Cheap heating "pads"

[ohiorganic]

A couple of ideas for cheap seed starting heat.

An old water bed mattress partially filled with water and the heater turned on makes a great seed starting heating pad. the bigger the mattress the more flats that can be started

A styrofoam cooler (like what they deliver Omaha Steaks in, it needs to have a foot or so of head room) with a string of 15 to 30 white x-mas tree lights (incandescents not LED) taped to the lid and a thermometer taped to the side (so you don't cook anything). the x-mas lights provide both heat and light to seedlings and the cooler keeps mice away. I suppose one could use about any cooler, we just seem to keep amassing these disposable styrofoam coolers and try to find uses for them.

[flowerpower]

Mice were my #1 problem last yr. I did get a big, clear tote to put my starts in this yr. I do have a heat mat somewhere. I need to find that for my peppers and eggplant

[sandbar]

Johno used a heat pad (like what you use for your aching back) and a bread rack last year ... I think ... maybe he'll chime in with the details.

IIRC, he said it worked pretty well.

[ohiorganic]

Flower, you would be a good candidate for the cooler heating "pad". mice cannot get to your seedlings if they are in a cooler.

I have had the same problem though I believe we were able to eradicate all the mice from the growing room last winter. Somewhere I have pictures of what we did to the light tables to (unsuccessfully) keep the mice off of them. Just let me say extension cords are a mouse's best friend.

[Alan]

Good idea with the waterbed mattress, I never even thought of that though I have swiped several water bed heaters from friends or from dumpsters for use in starting flats, it never even occured to me to just heat the whole mattress and go with it like that.

[johno]

These are really good ideas!

I'm still using the heating pad set on low with an old grill over it - it keeps the growing medium temp around 77* or a little more. I need about three times that much area heated, though. Thanks for the ideas.

[Jim]

I've found that my cable box throws enough heat and is large enough to get a 72 cell peat pellet greenhouse a sproutin....and I'm already paying for the electricity.

[gardenhappy]

for the mice put bowls of root beer out,mice can't burp ,they drink it up and explode,after a few,hopefully outside,they do stay in their skin,it's an inside job!!! ;D