Building a Miniature Green House

Organic gardening can be a wonderful hobby and a smart gardener realizes that in order to succeed one must utilize every tool at their disposal. Among these, a miniature greenhouse represents an excellent way to protect plants from harsh weather changes in spring and fall that bring frost, killing otherwise healthy vegetation overnight. Best of all, building a miniature greenhouse requires no real skill or previous experience and the cost of building materials for a single structure is less than the cost of the plants that will be protected.

The first step to building a miniature greenhouse is to determine the intended purpose. Since a small greenhouse can be used to house flats temporarily overnight, cover new plants in the ground round-the-clock until they can be thinned and moved, or cover a permanent building a Miniature Green House raised garden bed the size and access features matter a great deal in selecting a size and construction type. Once the greenhouse purpose has been established it becomes a simple task to consider the possible configurations and choose which is most appropriate for ease of use.

The next task in building a miniature greenhouse is to consider the availability, cost, and durability of possible building materials. While wood may at first glance appear to be stronger, more attractive, and more durable as a material for the greenhouse frame it really is not.
It tends to be stiff and unwavering in high wind therefore prone to breakage and moisture causes wood to rot quickly, weakening the integrity of its overall strength. On top of these negative features, wood can also be problematic to work with in making the shape of a greenhouse, and the cost of seasoned framing wood can be expensive.

Plastic pipe or PVC such as that used in plumbing within the average home is an outstanding choice as a material to frame a miniature greenhouse. It is extremely durable, resistant to the elements, and can be shaped and bent to sharp angles with minimal effort. As far as the cost goes PVC piping is a superior bargain in that it can easily serve duty for 20 to 30 years as framing for a miniature greenhouse with little if any maintenance required.
Once the purpose and framing material has been established it is necessary to determine which coverage is best for a miniature greenhouse.

In most instances, the clear choice is plastic greenhouse film that is 6 millimeters in thickness.

Thicker plastic may not allow enough UV light to be received by plants and thinner plastic may tear and need to be replaced frequently. 6 millimeters is strong enough to withstand a reasonably stiff wind while usually allowing 90 percent of UV rays inside the barrier. This type of covering for a miniature greenhouse can last up to 4 years before replacement is necessary and it is generally an inexpensive purchase.

To build a basic 10-foot-long by 5-foot wide miniature greenhouse the materials needed would be 7 pieces of 1/2 inch diameter PVC pipe in 10 foot10-foot lengths, a piece of 6-millimeter thickness greenhouse film 20 feet long by 15 feet wide, and 10 small rocks about the size of a human hand.
After determining where the miniature greenhouse will be situated take one piece of the PVC pipe and press the end into the ground to a depth of at least 8 or 9 inches.

Grasp the pipe near the top and slowly bend it in the middle before depressing the other end into the soil at the same depth. Continue this process until all 5 bent pipes are placed 2 feet apart and standing of their own accord.

The next step is to lay the greenhouse film over the pipe frame, centering it to extend an equal amount from each side and end of the greenhouse. Take one of the remaining pieces of pipe and lay each flat on top of the greenhouse film on each side of the greenhouse and roll the excess film around it in a motion toward the structure before securing it in place with a few rocks. Lastly, fold in the plastic at the ends and the job is completed.