How to Build a Tall Grow Box

Select a tall, plastic garbage as the housing for a tall grow box. A garbage can 40 gallons or larger provides space for planting and adequate height for mature plants. Be sure whatever garbage can you choose has a tight-fitting lid.

Decide what lighting need. Compact fluorescent lights or CFL lights are adequate for indoor grow boxes. Most CFL light bulbs can be screwed into standard fixtures. For a large grow box, you need two CFL bulbs.

Screw the CFL bulbs into the lighting fixtures. It is best to use a clip-on lamp with a flexible neck, so that you can insert the bulb through the garbage can’s lid far enough that the heat from the bulb does not create a fire hazard with the plastic lid.

Use a jigsaw or utility knife to cut two holes in the lid wide enough for the CFL bulbs to pass through. The holes should be positioned so that the two bulbs light the inside of the grow box as equally as possible, but not so far from the edge that the necks of the lamps cannot reach when clamped in place on the side of the garbage can.

Fill the bottom of the garbage can with your choice of potting mix to the depth recommended by the tag on the type of plant you intend to grow. For seedlings, 6 to 10 inches of soil is adequate. Mature plants may require 12 inches of soil in order to establish a strong root base.

Sow the seedlings in the soil and moisten the soil with fresh water. Do not overwater the plants because, unless you choose to drill drainage holes in the bottom of the garbage can, the excess moisture cannot escape.

Close the lid, ensuring that it fits snugly against the sides sealing the moist air inside.

Position the light fixtures, clipping them to the handles of the can or to the lid itself so that the neck of the fixture can be manipulated to position the light bulb directly over the holes in the lid.

Manipulate the light fixtures’ flexible necks, pushing the CFL bulbs into the lid’s holes. The bulb should not make contact with the garbage can or the lid, and there should be at least 1 inch of space and preferably more between the lid and the bulb at the nearest point.

Plug light fixtures into an automatic timer and set the timer according to the number of hours of daylight your plants prefer. The automatic timer saves you the trouble of turning the lights on and off. All you need to do is water the plants occasionally to keep the soil moist.