i say no soil..soil is very hard.
i can do a better grow and it cheaper..this is a hempy bucket,cost me $8 per plant and is all re-usable and you can get the stuff from walmart.
get the plastic dome it comes with 72 peat pucks for $10.thats a good way to get the seeds going.when roots are coming out the bottom put it into the hempy bucket and put an osculating fan on low to help the stem strength.no nutes for 2-3 weeks from there.
a timer is about $10 at walmart(make sure you get the one with 3 prongs so you have the ground,the cheapest ones only have 2 and your ballast will not plug in) your going to go 18 on 6 off for veg.i would hold off on the hps light for a few weeks,just get some 6500k cfl's and keep them 2 inches from the plant tops,this will help stop the stretching your going to get from the hps.
pm me if you want to try this way,its very easy .i can tell you every thing you will need to know and i'm always here to help.