How safe is it to grow your own?

For the most part no, but the strain you're growing probably has something to do with that as well. Obviously you don't want to grow like Sour Diesel or anything skunky. Maybe try to stick to the fruit scented strains.

 

Many times some young person wants to grow one plant, gets a good small set up going and it turns out to be a male.
 
Apartments are just a non starter. you really need a house, the smell is too much to hide. Its just too dangerous, you could get busted. Start a fire and burn the place down.
 
look for a place to live first.

 

How often is your place checked?  Not for weed but just random inspections for whatever, random bed bug check you know.   The smell can be covered up easily (carbon filter) but grow tent in your living room is hard to explain.  You could do a stealth box but still harvest time is a bitch with the smell unless your neighbors are cool.  One plant can easily stink up a whole house within minutes.   

 

Depends. You could have a small stealth cabinet grow in an apartment pretty easy. The electricty bill for one plant wont be suspicious at all, and if the cabinet is done right visitors could walk by and never know.

Itll mostly come down to managing the smell, which isnt overly difficult for one plant.

 

I agree with what has already been said. Once you find the right place, after considering inspections, etc and got yourself properly set up, it mostly comes down to the strain you pick and the smell. As mentioned above with just one plant you shouldn't have much of an issue with that and things should go just fine, but prepared to have some patience. I've known people to be slightly disappointed at the end of growing just a few plants as what they've gotten at the end of it has seemed like a lot of time for just what they have but then again it depends on how much you are wanting/expecting and to grow your own you don't have to deal with anybody else

 

just don't tell anyone you're growing. and by anyone i mean literally, don't tell anyone. not your most trusted family member, best friend, gf, etc.

 

One plant isn't really worth your time and risk in an apt or anywhere for that matter. You will spend all that time stressing over getting caught and then 4 months down the road harvest maybe an ounce. The amount of money you spend on the setup would be better sitting in a savings account building until you have enough to get into a small house preferably with a basement.

 

Yea you can do it easily. I run a 250w in a 2x2x4 box, harvest 4-6 ounces off one plant. pic
 
This setup uses 400w total (fan and ballast add to the wattage) and costs about $20/ month to run. In comparison, a space heater is 1500w. I spent about $350 putting it together, plus the box or wardrobe or whatever you're going to use.
 
If you have an inspector over, you just shut off the wardrobe so he doesn't hear anything and when he leaves turn it back on. As it's already been said, the only thing you'd have to worry about is trimming your plant.
 
More pics of my grow here