is this your first grow? its fucking fun isn't it!
No, it's actually my third - but I am still very, very much an amateur (as I'm sure is patently obvious

). My first was a real labour of love. I had 18 plants in my attic, in soil pots under 6 x 6ft standard flourescent tubes and 2000W of halogen spotlights, with timers and fans, in a space totally encased in aluminium foil (I felt like the biggest smackhead in the world when I rocked up to the counter in my local co-op with 12 rolls of extra width turkey foil... :D). The lights were suspended on a platform which could be raised by a system of chains and pulleys. The heat and humidity in that attic was unbelievable - I'm amazed it didn't cause a fire!! Also, It was costing a fortune in electricity. However, I wasn't using proper nutrients and the lighting wasn't at optimum wavelengths. As a result, the eventual harvest was mediocre to say the least! Still, I learned a lot from that exercise - namely to never grow like that again

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My second grow was last year and was outside - again from unknown seeds, initially in pots and eventually in the ground. That was all a bit of a faff as well 'cos I wasn't sure what to expect. I had no idea how quickly they would grow outside in proper sunlight, so was constantly repotting/replanting, as well as having to build ever bigger concealment devices. The yield wasn't too bad (I never weighed it), but nowt special, though I was quite happy with the potency).
This year, I just germinated 20 seeds on a saucer on the window ledge, then planted in peat-free compost in pots and when the plants were sturdy enough after several weeks I transplanted directly into the ground inside one of those Wilkos plastic greenhouse affairs. Much less hassle, but still not expecting brilliant results due to unknown strain, no tailored nutrients and the risk of an early frost, though I reckon the greenhouse will protect from that long enough to harvest at the right time.
But yes, it is fun... I love checking them daily, and growing yer own drugs is a buzz in itself

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Thanks for the link, some interesting info there regarding different strains etc..