Plant your seedlings off to a great start with building a simple, inexpensive greenhouse. You can make a greenhouse for a single plant or one for several plants. This is a great way to give a decorative addition to your home's greenery.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Make a Mini Greenhouse with Bottles and Jars
Step 1. Use a one liter bottle of soda
You can use a simple one-liter plastic bottle to make a wide variety of greenhouses. These are ideal for growing a single, short, shallow rooted plant. Some examples are an orchid, a small fern, or a cactus. Look for bottles of various shapes, as they can give you more customization options.
- To make a soda bottle greenhouse, start with two bottles. One should be slightly wider than the other if possible. Carefully cut the top off the thinnest bottle, just past the point where it curves to form the section of the tube. Cut as straight and clean as possible.
- Use hot glue to secure the opening of the top of the bottle you just cut from the bottom of the rest of the bottle. This will form a small pot to use as a base for your mini greenhouse. Smooth out any rough edges so that it sits evenly flat on a board.
- Then make the greenhouse lid by cutting off the top that protrudes out of the wider bottle, perhaps an inch below where the top curves into the pipe section. The top of this bottle then becomes a lid for the thinnest bottle you glued the base to.
- If you use this style, be sure to put an adequate amount of grow material at the bottom of your greenhouse. This style does not have drainage and will need to be treated primarily as a terrarium.
- A simpler method would be to cut off the bottom of a liter bottle and simply push the top into the dirt or over a jar, but this look won't look as good as the one obtained with the method described above.
Step 2. Use a three and a half liter bottle of soda
It is possible to use a bottle of this type in the same way as a one-liter bottle. However, it will need to be reasonably tube-shaped if it is to go over a vase or serve as a structure for it. This bottle can accommodate up to three small plants of the same variety used with the one liter jars.
You can also use this bottle to create a base that drains, by piercing the bottom and cutting 2.5cm vertical lines into the bottom edge of the lid. Make sure you leave at least 2.5cm of the pot above the desired soil row when cutting for the lid. This will prevent the earth from falling out when the bottle is open
Step 3. Use a jar
If you want to grow very small plants, you can use a jar with a lid to create a small terrarium. The jars are available in a wide variety of sizes and must be chosen in ways appropriate to the size of the plant you intend to grow. Simply fill it with growth materials appropriate for a terrarium and you will have a nice, little greenhouse.
Step 4. Use an aquarium
You can use an aquarium to make a mini greenhouse or a terrarium. A square or rectangular container can be used or a spherical aquarium can be used. It will depend on the size and number of plants you intend to grow.
- A small plant in a stand can be simply covered with a wide opening upside down aquarium.
- A spherical aquarium can be used as a terrarium, covered with plastic or left open at the top.
- A large aquarium can be treated like a non-drainage terrarium: holes can be drilled in the bottom to provide drainage or, if it has a glass bottom, it can be flipped to form a greenhouse. If left with the opening at the top, a wrap-around plastic lid must be created or by using the wooden frame described below.
Method 2 of 3: Make a Mini Greenhouse with a Photo Frame
Step 1. Get some frames
You will need eight glass frames or equivalent. You will need four 12.5x17.5cm frames, two 20x25cm and two 27.5x35cm frames. Sand the frames to remove any unwanted base and paint.
Frames like these can be purchased at a local grocery or store, at an art shop, at a camera shop, or online at various sites. They can also be found in inexpensive supermarkets such as Goodwill
Step 2. Form the main structure
Form the main body of the greenhouse by aligning a 27.5 x 35 cm frame with the 20 x 25 cm frame so that the 27.5 cm and 25 cm sides touch with the rear side of the 25 cm frame pressed against the outside edge of the 27.5 cm frame.
- Attach the frames together by drilling a small hole through the inside edge of the larger frame and halfway into the smaller frame. Then use a screw the size of the hole to join the frames securely.
- Continue joining the frames until you have a rectangle formed by the four largest frames.
Step 3. Form the roof
Form the roof of the greenhouse by joining the four smaller frames together. They will be stuck together two by two and then join together to form a triangle roof. A hinge will then be inserted to allow you to open the greenhouse to water the plants inside.
- Place two small frames side by side, so that they touch each other at the shorter ends. Then join them together by screwing 5 cm seam plates at each end of the edge. Having drilled the guide holes first will make this easier. Repeat the process with the other two 12.5x17.5cm frames.
- Join the smaller frame structures to each other, placing them at 90 ° along the long edge and screwing them together with 90 ° arms to make them secure.
Step 4. Fill and secure the roof
The roof must be fixed to the rest of the greenhouse structure in such a way that access to the interior can be easily obtained. You need to be able to simply put it on top, but making it adhere to the rest of the frame will be safer. Be sure to eliminate possible gaps by finding filler for the roof terminations.
- Join the roof to the structure using two 25mm hinges, equidistant, along the edges to be joined.
- Fill in the triangular gap with material cut from the back of the larger frame, plywood, foam, or other material you think is appropriate. The plywood or foam would need to be thick, to make them easier to attach to the frame. Whichever material you choose, simply trace the inside of the triangle end (if using plywood or foam) or the outside edge (if using frame backing) and glue it on. The plywood can be nailed if you prefer.
Step 5. Finishes
Refine the frame with any paint and decoration you want and then reattach the glass to the frames. After this, feel free to fill your greenhouse with the proper plants.
- Use wood paint and be sure to do all your paint before replacing the glass.
- Replace the glass from inside the greenhouse and secure it using hot glue in the corners. Once the glass is in place, seal all edges with more glue. You can choose to replace glass with plastic.
Method 3 of 3: Make a Mini Greenhouse with PVC Pipe
Step 1. Find PVC pipes and joints
Since this greenhouse is modular and you have to decide on the size, the number and length of the pipes needed will vary. You will need to measure the size you want and determine how much tubing you need.
- Try dividing the larger structure into 60cm sections. This will give your greenhouse greater stability and strength.
- Use relatively thin PVC pipe, no more than 3cm wide. A good size to use would be closer to 18mm.
- Also, make sure that joints and PVC pipes are sized to fit together. This should be written on the labels, but to be sure, you can ask a hardware store employee for help and advice.
Step 2. Connect the wall pipes
Put the base and walls together, out of the pipe sections. Start by putting vertical sections of pipe together at 69 cm intervals, connecting them to horizontal sections of pipe with T-fittings. By elbowing a T-joint with a small length of pipe, you form angles in the lower horizontal section.
When you're done, you should have a horizontal rectangle or square as a base, with poles rising from the T-joints at regular intervals. The corner posts should come out of the last T-joint on the long sides, with the elbow joints and the short side of the base protruding from the "wall"
Step 3. Connect the roof pipes
Next, you will need to connect the wall pipes to the roof pipes to form a roof. It is important that the roof is not flat, as this will decrease the amount of light to be obtained, as it could also cause piles of rain and snow on the structure.
- Form the central roof structure by creating a line of PVC pipes identical to one long side of the base. The pieces must be connected with four-way joints with the same intervals as the wall posts, except for the ends which will be inserted into T-joints. From the T-joints and the four-way joints, put short sections of pipe and close them with 45 ° joints.
- Then place 45 ° joints at the top of your wall posts. Once finished, you will need to measure how much pipe is needed to join the 45 ° joints of the wall to the 45 ° joints of the central roof structure. Cut the tube once measured and insert it between each of the 45 ° joints.
Step 4. Place the plinth
Place the greenhouse on the ground base or relief you want to cover. You can connect it to the ground with poles and crossbars or to a raised bed with a channel anchor, but make sure you only connect one long side. This will allow you to raise the structure to water and take care of your plants.
Step 5. Cover
The final step will be to cover the structure with plastic or fabric, depending on your needs. If using plastic foil, use thin clear plastic and cover the entire structure with a large foil if possible. Whatever material you use, wrap the structure and then secure it with adhesive tape, possibly from packaging. Are you done!
Advice
- For the greenhouse with PVC pipes, materials other than plastic can also be used to cover the plants. During a hot summer, cover them with a shade cloth or similar fabric to prevent them from getting burned.
- For the greenhouse made of frames, remember that you can paint the frames any color you want. This makes it very customizable. Just don't forget to paint it before putting the glass in!
Warnings
- If the children are taking part in building the greenhouse, make sure they are only doing activities that are safe for them. Supervise their work at all times.
- The tools used in the creation of these greenhouses are very sharp and can be injured. Be careful.
- If you move your greenhouse, be sure it is properly supported.
