Idiots guide to grow lights

I made one years ago from a plastic storage box and an 8w worklight that was, literally, hanging around in the garage. Seemed to work!!
I've just checked the wattage of the light as its now hanging in the boiler cupboard!!
You could put your seedlings inside a box, maybe lined with white paper, it might reflect more light.

I intend to surround the lights with foil covered cardboard when I know how many seedlings I have to accommodate. Or as you say put them in a box. Reminds me of Blue Peter and sticky backed plastic.

Mine was a bit like that!1 It was in another place where everyone was going on about lumens, outputs and colours and all sorts of techy stuff and building massive things that would illuminate B|ackpool so I cobbled mine together with bits and pieces I could find in the house.
There is another Light thingy here made from a wooden tea trolley with LED striplights glued under the shelves. That works too but I just bung pots on the windowsills and let them fend for themselves now.

They won't work on an external timer unfortunately. There is an integral timer which gives 3/6/12 hrs but I turn it on about 8.30am when we get up and off at about 11.30 when we go to bed say 15rs +/- 1hr.
We shall see whether it serves the purpose.
All growlights need a surround of Hobgoblin, didn't you know this??

I thought they were a thermal heat store to keep the little ones warm at night.

Mine was a bit like that!1 It was in another place where everyone was going on about lumens, outputs and colours and all sorts of techy stuff and building massive things that would illuminate B|ackpool so I cobbled mine together with bits and pieces I could find in the house.
There is another Light thingy here made from a wooden tea trolley with LED striplights glued under the shelves. That works too but I just bung pots on the windowsills and let them fend for themselves now.

It is/was my fear that I would go the same route as you, so didn't want to spend huge sums.  I tend to get all enthusiastic but can lose interest.   If I don't stick with chillies or very early tomatoes then I won't have wasted loads of dosh.  The pink lighting makes the spare junk room (my escape space) look very seductive or perhaps reminiscent of a fortune teller's tent.

My task today is to sow a couple of Red Robin and grow on the windowsill, as a control, to judge whether those under the growlights are worth doing. I can compare both in the spring.

My task today is to sow a couple of Red Robin and grow on the windowsill, as a control, to judge whether those under the growlights are worth doing.  I can compare both in the spring.

Was gonna do likewise when I sow the seeds

I used to start the summer tomatoes under growlights but for the last few years they just germinate on a sunny windowsill from the first week of March and they never get leggy. By the last week of March we get about the same sunlight hours as mid September.

The location has been agreed, my beer fridge is conveniently situated under the table

The seedlings will sit in the base of the propagator, obviously the lid will be removed.