Last Updated on November 3, 2021 by Kravelv
Setting up your own home garden to grow your veggies and herbs is surely exciting. But, it requires a lot of space.
But the problem is, millennial home dwellers lack one thing that their predecessors owned – land.
Having little to no space to create your home/kitchen garden is surely heartbreaking. But, it’s also not the end of the world.
Of course, you know you can grow your veggies and herbs indoors. Part of the reason why you’re here in the first place.
Nonetheless, allow us to tell you that setting up an indoor grow room may look easy at first glance. But, it certainly involves intricate detailing.
So, if you wish to learn how you can set up your indoor grow room without making a fuss about it, keep reading.
Select Your Grow Room Location
Ideally, when you have a lot to grow your herbs and plants, you need not worry. But, since you’ve decided to grow them indoors, you need to allocate a specified location for your grow room.
For obvious reasons, you cannot create a grow room in your living area or your bedroom.
Typically, you will need to select a location that is well packed and is resistant to intruders.
You can use your basement, cellar, or attic to create your grow room. The reason being, the earth acts as a natural insulator for your garden crops and herbs.
It will be easier to maintain and regulate the temperature conditions in an underground location.
Clean The Area And Insulate
Once you’ve decided the location for setting up your grow room, the next thing you ought to be doing is cleaning it up thoroughly.
To your surprise, basements and cellars are not just perfect for growing your herbs indoors but also are loved by pests and bugs.
And you certainly wouldn’t want them to be eating up or destroying your veggies.
Once you’re done cleaning, don’t forget to insulate the walls to regulate the heat inside your grow room.
In case you are planning to keep it minimal, you can also opt for pre-built grow rooms. These rooms are readily available in the market.
All you need to do is assemble the bits and pieces, and you have your insulated grow room.
Arrange The Heating System
An important part of creating an indoor grow room is arranging for heat. Note that you need to simulate the growing conditions needed for your veggies and herbs. And, obviously, heat and light are pretty much the basics.
When you cultivate your veggies and herbs outdoors, the sun ensures that they receive plenty of heat and light. But, when indoors, the case is not the same.
So, you need to find yourself growing lights that can simulate the environment. However, you’ll also need to look into the power factor of the grow lights you choose.
For example, LED Grow Lights would usually be more power-friendly as compared to halogen bulbs.
Long story short, find yourself a reliable and economical heating and lighting solution for the healthy growth of your plants.
Install Air Circulation Equipment
As important as it is to heat up a room to the apt temperature, it is equally important to regulate the temperature.
Please note that heat sources such as grow lights can emit heat continuously. And that goes for both the heat it generates from light and the heat it exudes from the continuous operation.
Typically, you’ll need two air pumps – one for supplying your grow room with fresh and cool air and the other for removing hot air. To your surprise, the exhaust circulation system will also be responsible for removing any bad odors from within your grow room.
That being said, the same rule that goes with your heating system also applies to air circulation. You will need to find an energy-efficient air circulation system.
For this, you can either go for an HVAC system (if you’re planning to go large scale), or you can simply install two exhaust fans with opposing airflow directions.
Ensure Regular Water Supply
You need to water your plants for them to grow and nourish. But, more so, you need water to maintain the humidity inside your grow room.
Not many people know this, but humidity plays an important role in crop development and cultivation.
Specifically, if you are setting your grow room for herb cultivation, you cannot ignore this part.
So, arrange for a regular water supply to your grow room. If needed, install new plumbing lines or get showers installed.
You can even install timers to schedule the precipitation and humidity of the room.
Regulate And Monitor The Grow Conditions
While you’ve insulated your grow room, installed every piece of equipment, and even arranged for an ample water supply, you still need to ensure that these features are maintained regularly.
Yes, you need to get some monitoring instruments, too, that can help you keep a check on the pseudo environment that you have created for your crops.
You can easily find pH, humidity, temperature, and even luminescence meters to help you with the same.
Or you can go for a combined bundle of all these monitoring devices. There are several manufacturers in the market that can offer you the needed bundle.
In case you are starting off small, you might want to go for an analog setup. Otherwise, it is better to go for a digital monitoring device for better control of these factors.
Summing It Up…
You can get the best designs and pieces of equipment to help you make your grow room as productive as possible. However, in essence, you need to understand that cultivating crops is a combination of science and experience both.
Technology can only help you create the atmosphere you need, but it is only with trial and experience that you can understand the perfect conditions for your crops to grow.
In other words, you need to look out for signs of any damage to your crops throughout their lifecycle. And accordingly, you may need to make adjustments to your setup.