maybe i should ask this question in another section, but i consider myself a "stink buddy" and i trust the people here. i dont feel i will ever be able to wrap my head around the information regarding lighting, such as penetration and spectrum.
Right now i dont have the time or money for the full setup i want, but eventually i would like to be able to grow all the fruits and vegetables for my household along with of coarse miss mary jane, i would like to start piecing it together but i have no idea what is really the best choice when thinking about the lighting/heat issues.
my garden would be mj plants, lettuce, spinach, celery, beans, cucumber, kale, strawberry, and maybe blueberry if possible.
i was hoping those with knowledge and experience could help me focus my research to one option....
1) sticking with HID and going with a/c (PROS:tried tested true)(CONS: i would need LOTS of light, which is lots of heat, = lots of electricity)
2) sticking with HID and going watercooled (PROS: efficient, uses HID) (CONS: lots of lights, lots of heat, = lots of electricity, waterlines running all around)
both of these still have heat that needs to be exhausted, either from chiller or a/c unit. since i dont have central ducting i cant send it through my home and during winter i cant send it outside so this is an issue i guess.
3)going with LED (PROS:low heat, low electricity)(CONS: i have no idea if they can grow quality plants, if so what do you buy, or do you DIY, and upgrade as they improve)
4)plasma, induction, or whatever other cool shit is coming out (PROS:low heat, low electricity) (CONS: i have no idea if these things are good enough for what we do..)
any input is appreiated