How to Build a Winter Grow Box

Made from a variety of materials, grow boxes are miniature self-contained greenhouses that enable gardeners to grow plants indoors. Grow boxes allow you to cultivate your favorite veggies throughout the winter season, and they are ideal for people living in apartments and condos, where outdoor growing space isn’t available. Building a winter grow box also helps with getting an early season jump on starting temperature-sensitive plants intended for transplantation to an outdoor garden.

Wooden armoire cabinet
Screwdriver
Drill
Hole saw
Jigsaw
Aluminum foil
Glue
Grow light
CO2 generator
Cable ties
12-inch box fan
Aluminum baking pans

Instructions

- 1
  Remove any shelves from the cabinet, using a screwdriver if necessary.
- 2
  Ventilate the grow box. Drill three even spaced, 1-inch diameter holes along the top and bottom edges of both sides and the back of the cabinet with a drill and hole saw. Widen the hole at the back, bottom center of the cabinet to 11 inches in diameter with a jigsaw.
- 3
  Glue aluminum foil, with the shiny side up, to the insides of the cabinet walls and doors.
- 4
  Fasten a grow light and a CO2 generator, both rated for the size of the cabinet, to the armoire clothing rod with cable ties. Run the cords, from the grow light and CO2 generator, out through one of the holes in the back of the cabinet.
- 5
  Place a 12-inch box fan, for ventilation, in the back of the cabinet. Run the cord from the fan out the hole and set the fan, facing outwards, against the opening.
- 6
  Plug in all the cords and turn on the light, generator and fan. Line the bottom of the cabinet with aluminum baking pans, for drainage, and place potted plants in the trays.

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