I live in an apartment and I want to grow 1-4 plants.
What style apartment? How many neighbors & where are they located?
I want to either make a system and place it on the porch
If you are worried about the smell because of neighbors, having it outside is going to make it all the more noticeable. Now you not only have to worry about the wind blowing their way, but you also have to worry about anyone seeing it. Unless you intentionally go micro, the plants can get pretty large. Additionally, depending on how extensive you go, & the route to the grow space, people are going to see you traveling that path, a lot. Bringing water in & out, plants in & out, any maintenance you have to do on the tent. If you put it outside, they will also notice you spending so much time in your grow space. (which you will)
or make a small setup and place it in the apartment.
I think we need to know what your definition of "small" is? Tents are made for exactly what you want... an instant grow space. I would consider a 4'x4' x 7' tall, a small tent. You might not. So we can't really get anywhere until you figure that out. Also, we would need to know more precisely how many plants. There is a massive difference in what you will need for 1 plant, vs 4.
If I place it in the apartment I need it to not smell or smell very little.
You will have to pay attention to what strains you grow then. Super Silver Haze is probably off the list. If you spend the $, the smell is pretty easily remedied with a carbon filter. But some strains, once you open the tent, the smell will travel quickly.
Do you have any suggestions for equipment and strains?
The effects of strains vary because we are all unique. E.g. I have a Master OG, that I absolutely love, most other people don't appreciate it. A lot of people love Blue Dream...I'm not a fan. But if you tell us what ails you, we can get you started on the right path.
I need help with
Lighting (led vs other lighting)
Growing enclosure (tent vs. box)
Strains
Fertilizers
Any other information that would help me.
Lighting (led vs other lighting) - We need to know what your plans are for grow room size & what your ambient temperatures are in the space you plan to grow. In an apt, you probably don't want to deal with ducting, so maybe an led? But need more input.
Growing enclosure (tent vs. box) Tent's are easier obviously. Quicker to put together, easy to take apart, most have a flood table which will be important for you living in an apt. (Need to know what style apt & where you are in it vs your neighbors) You also need to be reasonably close to water. Maybe not
"need" to, but after a couple runs with an inconvenient water source you will be kicking yourself.
Strains - What have you had that you liked?
Fertilizers - You plan on doing soil type medium? or Hydro?
Soil is fairly easy. I can give you the recipe I use. It's forgiving, not much potential for flooding.
Hydro ratchets up the production quite a bit.
I think it's easier to maintain. But you have to invest in some meters & the cost of whichever hydro setup you run. However, depending on your apt situation (you might have half a duplex to yourself, I don't know yet) leaks/floods are always a concern. Unless you do DWC in an unplumbed bucket, you always have to cover that base. Still though, what if you accidentally knock a DWC bucket over? If you are on the 3rd floor of an apt, the second floor is going to get a surprise. My space is in my basement, so if it were to flood, it's not that big a deal.
If anyone lives in the OR/WA area and has extra or old equipment they want to sell let me know!
You probably won't get that many takers for something like that. It's not bad form, it's just that you are a brand new farmer. You have to work a while to build up trust. Just consult with Craigslist, usually plenty to be found there. We can't help you with what to look for without more details.
