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| peas and broccoli--for greens, not the garden |
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| soaked peas spread on potting soil |
So, as you know, the grow table is up. I'm currently sprouting, so the lights aren't on yet, but I realized that I didn't know how much it was costing in electricity to run this grow-op in my basement once it is in full swing. I was pleasantly surprised. I pay about 11.5 cents/kWh for electricity and my table has 4x 40W "gro-light" bulbs. My electric timer will instigate an enviable 14/10hr day/night cycle. A
little math indicates that I am paying about $0.26/day or $8.10/month. I will run the lights for 3 months coming out to $24.30 for electricity consumption.
I almost forgot that you will have some fixed costs associated with setting up a table. We were given ours by a family that had used it for 30 years or more. If you shopped at the ReStore or other budget sources, I expect you could make a small table for $30. New, You might be looking at $50-60. All you really need is fluorescent light with gro-bulbs and rope to hang it with. To get fancy you would build a 2x4 construction table and get some pulleys for variable height on your lights. So, if $$ are your main concern, you may not see savings until next year, depending on what you grow.
For us, it is clearly a cost savings over buying all the starter plants that we managed to produce. Below is a picture of our green house last May with SOME of the things we started on the grow table.
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| our greenhouse in early May, 2010 |
Putting that aside. I don't even think that is the most beneficial part to me. February is a brutal month in Saskatchewan. The cold, the low light and wilted produce leave me feeling drab, to say the least. Over the next few weeks I will be waking up and going into the bright warmth of our little growing space. It smells moist and earthy. Things are growing. Winter will be over in this little haven. To me, there are no dollar signs big enough for such an equation.
So, as you know, the grow table is up. I'm currently sprouting, so the lights aren't on yet, but I realized that I didn't know how much it was costing in electricity to run this grow-op in my basement once it is in full swing. I was pleasantly surprised. I pay about 11.5 cents/kWh for electricity and my table has 4x 40W "gro-light" bulbs. My electric timer will instigate an enviable 14/10hr day/night cycle. A little math indicates that I am paying about $0.26/day or $8.10/month. I will run the lights for 3 months coming out to $24.30 for electricity consumption.
I almost forgot that you will have some fixed costs associated with setting up a table. We were given ours by a family that had used it for 30 years or more. If you shopped at the ReStore or other budget sources, I expect you could make a small table for $30. New, You might be looking at $50-60. All you really need is fluorescent light with gro-bulbs and rope to hang it with. To get fancy you would build a 2x4 construction table and get some pulleys for variable height on your lights. So, if $$ are your main concern, you may not see savings until next year, depending on what you grow.
For us, it is clearly a cost savings over buying all the starter plants that we managed to produce. Below is a picture of our green house last May with SOME of the things we started on the grow table.
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