Timing is the key. Garlic is best planted in the fall when it will go through "vernalization" via cold temps. Growing it inside doesn't give it the cold it needs unless you plant it (one per pot) and put it in the fridge for six or more weeks, then pull it out and try to smoke it for growth under bright lights. I'd say wait and plant in fall...why waste the time and money in energy use? Cheaper to buy it at the store.

I live in the Pacific Northwest and bring my potted citrus in each winter. Usually, I just put it in a poorly lit corner with an incandescent and minimal watering. Yes the fruit will hold, and I have an orange tree that will even bloom under those conditions ( much to my surprise ), but will not set fruit ( not to my surprise ). Don't let them get TOO dry, though. However, this year, I brought them into the living room and set up a lot of grow lights. I have two very small Meyer Lemons, one of the original type and on improved. Both are sharing 24" fluorescent grow lights with other plants, and both are blooming. You can buy these 24" fixtures, including the bulb for $10 or less at Walmart or sometimes the supermarket. The light usually has a reddish color. You can replace the bulb, and if you do, get a sunlight bulb, or, if you want to spring for it, a full spectrum bulb (garden shop). If you have a lot of space and want a bigger indoor garden, get a 48" shop light which holds two bulbs. Put in one sunlight bulb and one daylight bulb ( which will look blue next to the sunlight bulb ). Suspend this from a chain and hook in the ceiling. This gives a good light combination. Incidentally, YOU TOO will enjoy these lights, especially on dark winter days. If you are growing them with a lot of light, though, check the soil constantly. They can use a lot of water -- just don't over water. I don't know whether these can self pollinate. Maybe someone could tell me? Mona Everett

i would agree with watergal and make it a single room because this will save you $ on ventilation and material costs, etc. although if you want tighter control you might want to consider isolating the 2 types of light i would not recommend mylar if you can get your hands on foylon; its basically plastic woven mylar, much more durable for cleaning/applying, the surface tends to diffuse the light more resulting in less hot spots. i stapled mine up, but would use velcro strips w/ adhesive if i redid it. white paint is a very cost effective solution. but not as much performance as foylon, just make sure you use the bathroom type paint for humidity/mildew concerns. also another consideration; if you only intend to use the MH for vegetative growth you might be able to get away with a much smaller bulb and space for a veg. room. rule of thumb i like is flowing area is 3X the veg area. this is assuming you will be growing mostly tomatoes or fruiting plants

@dicot you are right, I don't have a lifetime of experience, and my aim with this post was to show other new growers how to get through the first weeks or months. I posted this after a search on the site that showed several attempts that ended badly for the plants in a short time. It's great that you knew all about gardening and whitefly right off the bat, as you can see I had to learn the hard way :D As for root rot, I shared what worked for me, for this plant, 100% of the time so far: cut, stick in honey, stick in moist soil. Might not work in all soils for all plants, but I think it's important that new S.Divinorum growers know about the honey as a rooting hormone, for when they want to propagate. Thank you all for the replies, good to see people are tolerant of all growers here, regardless of motives that got us started :) I am once again updating from work, so I don't have a pic to show my DYI "hothouse". However the plant is growing, I have once again large leaves, and all is well. Holes in the hothouse do provide air circulation, and I see no signs of anything wrong at this time. Cheers :)