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Tiny Closet and Box Gardens

A closet shelf or a taped box can grow if you line it, hang the right watts, and give cool air a path in and hot air a path out.

light airflow canopy
Tiny Closet and Box Gardens — Marijuana Grower's Handbook, page 408
Full book

Every garden still needs the basics

Non-negotiable

light, water, CO2, nutrients, temperature, and humidity

Tiny is fine

a closet, shelf, cabinet, or portable box can work

Limits stack

low heat and ambient CO2 mean the plants cannot use the brightest lamp

Height

a short box forces small plants and close lights

Example closet shelf

Footprint

40 by 22 in (100 by 55 cm) about 6 sq ft (0.55 sq m) per shelf

Use one shelf

the example runs only the lower level

Climate

mid to high 70s F (about 25 C) and room-level CO2 near 380 ppm

Skip max watts

60 W per sq ft needs high heat and added CO2 this shelf does not have

Lamp options

a 200 W LED or 250 W MH or HPS if you can vent the heat

Closet build steps

Floor

waterproof plastic liner under the pots

Walls

reflective film on sides and the inside of the door

Lights

a small red/blue LED panel, LED spots, and warm-white CFLs totaling about 199 W and roughly 13,500 lm in the example

Hang

clamp fixtures to the closet rod so height is easy to change

Power

timer into a surge protector

Pots

six 3 gal (13 L) containers in a wheeled under-bed tray

Flip

when plants fill the shelf, drop the light schedule to flower

Box garden

Minimum height

Aromaat least 3 ft (0.9 m) is easier

Door

Aromatape three top flaps into a lid and leave one flap as a hinge

Reflect

Aromaline or paint the inside flat white

Air

Aroma3 by 5 in (7.5 by 13 cm) inlets near the bottom and a 4 in (10 cm) outlet in the lid

Lights

Aromafour holes in the lid for fixtures

Other lamps

Aromaa 100 W MH (about 8500 lm) or 100 W HPS (about 9300 lm) also fit this box

Finish

Aromatray in the bottom, cords to a surge protector and timer