So, it all started last year, when I decided that we were ready for a herb garden, to provide fresh herbs year-round. We were tired of going to the grocery store, spending $3 for a bunch of herbs when we would only use half. So, there it was. We planted an herb garden. Since we live in an apartment building in NYC, it had to be indoors.
I went to the local wine store and asked for a wine crate that they were going to get rid of. They easily handed it over, and we had a new planter. We sprouted some seeds and left the pots in the crate, on a table, in the sunniest spot of the apartment.
After a short period of time, we realized that the apartment had an arid climate and we needed to keep humidity in. During the same time period, it was clearly noticed that the apartment did not get enough sun, so we would need an artificial lighting system.
A trip to Home Depot and the same wine store answered my questions. I picked up another wine crate, two CFL’s (Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs), a hanging construction light wiring, a light bulb Y splitter, and a sheet of Plexiglas, and started to build. I framed posts on the outside of the lower wine crate and used gorilla glue to adhere the cut down Plexiglas sheet to the sides. I then took the other wine crate – the newly acquired one – flipped it upside down, and drilled a large hole in it. I slipped the construction light socket through and connected the Y splitter from the other side. I screwed both CFL’s in, and placed it over the top of the Plexiglas greenhouse.
Reid Pikul 
