The minimum kit
A grow tent, a light, a fan with a carbon filter, a small oscillating fan, a timer, a hygrometer, a pH meter, a pH adjustment kit, a few pots, and a bag of decent soil. That is the floor. Skipping the carbon filter, the hygrometer, or the pH meter is the most common rookie move and the most expensive one when something goes wrong.
- 2x2 ft tent (Vivosun or Spider Farmer): about $70
- 150W to 250W LED quantum board light: $130 to $220
- 4-inch inline fan plus carbon filter combo: $90 to $140
- Small oscillating clip fan: $20
- 24-hour analog timer or smart plug: $10 to $25
- Hygrometer and thermometer combo: $15
- pH and PPM/EC meter pair: $30 to $60
- pH up and pH down bottles: $20
- 5-gallon fabric pots, three pack: $15
- 1 cubic foot of FoxFarm Ocean Forest or similar: $25
- Total: roughly $425 to $640
The 2x2 vs 2x4 vs 4x4 decision
A 2x2 tent fits one or two plants and is the cheapest entry point. A 4x4 fits four plants comfortably and pushes much higher total yield, but it doubles your light, ventilation, and electricity costs. If you are testing whether you actually like growing, start at 2x2. If you already know you want a real harvest and have the space, jump to 4x4 once and stay there.
LED light wattage versus what is advertised
Light brands sell on "equivalent wattage" numbers that mean nothing. The number that matters is actual wall draw. For a 2x2 tent, target 150 to 200 actual watts of full-spectrum LED. For a 4x4, target 400 to 500 actual watts. Spider Farmer SF series, Mars Hydro TS series, and HLG quantum boards are the three brand families most growers settle on at the budget tier.
Things most guides forget to tell you
Your hands are going to smell, and your apartment is going to smell during flower no matter what filter you have. Friends will notice. A spare HEPA air purifier in the room (not the tent) helps. Also: you will spill nutrient solution at least once. Put the tent in a place where that does not matter, and put down a vinyl mat under it.
Electricity is small but not zero. A 250W setup running 18 hours a day on veg and 12 hours a day on flower at $0.20/kWh costs about $25 a month average, more in summer when AC has to compensate for the heat.