Portable Greenhouse – An Excellent Alternative For Gardening

Greenhouse and cover
Image by newlyplanted via Flickr

 If you are a city or suburban gardener then weather extremes can be very frustrating for you.  Your gardening is shutdown in the winter.      

One thing you might want to consider is a portable greenhouse.  These range from fairly small to 8×10′ and you will be amazed at the kind of gardening projects you can accomplish in that space considering that you also have shelves and tables to hold the plants.  Your gardening activities can continue even into the worse winter months if you plan and add electric and passive solar heating.
You can build your own from plans or a kit, but as simple as they are – a simple frame and plastic covering you might as well save even more and use plans.  In these small sizes construction will take anywhere from a couple of hours to a day depending on the size and detail of your choices. 

Your greenhouse, like the larger models should have a screen door and a screen vent that allows air to circulate and allows for cooling when it is hot.  You can also let outside air in to prepare plants that you have started in the winter to acclimate themselves for transplanting outdoors.  When the vents close you can increase the humidity if you want to help plants that need it.  Otherwise you can keep possibly damaging wind and rain out.

Most commercial kits make use of UV resistant material that resists rips and tears.  Velcro, snaps, or zippers are used for fasteners on the openings.  If you decide to go with plans you might do the same or actually use a hung door.  Either way, your portable greenhouse will keep you gardening year round.

You can use polycarbonate or polyethylene plastic for any or all of the greenhouse covering.  Some people use it for both the walls and roof while others use aluminum sheets for the roof.  Usually kits will use an aluminum frame while construction using plans would use a wooden frame.

Grow Year Round With A Portable Greenhouse

The benefits of a portable greenhouse couldn’t be easier to see.  You will be able to grow year round, protecting your plants in the winter, being able to grow your own seedlings.  In summer you can provide a stable environment for the plants, and in fall you can continue even though the days have begun to grow shorter and the nights get colder.

Portable greenhouses are inexpensive compared to a permanent structure.  Portable greenhouses can also be fitted into the smallest backyards.  And you know, there are even portable greenhouses as big as 50 by 100 feet.  They are portable because they can be assembled quickly by 2 people and easily moved with partial dis-assembly.  These larger portable greenhouses are mostly used commercially whereas the 8×10′ and smaller are usually bought by backyard greenhouse enthusiasts. 

Types of Portable Greenhouse

As with full sized permanent greenhouses there are various styles available.  Lean-to which can be attached to a house or garage to save on construction costs and ease of providing electricity and water.

Miniature portable greenhouses which are collapsible.  These are various sizes and can be used for perennials and other small plants.  They can also be used to start plants in the spring.

 

I invite you to have a look at some great greenhouse plans, visit http://buildagreenhouse.org/suggests/BuildAGreenhouse.php and discover plans and ideas to build the greenhouse you’ve been dreaming about.  Build your own greenhouse!

 

Additional Web Resources: Build Your Own Greenhouse

  • Tips In Building Your Small Greenhouse | Make Green House Guides – … Equipments that a Grower Must Have · How Greenhouse Climates Work in the Growth of Plants · Tips In Building Your Small Greenhouse · Free Greenhouse Plan for You · Thinking of Buying a Greenhouse · How to Build Your Own Greenhouse …
  • How to Build a Greenhouse – Greenhouses are becoming a very popular option for people who love to garden, have decided to start gardening, or want to start a gardening business. With the.
  • How To Build Your Own Greenhouse – A person may have the pleasure of building his own greenhouse. He may choose from various designs and sizes he would like to build. A greenhouse gives a person comfort whenever he attends to his plants, vegetables, flowers, and orchids. …
  • Growing Vegetable Plants From Seed | Al’s Topics – If you’re one of the many Americans who will be cultivating a vegetable garden this year, one of the first decisions you’ll have to make is whether to grow your plants from seed or purchase transplants from a nursery. In this article, we’ll explore the pros and cons to both methods, and we’ll provide a basic how to guide for starting your own plants from seed. There are two primary deciding factors in whether to start plants from seed.

  • Sana BAMA » Getting The Most Out Of Your New Backyard Greenhouse – Imagine fresh-cut flowers gracing your Christmas table or home-grown peas and carrots filling your Thanksgiving bowls. With a greenhouse or solar shed on your property, they can become realities. It’s no wonder then that every backyard gardener dreams of owning his or her own greenhouse.
  • Meeting 6: This Wednesday – What: Phoenix DIY 6 When: Wednesday, March 26 7:30pm Where: Conspire Phoenix 901 N 5th St (on the NE corner of 5th St and Garfield) Phoenix, AZ 85006 [map]. This month’s meeting will be outside at Conspire. Please bring a chair or two.
  • How To Build A Greenhouse Out of Recycled Materials – Why do you want to build your own greenhouse? If you want to build your greenhouse to grow organic foods for the family, why not build it from recycled materials and materials you can easily find to salvage?
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  1. By pligg.com on April 7, 2010 at 10:20 pm

    A Greenhouse For All Seasons, Build a Portable Greenhouse…

    As with full sized permanent greenhouses there are various styles available. Lean-to which can be attached to a house or garage to save on construction costs and ease of providing electricity and water….

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