Help With Growing Seeds

Yes, hence the need to get started indoors long before planting out. And with that goes the need for lights to avoid leggy plants. Our ground freezes solid many inches down. Our building codes insist that to combat this we must insulate our cellars 36" below ground level. I've got a couple of light poles in the garden that are leaning and it really bugs me but they are frozen solid as they are so I can't straighten them out for a few months!

I've just put my petunias down under the lights. They are no bigger than a skinny short toothpick now but soon ..

 

Do those who sow early and make use of Grow Lights find they get a better/bigger harvest than sowing later on ? Have you found it is worth the initial outlay and any running costs ?
TIA

 

@Philippa I can't compare the value of my situation to others here. Most here are several growing zones warmer. I do like the size of my plants and the fact that I save loads of money simply because most of my seeds are collected from my garden so very little expense goes into that. I've had my light/tent set up for several years and it has more than paid for itself. Each tent has 14 square feet of growing surface and one is 3/4 full already. Both will probably be loaded by the end of March and then I'll have to introduce lighting to extend the day near my kitchen window. That bay window has panes that are about 8 feet wide in total. And I'll put the lights to go on before sundown and extend my daylight hours to 14 or so.

I have the same expenses for potting soil. I hit on a really great one last year. It is so rich that some of my soil blocks are trying to grow mushrooms! And I did bake all of the soil to 245f to kill off any gnats sneaking in. Hopefully I killed them all. Their adults, larvae and eggs

 

For me I dont really use lighting as such but try to get in as early as I can, I dont think you ever get back the cost of home growing these days, heating as well, we just do it because we like it, dont we.

 

and for me I address it as a challenge! That's how started this gig. I was challenged to grow peppers hotter than what you could get in the shops back in 2001...

 

I have a vitapod propagator, it was a big birthday present from the family so I can't remember what it cost. Running costs are minimal, I keep it on at +5 only for most of the winter just for frost protection for certain plants. Round about now I start to crank up the temperature to start germination of seeds. I have a sunblaster grow light suspended above on a simple time switch, for about 8 hours a day. I can't honestly say I've noticed any real difference in the electricity bill. The light really does help stop the seedlings getting drawn and leggy.