72cell seed starting flats, 2-4 2tube T12 light fixtures and that will do it for ya to get them started indoors. I pretended it was winter time 2 1/2 months ago and started superhot seeds inside with T8s so I could judge the time of growth. They look great. Once they have 3-4 sets of leaves and it's lets say.. march 1st?(if you start in Jan) The garage house will be perfect for ya. Before the end of Feb IMO it will be too cold in the garage unless kept at 70+degrees day 55+ at night. Which your house temp will do for ya without space heaters :) keep us updated! Good luck man.
Brandon
 
Matt

I am not sure how far you got into this build, but using a Light like this would actually generate a lot of heat. That is the downside for most inside growers. But in your case it may be the perfect solution. Light and Heat. You will also need a couple of fans to blow the heat around and it is actually cheaper to run than CFL's.

ebay 600watt light

Martin
 
XLNT said:
Matt

I am not sure how far you got into this build, but using a Light like this would actually generate a lot of heat. That is the downside for most inside growers. But in your case it may be the perfect solution. Light and Heat. You will also need a couple of fans to blow the heat around and it is actually cheaper to run than CFL's.

ebay 600watt light

Martin
Click to expand...

First off, thanks for the reply Martin. I am definitely interested in these as an option. I have this:
GrowTent.jpg

(The 5x5x7) model, and plan to use that from the end of January until it is warm enough for plant out. I know some people said to germinate indoors, but the reason I got the tent is to do it in the garage. I don't have the room in the house and the wife wouldn't have it. So I still plan on using heating mats, but in the garage it is.

Like I said above, I was planning on building kind of like a L table that would be along the back wall and down one of the sides. I want to grow about 100 plants or so, and this will be way more than enough room compared to some of the pictures I have seen. Beagle had 132 (i think) plants on like a 4'x24" rack.

To make this work I was gonna hang a 6 or 8 bulb 4' t5 (undecided and open for input). To maintain heat I was planning on getting a vortex digital heater so it is safer than a space heater, and it has a built in fan (about $80). Then I was gonna pick up a digital therm to keep track of overall temp. To circulate the air I plan on adding a desk fan (in conjunction with the heater fan), but I though you had to have a CFL to expel the bad air?

I am also interested in this MH you posted. The immediate questions are about how much more would it cost to run this (in electricity), how many would I need to run for my box, and what is your opinion on MH VS Floruro? I know that each thing would work differently for each grower, but I would like to hear what you would do if you were setting it up for you. Lastly, if I go with an HID do I need to vent it, or can I install as is and just make sure that there are fans to blow it around?

Thanks

Matt
 
Ok, so Ebay is running this grow! LOL! Thanks for the advice so far everyone. I just picked up a 600w MH/HPS Digital Dimmable grow light for 200. I figured I would spring for the 600w because it was only 30-50 bucks more than the 400w one, and it allows you to adjust power output from 100,75,50,25, and 0%. Pretty stoked about the buy and now gonna pick up a relatively inexpensive T5/8 to germinate the seedlings inside with.

I decided to go with the spread hood instead of the cool hood, because like XLNT commented, heat the tent and grow the plants with one source. Gonna do some testing starting the end of next month, and I will post pics when I start the setup.

Also, any tips for working in a MH environment? Glasses, tank tops, etc? Thanks.

I am waiting for the FBI to kick my door in from all the purchases from "Hydroponic produce stores" I have made lately...

Matt
 
MGOLD86 said:
Ok, so Ebay is running this grow! LOL! Thanks for the advice so far everyone. I just picked up a 600w MH/HPS Digital Dimmable grow light for 200. I figured I would spring for the 600w because it was only 30-50 bucks more than the 400w one, and it allows you to adjust power output from 100,75,50,25, and 0%. Pretty stoked about the buy and now gonna pick up a relatively inexpensive T5/8 to germinate the seedlings inside with.

I decided to go with the spread hood instead of the cool hood, because like XLNT commented, heat the tent and grow the plants with one source. Gonna do some testing starting the end of next month, and I will post pics when I start the setup.

Also, any tips for working in a MH environment? Glasses, tank tops, etc? Thanks.

I am waiting for the FBI to kick my door in from all the purchases from "Hydroponic produce stores" I have made lately...

Matt
Click to expand...


Matt or should we call you "Acapulco Mgold86"?

I use to think that about going into the Hydro stores. Some of the guys are prety sharp about their stuff- I know here in Dallas a few of the shops also have classes on indoor hydro-growing.

I post the following as a chuckle and to illustrate how different things are in other regions of the country. I have an office in San Francisco that I work out of 2 weeks every other month. And yes I have seen a lot of stuff that I have never seen in Dallas - but even I was not ready for how open they are about the Medical Marijuana issue.
Go to craigslist any major city and Google, “prop 215”, “clones” and see what come up. Bay Area Craigslist

Martin
 
Just got my light and ballast in. Came in great shape and I cant wait to set it up. It will be a few months though before I get everything up and running for tests. I am thinking mid December so I can track approximate temps and still have time to augment before early January.

Anyways, both the tent and lights are here so that knocks the big buys out of the way. Here are pics of the lights.

2dba9692.jpg

24a0b83a.jpg

7eefdb9c.jpg
 
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