Growing your indoor garden in a small space such as a closet can be quite beneficial to the hobbyist gardener. The grow space will be small and out of the way, yet easy to work with. Even the smallest of closet spaces can provide you with a good amount of fresh grown vegetables year round.

Because of the various sizes of closets available in homes we will have to use a simple formula to find the square footage of your closet. This is how to find the square footage of your grow space. (Width x Length= Square Feet) Example: if your closet which is 3’x4’, you will find this room to be 12sq.feet.

The reason you need to know the square footage of your closet is because plants have a certain light requirement for optimum growth. For Example, tomato plants need to attain around 40-50 watts per square foot for optimal growth. You then would take 50 watts x 12sq. ft. = 600 watts. This means that you will need a 600watt light to maintain your plants optimal growth in this particular garden. (Plants wattage needs x Square Feet = grow light requirement).

You should start by cleaning the closet as best as possible. Paint the walls with a flat white paint to help aid in light reflection. This also helps to get rid of any possible insect pest such as spider mites.

The most important things needed to be considered are temperature, humidity, air intake and exhaust.

Most plants prefer to be between 55-80 degrees F. with the average tempatures at around 72 degrees F. When the lights are on they are a great source of heat as well as light. If temperatures should become too high, Exhaust blower fans will work well to reduce the temperature.

Exhaust blower fans can be easily linked to a to temperature controller to ensure that your grow space never reaches the high temperatures that can have a negative effect on plants and growth rates. When your lights are off, however, you can expect a gradual decline in temperatures. In the winter months, Temperatures can drop well below the ideal plant growth range. You can add a space heater, also linked to your thermostat controller.

Most plants flourish indoors with a humidity level at around 40-60%. A dehumidifier will lower the water content in the air, this can be useful in your grow space because too much moisture in the air will encourage mold growth. Also by reducing the humidity in the grow space you will increase the rate at which the water leaves the plant through their leaves, this will increase the amount of water and nutrients taken up by the plant causing their growth rate to increase.

Plants require airflow to help strengthen their stalks. Without proper airflow they will have weak and skinny stalks. They will not be able to hold their selves up.

Circulating fans are very important in your indoor garden because they will circulate airflow around the room to keep hot air from building up and burning your plants. Also it is important to help circulate your CO2 distribution, Spider mites and other insect pests dislike the continuous wind and will slow reproduction rates.

Ventilation Fans (intake and exhaust blowers) will rid your grow space of heat and humidity. They will replace stale stagnant air with fresh clean air. Plants require fresh air to survive.

Intake & Exhaust fans are rated by there volume of air movement in cubic feet per minute. You will need to know how many cubic feet your grow room has, to do this you measure the length x width x height of your grow space. For a space 3'x4'x10' you will have 120 cubic feet of air space. You will want to be able to clear your space of stale air as quickly as possible. By being connected to a thermostat controller, the blower fans will turn on when the temperature reaches your high set point and then shut off when it reaches your low set point. So the larger rating of vent fans the better.

You will need to cut out the proper size holes for your intake and exhaust fans. This can be done several different ways. Take time to draw out your plan. Think about it and decide what will work best for you. If you choose to make your holes right into the door itself, this is a good idea. Just remember that you will need to have a flexible air duct put into place so that everything stays intact as you open and close the door. You might also consider cutting your exhaust hole into the ceiling, thereby exhausting into the roof of your home. This technique will help eliminate any odors created by your plants, and also keep your main room that holds your closet cooler allowing cooler air intake from this same room.

You should seal up your closet grow space with weather stripping so as to keep the light in when the lights are on and to keep light out when the lights are out. (Even a small amount of light in your garden during the dark cycle can cause stress to your plants. This can cause your plants in flowering-harvest stage to revert back to a vegative stage).