You'll get as many answers as there are people on this forum unfortunately. We all think our was is best and have no problem telling you how to do it. A suggestion would be to read some forums that have already answered these queries of yours. I started a "stealth" grow in '08 for my first time and had the same questions and came to Rollitup.org for the answers too. So those answers are all still here in past posts. If you just start out asking "What is the best way to grow?", you'll get more answers than you want. For example, I wanted a stealth grow that NO ONE would know about, even the wife. I built an entire addition as a "work shop", so I have a hidden room (BTW, I'm legal now too, so no more need for stealth). Very small with only enough room for 2 plants, but the harvests I get now last me the year until next harvest. I also don't use soil, I use coconut husks with an Autopot system. (Click this link to see what it is:
http://homeharvest.com/hydroponicsautopot.htm) I use nutes designed for this medium. I have left the girls alone for as many as 10 days at a time because of this self watering system...just make sure to have a big enough bucket for the water supply. I started out with flouro lights and now I use MH & HPS/250 watt. A lot more heat and wattage used, but the result was worth it. Again, you'll find a lot of people willing to give input here, these are great folks. But again, I'd suggest doing a little research here first before you start with the questions so you'll be able to decide which posts to listen to and which might not be your cup of tea. Does that make sense to you? I don't mind answering questions and giving input as anyone else here would. So have fun and the first bit of advice I'll give you is this---THESE ARE WEEDS SO TREAT THEM AS SUCH AND DON'T MAKE IT TOO HARD ON YOURSELF AND HAVE FUN GROWING. Jarhead out.