Modify Your Roller Door So You Can Turn Your Garage Into a Plant Nursery

Growing plants from seed can be an effective way to save money compared to the cost of buying seedlings. However, as you nurture your plants as they transition from seed to seedling and prepare them to be transplanted in your garden, you'll need an indoor space to grow them. Your garage may work perfectly, but to protect and encourage your plants to grow, you may want to make a few changes to your roller door.

Here are some ideas to consider:

1. Aligning the door and sealing gaps

You certainly don't want an infestation of bugs to eat your plants before they reach your garden. To prevent bugs from getting inside your garage, make sure that your roller door is well aligned. If it is not hitting the ground evenly, hire a technician or repair person to come adjust the door to make it even. Additionally, consider adding weather stripping along the bottom and sides of the door to fill any gaps and block bug entry. 

2. Insulating the area

If you are planning to start your seeds when it is relatively cold out, you should consider adding insulation to help keep your garage warmer. You can add insulation to your walls by gluing batting between exposed studs, but you shouldn't forget about the roller door either.

If you are in the market for a new door, buy one with insulation built into it. Alternatively, grab a can of spray insulation and apply it to the roller door, or invest in a garage door insulation kit. Pay attention to the load bearing capacity of the motor that opens and closes your garage door -- if you exceed that capacity with the weight of the new insulation, a tech will need to recalibrate your motor.

3. Boosting light

Obviously, light is a necessity when growing plants, so, to increase the light in your garage, you may want to add windows to your roller door. A repair expert can add windows to existing doors, or, of course, you can invest in a new roller door with windows.

Alternatively, if you are using grow lights, you may want to boost their intensity by applying reflective coating to the interior of your roller door. That is significantly less expensive than adding windows, and, in most cases, it's something even a novice to the world of DIY can handle, as it simply involves gluing sheets of reflective material to the door. If you like, you can find insulation kits that have a reflective side, allowing you to improve light and insulation at the same time.