As they like to say in Game of Thrones: “The winter is coming.” Or…some damn thing to that effect. I dunno–I don’t watch that show.
But yeah, the winter is indeed coming. I had grown fond of some plants, and those plants are not fond of freezing temperatures. What was I to do? Why, take them inside of course.
Some of these plants will no doubt be fine hibernating in the dark basement. Other plants were never meant to go dormant, or at least I know that they won’t appreciate sitting in a dark basement. But from experience, I know most plants generally appreciate my grow light, or at least begrudgingly accept it, but…there wasn’t room for these large and established plants which I wanted to overwinter. Therefore, this necessitated…a project!
The existing grow light setup has two tiers. But the basement is deep and so there’s more than enough room for an additional tier–a large tier into which I can place tall plants. I would therefore leverage the existing frame and improvise a shelf, then mount a shop light from the ceiling above it. All things considered, it was a conceptually simple project. First though, I had all the former owner’s crap to contend with.
An old trick with which I was familiar–using jars to hold nails, attached by the lids to the ceiling. Or in this case, attached to a 2X4 which was in turn attached to the ceiling. I grabbed a hammer and stood on a chair, intent on prying the board down. I placed a steadying hand on the board, and it immediately detached, scaring the crap out of me as I struggled to keep it from crashing to the concrete floor. I sure was glad that I got around to removing it before it fell on its own. Sheesh.
The existing shop light was ancient and non-functional. It hung from fencing staples pounded into the joists. They should have been pounded in, rather, but instead they were only slightly pounded in. A gentle nudge with a hammer and a staple immediately fell out, causing the deceivingly heavy light to swing and detach the other staple, scaring the crap out of me as I struggled to keep it from crashing to the concrete floor. Attentive readers will notice a theme here, but fortunately for me and my basement, I didn’t need to rip anything else down. Then it was off to my favorite store.
At Lowe’s I grabbed a utility plug, a metal junction box, wire caps, appropriately-rated indoor wire, and a reasonably-priced shop light: $38 for a 4-bulb lamp. My intent was to wire the light so I could plug it into the power strip which served the other grow lights, because the strip was on a plug timer. I smugly reviewed the items I purchased, satisfied with my recently-discovered self-confidence in handyman residential electrical work, then realized the shop light was pre-wired for an outlet and I didn’t need all that other stuff. Almost disappointed at having been saved the trouble, I put it all back.
As I was doing so, an older lady asked me for help in identifying which type of outlet splitter she would need for adding additional plugs to a single outlet. Ah ha! My self-confidence was exuding now. I actually looked like I knew what I was doing! With self-confidence, I confidently identified something that would suit her needs, then strode confidently back to my cart. Confidence!
[I also purchased fencing wire, so there’s a teaser for an exciting future post about fencing!]
Back home, I strung recycled chain from the old shop light between joists. My intent was to hang the new light between the joists, thus maximizing head space. I also properly secured it with wood screws–something a little more confidence-inspiring than staples.
It was only when I brought plants downstairs that I considered in earnest their weight, and the fact that the aluminum frame was not designed to bear it from above. I searched in vain for a load limit, then decided to simply reinforce the cross beams with boards. The arches felt very robust, and I didn’t think they’d collapse. If it starts to show signs of strain then I’ll have to build something else, but I think it’ll hold.
I later placed a standing fan next to the setup. Hopefully, I’ll be able to overwinter these. I enjoy being able to garden year-round.
It’s also really hard to search for articles on indoor gardening without being redirected to questionable sites, like “bigdanthestoner.com” or “iliketosmokeatonofweed.net”. I supposed if the DEA shows up, I’ll have a funny story to write about.
–Simon