To fully understand why I maintain the plant blog on this site, I have to tell you about my last experience with a similar blog using a grow tent back in 2016. It was such a wonderful experience, I decided to recreate something similar now, almost a full decade later.
 |
Back in February of 2016 I purchased a “grow tent” that was 76″X76″X76″ – a literal perfect square. I assembled it in the corner of my efficiency apartment and was pleased to see it fit between the full wall and a short wall separating it from the entranceway. I’d looked online for a tent for a while and this one was perfect. I’m 6’2″ (74″) and since the tent was 76″ I didn’t have to crouch when inside. |
| I was also pleased to be able to arrange shelves and tables inside of it without any trouble at all, always having a few inches in one direction or another to spare. I purchased a 4′ wide chrome shelving unit that was 6′ tall, a 4′ banquet table, and a corner chrome shelving unit that I assembled in two parts and placed them together to make a unique 4′ wide platform without corners. |
 |
 |
I purchased some ordinary 4′ fluorescent shop lights to go on the chrome shelving unit. I purchased an extra-deep 4′ fluorescent fixture that held six tubes that went under the cornerless platform. And I purchased a rounded 4′ light setup on legs that had 12 flourescent bulbs in it. I also hung an outdoor thermometer in the upper corner. It was remarkable how everything fit so well. |
| I rearranged things in there from time to time, but overall it was so much fun to have this setup in my apartment. I was a little worried at what management might say, but when they did their regular checkup and maintenance rounds, the manager loved it the instant she saw it and said it was the coolest thing she’d ever seen in an apartment in the 16 years she had worked there. |
 |
 |
Soon after I set it up, I started a daily blog just like the one on this site. Every day I would take pictures of different plants and post them along with details on their progress. I had orchids and African Violets and cacti and even cucumbers! In fact, on the right side in this photo you can see the yellow flowers from cucumbers that were blooming and producing. It was a whole lot of fun. |
| There was also something very relaxing and soothing about being inside my apartment, sitting on the couch and watching TV, then getting up and taking a few steps and suddenly finding myself bathed in light and surrounded by all kinds of plants and flowers. Blogging about it was the kind of hobby that was very fulfilling, as I was able share my interest with an audience of like-minded people. |
 |
Though I’ve long since gotten rid of that grow tent and moved from that apartment, the fond memories of those experiences have remained with me to this day. Now that I’m in a situation where I have the space, materials and time, I decided to rekindle some of those feelings by starting a similar blog here. But rather than try to re-create the experience I had then, I have set out to create something entirely new. I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoy doing and writing it and I especially hope it inspires you to do something you’ve always wanted to do but never had the drive to begin. If this inspires you, then it’s worth it!
