How to Start an Indoor Garden

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By Food and Grime
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Tomato Plant in my basement with this system

This article will give you the basic ideas necessary to start a small garden indoors.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Flourescent Lights
Potting Soil
Box Fan
Gravel
5 Gallon Buckets
Seed Starting Trays w/dome
Two small pulleys
Roll of twine

Step 1

To begin you need to find an area in your home, I use the basement, where you can set up your garden. After you locate a suitable area you can hang the two pulleys from the ceiling. Hang the pulleys as far apart as your fluorescent light is long. Once you have the pulleys in place attach them to your light using the twine. This is done so you can raise the light as your plants begin to grow. I like to leave the lights on for 12 hours a day. If you need you can purchase an additional timer so that it will automatically turn your lights on and off for you. Place your box fan somewhere where it will blow indirectly into the area where your garden is.
Step 2

Prepare your seed starting trays by filling them with potting soil and fully saturating the soil with tap water. Place the trays in your seed starting dome and plant the seeds you have chosen to grow. Place the top on your dome and lower the light to 3 inches above the dome. In anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks you will see the seeds begin to sprout.
Step 3

When your seeds have grown and reached the top of the dome you can remove it. When your plants have grown a few inches it is time to replant them. Prepare your buckets by drilling a hole in the bottom and filling them half the way up with gravel. Fill the remainder of the bucket with potting soil leaving a few inches unfilled at the top. Plant your smaller plants in these buckets leaving enough space for each to grow. Continue to grow your plants while raising the light whenever necessary to keep it 3" above your plants. ENJOY YOUR GARDEN!