Gardening

We've tried the AeroGarden hydroponic system but the starts don't seem to transplant well. And you can only start 6 plants. Good for growing basil and cilantro though.

So here's our "cheap & dirty" system:
For tomatoes and peppers, a heat mat is essential unless you keep your house really hot, like 90. We bought a couple of LED grow light panels on Ebay (about $20 each) and I built a stand out of scrap lumber so we can adjust the lamp height. I actually start the seeds in egg cartons, then transplant when the starts get their first actual leaves. An old spoon fits the egg space perfectly so the is little or no root disturbance. They go into the the thin plastic 3" starter pots from Wal-Mart that come in an 18-pack with a tray for water.

Before we plant, we put them out on our covered deck and gradually move them to more sun. We put metal collars around each plant for protection against rodents, wind, and the intense sun at 5800 ft.

Best of luck with your garden - this year and next.