Growing in an enclosed area will help to concentrate the available light reaching the plants – leading to increased growth, tighter internodal spacing, bigger flowers and fruits. With an extra room to spare, I want to grow a few tomatoes and sweet (bell) peppers indoors. Since I am only growing a couple (4-6) plants in total, I needed build a homemade grow chamber to hold my seedlings/ clones and mature plants.

I constructed a simple box made from old furniture pieces. My landlord threw out some old desks and other furniture and I decided to take them apart and use the wood to build my grow chamber.

The only project I’ve completed so far is the seedling/clone box which took me a little under 2 hours to put together. I have included photos of the box after construction to help you better understand how your box should look when completed.

- 6 Pieces of Plywood - (4) 24"x18" pieces and (2) 18"x18" pieces of plywood.

- 2 Hinges

- L Brackets (Optional)

- Screws/nails

- 1 Compact Fluorescent Bulb

- 1 Portable Bulb Socket - Make sure the watts of the lamp meets the socket’s requirements. My lamp socket is rated for a maximum of 75W.

- Saw to cut plywood or ask your local hardware store to cut them. (Not a project for kids. Get help from an adult).

- Screw Driver (Powered) or Hammer if using nails

To put your box together, simply place one of the 24"x18" inch piece on the ground or table. This first piece is now the bottom of your box. Screw in the L brackets on the bottom piece first according to the image below. Then put on the side pieces. L brackets are optional. You may use nails instead to hold the pieces together. I used L brackets because they were available and the screws I had were really short (½").

The other 18"x18" piece of plywood should be applied in the same manner as indicated in the image above. The rest of the (3 24"x18") pieces of plywood are for the sides and top. After installing the sides, you’ll need to cut a hole in the middle of the last piece to hold your light socket. Reference image below for example.

The socket I used was taken from an old desk lamp. It had a rim which allowed me to secure it nicely in the hole. I recommend purchasing a portable light socket from your local hardware supply store.

Before hooking up your light, connect your hinges to build a lid to the box to move plants in and out of the box. The lid will also house your lighting of course. The image below shows the final product and how it looks once finished. Noticed i didn't use plywood for my top. Infact, I didn't use plywood at all. You may use any type of wood for your box. This is just a basic example for what can be done. I would also recommend using mylar or some type of reflective material to