Hydrofarm Seedling Heat Mat - and other related productsI own and use a Hydrofarm seedling heat mat. It's a good product and it works fine. It has for years. I anticipate it will continue to provide good service for many more years to come. The seedling heat mat is a simple design that incorporates a resistance heater in a thin waterproof mat. There are no thermostat controls. You simply plug it in and it heats up. This mat is a low constant output device, so it's best used indoors where ambient temperatures won't fluctuate much. If you're going to use a seedling mat outdoors or in a greenhouse or cold frame, then a mat with an adjustable thermostat would be a better choice. 
Here is a photo of the Hydrofarm seedling heat mat that I use. The information printed on the front indicates that it's designed to raise soil temperatures about 20 degree F above ambient temperatures.It also advises not to use it in standing water. Mine is an older model. The newer model is depicted below. The folks at Hydrofarm have a suite of related products, so I thought an entire page dedicated to these would be appropriate to keep all the related products "in one bag." One of the objectives of this site is to provide you with "one stop shopping" for many of the resources that I think are useful in support of vegetable gardening interests. It looks like Hydrofarm has a good selection, especially when it comes to starting seeds. Other Hydrofarm ProductsThe product line from Hydrofarm includes various size seed heat mats, thermostatic controllers, a complete germination station, lighting fixtures, grow bulbs and a grow light system for plants. Let's take a look. 
One of the products that is handy for starting seeds is a  germination station . It's a seedling tray with vented dome and a seedling heat mat. It also comes with a seed start booster.This is a handy kit if you already have a light source for starting seeds, but need a seedling tray, heat mat and dome. The seedling tray that comes with this kit has 72 cells. That means it's meant for smaller seedlings like lettuce, or for seedlings that you're going to transplant soon after they emerge.
These are great for plants like tomatoes, peppers and peas that can grow quite tall before you plant them. I have quite a few of these taller domes. We grow our tomato and pepper seedlings using them. These high domes provide about 6 inches of growing space above the seedling trays. That's usually plenty, no matter what you're trying to start by seed. When the seedlings touch the top, it's time to start thinking about transplanting them into the garden. 
If you already have a Hydrofarm seedling heat mat, seed tray and dome, and you're looking for a way to keep light on them, this 2 foot wide  jump start kit could be just the thing.It provides a grow light fixture, grow light bulb, and a frame that allows you to adjust the height of the grow light above your seedlings. Getting the light close to the seedlings is important. If you don't have the light right down on the top of the plants, they won't get maximum light for good growth. Inadequate light will allow them to get "leggy." The adjustable light hanging from the overhead stand allows you to get the light very close to the seedlings and adjust its height as they grow. There is also a You can use a Hydrofarm seedling heat mat with either the 2 foot or 4 foot jump start kits because they come in a range of sizes to accommodate one, two or four seedling trays. Click on this link to Hydrofarm 
If you're using standard 4 foot fluorescent shop lights, or you're looking for a bulb for the 4 foot fixture above, use these  grow light bulbs .These grow bulbs will provide the proper spectrum of light for your plants. One last item that you might find useful is So, there you have it. The Hydrofarm seedling heat mat is a good product, and there are many others from Hydrofarm that can help you with your vegetable gardening when starting from seed.
Done with Hydrofarm Seedling Heat Mat, back to Seedling Heat Mat |
Hydrofarm seedling heat mat
provides a great boost to seedling growth. The heat mats come in various sizes. Pick the size that works best for you. The one I use is a standard 12 inch by 20 inch to heat the bottom of a single seedling tray.
humidity domes
like the one shown on the left.
4 foot jump start
kit that is well suited for two seedling trays.
4 foot fixture
for use with the 4 foot grow bulbs. The bulbs do not come with this fixture, you must order them separately.
2 mil mylar film
to reflect light within a grow space such as a cold frame. Whether you're using natural sunlight or light from a fixture, you'll want to maximize it's effectiveness.