It was October 2006 already and I had absolutely no idea where the past year had gone.

Having spent the early part of '06 sitting on my butt fixing up a broken leg, a "prize" gained after resuming my skateboarding career just in time for my 40th birthday, I was keen to get moving again just as soon as I could.
 
A plate and five screws put the offending leg back together, and a period of intensive rehabilitation was undertaken.
 
All the while I was without weed, having consumed my last outdoor crop a long time ago. So setting a grow up, just big enough to replenish a couple of jars in the short term, was my top priority.

Between addresses
The only fly in the ointment? I was officially between addresses, and after a kindly offer from my big sister, I moved in to her spare room, which was just about big enough to skin up a joint in, so long as I didn't use king size papers!
 
It was small.
So any sort of growing would have to wait until I moved into my own place, or the spring, when I could find a little spot outdoors.
 
But neither option could see me filling my stash jars immediately and apart from one of two very friendly growers getting in touch to offer assistance in my hour of need, it looked like being a cold and bleak Christmas.
 
Devine Intervention
Believe me, I can't think of any other way to put it.
 
So my niece turns up one day right out of the blue and says, "I've met someone and we're moving into a place together!"
 
After carrying out CPR on my by now 'punch-drunk' sister, who's personal crown jewels has just told her she's flying the nest, I'm suddenly offered a window of opportunity, in the shape of my niece's old (read:LARGE) bedroom.
 
All of a sudden my mind is a whirl of activity, and I fired up a new thread on UK Cultivator , to find out what strains were doing the rounds.
 
Remember that devine intervention I mentioned earlier?
 
So I get an e-mail from an old friend over at Seedsman Seeds, asking if I would like to undertake a "test" grow on some new Critical Mass seeds he had just received from the Mr Nice seedbank.
 
Would I?
But first I needed to create a space to grow in, and I had just the item, close to hand.
 
Back in the summer of 05 I undertook an outdoor scrog grow in my backgarden, and rather than carry the plants in and out of a shed every morning/night, I enclosed them in a little plastic garden storage box.
 
When it was lights out, I simply closed the lid and doors, to simulate the dark phase.
 
It worked quite well as an outdoor box, but I needed to be sure I could safely encase a 400w metal halide lamp within, as well as getting the ventilation to work effectively.
 
Here's how I got on.
 


The Growbox

Simply put, it was originally designed as one of those resin moulded garden storage boxes for lawn mowers etc. Putting it together takes about 20 minutes once you know how, and as its not the first time I have used this particular beasty, it was assembled quickly and I was soon deciding how to fit the box out for an indoor grow.
 


Interior Constraints

Obviously when growing in a limited height situation thought needs to be given to the strains which will be grown in the box, and after doing a little research, and finding out the Critical Mass contained a good deal of "Afghani" in the genetic mix, I was already looking forward to a grow I was pretty sure I could control the height of.



..on reflection

The first thing that needed changing, was the reflectivity of the interior, or should that be the lack of reflectivity. As the interior panels are either black or green, needless to say it gets quite dark with the lid and doors closed, and all that dark will absorb heat and light. So I flourished the reflective black & white sheeting around like a decorator on acid, until I was happy with the end result.
 


Ventilation

As always when growing in a confined space, this is going to be where the battle is won or lost. Getting the all important fresh air into the box, which is laden with the CO2 the plant needs to build itself, is paramount, and I always follow the same formula, as advocated by Oldtimer1 on UK420. Pretty much the most knowledgeable grower I ever had the good fortune to meet.
 
The formula?
 
For every "active" exhaust fan, you need 5 passive intakes to feed it efficiently. 5/1!
 
Having a single (two or three even) vent holes just doesn't allow enough air into the chamber to remove the stuff the exhaust fan pulls out.  So your fan is pulling its guts out, trying to implode the sides of the grow box.
 
But if you allow 5 passive vents, to feed your active exhaust, you will find a happy balance, and your plants will thank you for taking the trouble, with lush, healthy green growth from start to finish.
 
So with the three passive intakes in the back wall of the grow box, as well as the two in the front doors, (visible in the first picture), I think we're just about ready to install a lamp.
 

Seen the light?

This was the bit really worried me and to this day I'm not happy recommending anyone grow in a plastic box using HID lighting.
 
I weighed up all the risks, double checked every electrical connection...twice, and took the gamble.
 
In this instance it paid off, but had I had even the feintest chance of a second option, I would have taken that over this so you have been warned!
 
Without further ado, I was ready to put some plants in.

Next time we'll take a look at what strain I decided to use, and why.