Indians used to place dead fish a foot under each seed they planted for corn. IMO whatever works for you is the best method but I do think a lot of people spend way more money and put a little too much thought into this. It's not quite as easy as planting a seed and growing it out but it's not much more difficult either. A good blend of nutrients, good sunshine a well drained medium and an efficient way to deal with spider mites is pretty much all it takes. Indoors there are other variables to consider as well as it's more time consuming. I'm pretty much at the stage where I water every other day and feed about once a week. FWIW I use worm castings 2 cups, 2 cups of manure compost, a table spoon of miracle grow, a table spoon of kelp/seaweed extract, a table spoon of molasses, a table spoon of epsom salt, 8 fish oil capsules, 8 cal/mag/zinc vitamins crushed up and a half cup of whey protein super advanced body building fomula with creatine. I mix this with five gallons of water and aerate overnight with a fish pump, I put 32 oz on each plant then another 32 oz of straight water.