i have grown a very nice and healthy plant in a cabinet i got from target or meijer or something like that. it is about 1x1x3. i had a 150 watt hps in the top with a pc fan blowing out at the top and passsive intake at the bottom (created by drilling 1 inch holes in the bottom corner. if the temp get too hot you can use a plexi glass piece to put below the bulb. if you do this you should leave a inch or 2 crack so air can still pass through the slot. with this you will only get one plant finishing. if i were you though i would start 2 or 3 in like a 6 inch pot. grow them to about 6 or 7 inches then top. let it recover for a week, then flower. once you find your best female, transplant to a bigger pot...square and relatively short was best, then just watch her grow
i used this back in the college days. i still use the room with cfls now for beginning veg and works like a charm....if you dont want to use hps, then you can get these fixtures at HD that have 3 sockets. i drilled those into the top and have up to 6 cfls in that 1sq. ft. area.
hope this is clear enough, but if you are thinking about going this route feel free to ask if you get stuck