You don't need to have a lot of money to start growing your own food and herbs at home.
Building your own grow tent will allow you to grow at any time of year and will convert empty spaces of your home into food factories.
If you're on a budget, or you don't know if growing plants will be your thing, then this very inexpensive solution will help you get started right now, with very little risk.
I'll also show you the grow tent that I setup in about 30 minutes and how I did it.
Why Make a Grow Tent?
As you know, plants need light.
But a lot of people are wasting light by letting the light from their grow lamps dissipate into the room.
A grow tent will help you direct as much light as possible at your plants, so they grow faster.
Related Tool: Electroculture Stakes for Potted Plants
Now obviously, a grow tent isn't for everyone.
If you just have some house plants that you simply want to keep alive, then a grow tent isn't really necessary. It would hide your plants, when the point is to enjoy seeing them.
However, a grow tent is super useful for:
- Growing food
- You have super hot/cold weather and want to grow indoors to control the temperature/humidity
- Starting seeds
- Maximizing plant growth for plants you want to sell
- Reviving dying plants
- Growing plants when your backyard doesn't get much sun.
So if you fall into one of those categories, then here's how to build a really, really cheap grow tent.
Supplies
This project is very simple. You only need to buy 2 things:
Then you'll need a few things from your home. Most people have these things, but if you don't, they are very cheap to buy.
- A place to set up your tent. A wire rack works best, but you can use regular shelves, under a table, or even an empty corner.
- A light socket on a cord. Most people already have one of these available. You can get one for cheap at a dollar store, thrift shop or swap meet.
- Packing tape or small zip ties.
- Scissors
How to Build Your Grow Tent
Here's the step-by-step guide to build your own grow tent.
You can get this setup very quickly and anyone can do it.
Find a Good Location
Once you have your supplies, the first step is to figure out where you're going to pitch your tent.
The great thing is that you can place your tent almost anywhere.
I would recommend using some shelves or a bookcase because they are easy to enclose and are an efficient use of space.
But you could setup a tent over a hanging lamp or under a desk. You could even put it outside on your patio or balcony.
Make sure that you have enough space to fit all of the plants that you want to grow.
You can stack clear plastic tubs so your plants have even more growing space. The bins will also help you keep your area clean because they will catch any stray dirt or water.
Some of the light will go through the bottom of the tub and hit the plants below. If you use multiple levels of tubs, be sure to put the plants that need the most light in the top bin.
Also be sure that your grow light will fit into the space, with enough room so it isn't too close to your plants.
Hang the Mylar Blanket
Next, simply hang your mylar emergency blanket around the space you want to use as a tent.
The blanket will reflect precious light back to your plants, so it isn't wasted.
I decided to cut the blanket into sheets and zip tie them onto the shelves. If you use zip ties, be sure to reinforce the area where you poke the hole in the mylar with packing tape, so it doesn't continue to rip.
You can also just tape the mylar blanket to your shelving.
Since the mylar blanket isn't airtight, you'll still get good air flow, so you don't need a fan. If the blanket flaps around too much, tape the edges down.
Here's what mine looks like.
Hang Your Grow Light
Once you have your mylar sheets set up, then you can hang your grow light.
The way that you secure your light will depend on your space.
If you use a wire rack like me, then you can simply set the light on the shelf above and let the light shine down. You could also zip tie the light to the shelf above.
An alternative is to use a tripod and shine the light on your plants. You can get this from any website that sells photography equipment.
Another way to create a grow tent is to use a hanging lamp. Simply drape the mylar over the lamp shade and you're good to go.
There are also clip-on lights that you can attach to other shelves or the bottom of a desk.
Regardless of how to choose to secure your light, be sure that your light isn't too close, or too far from your plants. You can do some research online to find out how much light your specific plant needs.
Put in Your Plants and Start Growing
Now for the fun part. Put your plants or seed starting trays in the bins.
Set up a schedule to make sure that they have enough light every day. A simple timer will automate the process.
Just water them appropriately and give them some fertilizer once in awhile, and you're good to go!
Conclusion
So that's how you build a very cheap grow tent.
Easy right?
It can be setup anywhere in your home and you don't need a lot of space to do it.
Your grow tent will help your plants grow faster, regardless of where you live.
Be sure to check out all of our resources for growing food. We have created curated, ready-made kits, where you can just order the parts or plans, and put it together yourself.
Show me your tent on social media.
