This archive brings together practical, experience-led articles from The Backyard Farmer, covering gardening, DIY, indoor growing, foraging, reviews, and sustainable living. Each post is written with real-world use in mind — focusing on working with nature, building practical skills, and making sustainable choices more accessible.
The Spider Farmer SE5000 is a 480W bar-style LED grow light well suited to 4×4 grow tents. I installed it in my own 4×4 tent after using an older board-style LED, giving me a direct comparison of coverage, heat, noise and usability. So far, the
The current Spider Farmer SF4000 is a 450W board-style LED grow light designed primarily for 4×4ft indoor setups. At around £270–£290, it offers strong value for growers keeping tomatoes, chillies, peppers and other demanding crops indoors through fruiting. It is dimmable, fanless and silent, although
Spider Farmer makes capable LED grow lights and remains a credible option for UK home growers, with compact board-style fixtures through to larger multi-bar lights. I have used a 2024 Spider Farmer SF2000 Pro over multiple growing cycles, including for indoor tomatoes, so I can
The Mars Hydro TSL 2000 is a strong fit for growers who want efficient, full-spectrum lighting across a 2×4 ft grow space without stepping up to a much larger fixture. Its long, narrow shape gives it particularly even coverage across rectangular tents, while adjustable dimming
Introduction This Mars Hydro TSW2000 Review highlights why this LED grow light is a top choice for indoor gardeners.. Operating at only 300W of power, it replaces traditional 400W HPS lights, delivering comparable performance while reducing energy costs by up to 25%. Designed to support
Introduction: Why the Phlizon 2000W Grow Light Stands Out Indoor gardening combines creativity with science, and selecting the right grow light can significantly impact your plants’ health and yield. Many growers choose the Phlizon 2000W LED Grow Light because it consistently offers: Whether you’re cultivating
** DISCONTINUED** It looks as though Viparspectra have stopped producing this model! There are now x2 products in the new range, the 1500w Viparspectra LED for 2024 and the 3000w version. I will be reviewing both of these products soon and will link them here
The Spider Farmer SF2000 Pro is the 200W grow light I use for a medium-sized indoor setup. I bought it in November 2024 and have since used it through multiple growing cycles, including for tomatoes. Its square footprint, Samsung LM301H EVO diodes, dimming and silent
The Mars Hydro TS1000 LED Grow Light Review has gained immense popularity among indoor gardening enthusiasts for its exceptional performance and energy efficiency. Whether you’re cultivating vibrant vegetables, fragrant herbs, or beautiful flowers, this grow light is designed to support every stage of plant growth.
The Mars Hydro TS1000 is the best overall LED grow light for most UK home growers. I use the Spider Farmer SF2000 Pro for a larger medium-sized setup, while the slim SF300 suits propagation and the FC-E3000 suits larger fruiting canopies. The remaining recommendations are