Oaken Gearbox

I've always loved gardening, but living in Minneapolis presents some challenges. Most notably, our short growing season means that starting plants like tomatoes and peppers (some of our favorites) inside is a must. I tried all kinds of ways to successfully start seedlings inside, but every one seemed to have a fatal flaw. Covering the kitchen counters with little plants for several weeks every spring got old fast. Setting up a whole growing table with lights took lots of room in our small house, and was ugly besides. We moved it to the basement laundry room, but it was too cold and there was no natural light. Besides, we kept forgetting to water them down there. Precariously stacking little cups of dirt on a south windowsill meant the toddlers and dog knocked them all over. Besides, even a south window doesn't give enough light to grow healthy seedlings. Finally we settled on these narrow shelves hung across a south window with some fluorescent lights above. This set u