So I picked up a buncha seeds from Victory Seed for this years plantings. Clearly, they have to be started indooors since its cold outside. Turns out they make little heating pads to sit your seed starters on. Well, thats all well and good but…I’m cheap.

So…

$3 at Goodwill gets me a pyrex baking tray and lid. Put my little peat pellets in there and insert the appropriate seeds. Add some water and cover. Now, what to do for a heat source…

Well, the DVR for the security cameras runs 24/7 and throws off heat. Lets set it on top of that.

And, sure enough, it works great. In my 65-degree house these little guys germinated and sprouted in about a week. The clear glass lets in light, and the lid holds in the heat and moisture. In effect…a heated greenhouse.

So there you have it…waste heat being repurposed. I suppose someone will ask why not put it on a heating vent or something like that. Obvious answer: the heat isnt running 24/7, the security cams are.

This worked out so well I have another one of these sitting on the cable/dvr box as well.

And, for the sake of completeness, here’s the ones I started from seed back in the first week of January:

Poor little guys can’t even go outside for another three or four months.