My first ever grow was a bare-bones setup. I’m not selling anything, but I will explain what I believe to be the lowest cost setup that can grow good medicine, and you should be able to produce an ounce or two per month. Since seeds can cost as much as the rest of the setup in this case, they are not included in the $150 price tag. This setup only really works during the winter months, but we’ll come back to that.
Your big ticket item here, as usual, is your light. $100 should get you a T5 bulb rig that will fit nicely in a 2’x4′ space (closet). These lights run fairly cool and shouldn’t overload any circuit. Add a few extra bucks to get enough ornamental chain and hooks to hang the light. This is more of a pain but will save you $15 -v- pulley/gear style light hangers. When running these light you want to keep them about a foot above seedlings, then keep them an inch away from the plant for the rest of its life. For that same $100 you should be able to pick up a cheap timer as well.
You’ll spend the remaining $50 on soil, 5 gallon fabric pot, and a shallow storage container (often cheaper than trays) to put under your pot. Go ahead, buy that $35 bag of water-only soil. You will need it, because you won’t have money for nutrients. I personally know that Sohum has worked for me from seed to harvest without anything other than untreated tap-water, and so has KIS Organics version of water-only soil. I’ve heard good things about Build-a-Soil water-only but can’t vouch for them personally. You could squeak by with Miracle grow, but I really don’t like the taste. Your plants will be healthier with a soil designed for it.
As mentioned, this will only really work in the winter because you’ll rely on the cool and dry winter weather to help moderate the environment in your grow. That said, you’ll want to quickly save up another $40 for an inline fan to ventilate your space and a small fan to circulate the air within the space. It won’t be long before the humidity will rise enough to make some nasty molds/mildews. Add another $30 to this and you can make a DIY carbon scrubber that can remove odors from your exhaust air.
In all, you will have spent less than $250 on the whole setup and, in a few months, will have a few ounces to show for it. I don’t need to remind many that $250 is a pretty good price for an ounce of good pot on the streets. But I’d rather keep it off the streets and in my stash.
Remember, if the grow space feels nice to you, it’s nice for the plants too. If it feels too hot or humid for you, then it is.
Please share your own minimalist setups!
Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —