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Season / Seed start

Choosing a seed-start setup that doesn't fight you

Updated August 2026 · 5 min read

A cheap shop light, a heat mat, and solo cups with drilled drainage holes will out-perform anything sold as a dedicated seed-starting kit, for a fraction of the price.

The light

You don't need a full-spectrum grow light for six weeks of seedling growth. A basic T8 or T5 shop fixture from the hardware store, hung four to six inches above the cups, is plenty. Move it up as the seedlings grow.

The heat

Germination and early root growth both want soil in the low-to-mid 70s°F. A basic seedling heat mat gets you there reliably in a cold basement or garage; a sunny windowsill mostly doesn't, especially in a zone with a short season.

The containers

Solo cups with four or five holes drilled in the bottom. Clear cups let you see root development through the side, which tells you when it's time to pot up better than counting days does.

What we'd skip

Peat pellets and pre-made seed-starting trays. They dry out fast, they're harder to judge by weight, and they don't offer any real advantage over a cup with good drainage.

What we usedAffiliate links, disclosed. Source is a config value — swappable without a rewrite.
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