Convertible Seedling Nursery With Removable Trays

My wife likes to start seeds and bulbs indoors before it's warm enough outside. I designed these shelves to make it a little easier. The acrylic trays are water tight so nothing drips on the floor. And when it's time to move the plants outside the whole tray pops out and can be carried full. Also the brackets that the trays fit in are quickly removable so the whole thing can be stowed away till next spring if we want to take them down.

Step 1: Plant Your Seeds and Watch Them Grow

Step 2: When It's Time, Pop Out the Trays...

Lift the front edge of the tray until it clears the bracket and then carry the whole thing outside.

Step 3: Take Down the Brackets. (optional)

The weight of the whole system rests on the windowsill. What holds it up are these metal pins that slide into a hole in the top of the window frame. To remove, just lift. To put back up, just slide the pin into the hole. That's it!

Step 4: Build Your Own.

The brackets are made from 1"x2" stock. The blocks that the trays rest on are 2"x3"s glued on and screwed from the back. The hooks that hold the trays are 1"x ⅛" aluminum bar stock shimmed out with a ¼" wood spacer. The pins are ⅛" stainless steel rod. The trays are ¼" acrylic heated over a strip bender to make the bends. If you want them to be water tight you need to sand the ends flat after bending and glue on the end caps with an acrylic cement that basically welds the plastic together. I made them 7" deep to accommodate the pots we have. That's it. Good luck!