An indoor green house,I was wondering if anyone knows how I could build one for next to nothing in my basement.Or is that a really stupid question?Also I'm wondering if anyone has ever don't indoor veggy container gardens?

I don't have any info off-hand, but if you have a decent library in your area, this is a fun project: look at gardening books, especially ones from the 60s and 70s. They always end up with a picture of an indoor greenhouse in some basement with mirrored walls and red shag carpeting.

Or, go to your nearest big bookstore (the kind where you can sit around and read the books without buying them), and see if you can find any titles on indoor gardening. There should be plenty of them, and at least a few will touch upon the idea of indoor gardening with a greenhouse.

Here's a very basic idea: get a cheap tall bookshelf with adjustable shelving (or build your own out of cheap materials). Suspend a plant light under each shelf so it shines on the shelf below (follow manufacturer's instructions on the appropriate distance between the plant and the light). Put plants on the shelves under the lights. Cover the whole shebang in plastic sheeting, leaving some of it open so air can circulate. Be careful to keep the plastic sheeting away from the lamps so you don't end up with a smoldering plastic contraption.

Or, if you've got a very sunny area in your home, do the bookshelf/plastic sheeting bit without the lights - just keep it in the sun. Just make sure to water the plants thoroughly in either case, since they'll dry out faster in a warm environment.

I have a container gardener book I really LOVE. It's Bountiful Countainer by McGee and Stuckey. All about edible plants that can be grown in containers, a very thorough book.

It does assume you'll be putting your plants outside, and so doesn't deal directly with light issues. It does some - advice like painting the wall near the plants white to reflect more light is still good.

But I assume that if you get enough flourescent light fixtures (incandesents and other types of bulbs don't make the ultraviolet light plants need) set up, and turn them on/off daily (plants do need some darkness every day), you should be good. For successful plant growing, you'll probably also need to have a warm day/cool night cycle (plants don't do their best when kept the same temperature all the time). I sorta remember most plants doing best with a 20 degree high/low temp difference, but you should probably try to check on that with other research.