How To Use A Mini Greenhouse For Beginners?

If you’re a beginner in the gardening or even farming life you have probably heard of greenhouses but you might not be really sure what they’re for, or if you really need one. Building or buying a greenhouse can be a considerable investment whether that’s in money or time. Regardless, you want to make sure it pays off.

So, where to begin? Well, if you were considering getting a small greenhouse or a mini greenhouse (as some people call them), this guide attempts to answer the most important question: how to use a small greenhouse?

What Is A Small Greenhouse?

A small or mini greenhouse is, as the word says, a smaller or compact structure, typically built to use in smaller gardens or backyards. You can either buy them or do them yourself, it’s not that complex of a task. As a matter of fact, some are considered portable, given the small size and simpler structure.

Generally, we consider a small greenhouse to be no more than 10 square feet. The height will completely depend on you, but normally you want them to be at least 7 feet tall, unless they need to fit on a rather low height spot, where you can make them as short as you need.

Small greenhouses, just like any greenhouse, are typically made with transparent walls and roof, which can either be glass, PVC or even just plastic. The frame itself can either be metal, plastic or wood, to help keep the greenhouse standing and trapping the sunlight inside of it.

The main goal of a mini greenhouse can vary from one person to another. Sometimes, for those who are experts, a mini greenhouse is perfect to start growing seedlings and smaller plants before they are moved outdoors or to a larger greenhouse. For others, with less space, it works just as any greenhouse would, and it’s used to grow specific plants all year round!

How To Build A Small Greenhouse?

Building a small greenhouse can be as simple as buying one from Home Depot or another retailer, or go all-in and build one yourself. In case you want to build one yourself, here are the steps:

Location

Begin by defining the exact location you want to build it, this will help you understand some of the most important factors: dimensions of the green house itself, taking care of the drainage to avoid overheating and too much humidity, as well as how much sunlight it’ll receive during the day.

Materials

Once the location is defined, you know what the size will be, then you need your materials. Will it be made with a plastic or metal frame? Will it have PVS, glass or plastic sheets to cover it?

Once that is defined, you also need to take into account how many shelves you want in it (if any), or if you don’t really want shelves and will grow taller plants.

Build The Frame

The first part is to build the frame from whichever material you choose. If it’s metal, you might want to either use bolts and nuts, or find someone that can help you weld the structure. Another common option is to use PVC tubes, which have the “elbow-shaped” ends that can connect the tubes, and should be strong enough to hold the weight of transparent PVC panels or plastic sheets.

Cover The Frame

Time to cover the frame. Normally, for mini greenhouses, people like to use transparent plastic sheets that just cover all the frame. Then, you can either use pins, nails or similar to pin the plastic sheet to the frame and the ground, trying to create as airtight as a structure as you can.

Add Shelves

Then, proceed to go inside your greenhouse and start adding shelves to it, if you want them and need them. Make sure these are positioned in a way that light is well distributed amongst all shelves, for seeds to grow easily.

Prepare The Soil

Finally, prepare the soil. Begin by hydrating the pop-up soil with around 300 ml of water. The idea is that the soil is moist, not wet, moist.

Then, place the soil either directly on the ground or inside pots that you’ll be placing over the shelves.

Once the pots or planting ground is ready, place the seeds inside of them. Don’t bury them deep, don’t flatten the soil, be gentle. Position them in the moist soil and let them breathe.

Keep the greenhouse in a bright, warm area away from direct sunlight. Ventilate it daily and keep the soil moist.

Where To Position A Mini Greenhouse?

Positioning a mini greenhouse is a simple task. The most important part is defining where in your garden, backyard, or property do you have a free space to actually position it. Keep in mind it must a space where it gets a lot of sunlight all year round, and preferably facing the south.

On top of that, it must be protected from other elements such as heavy rain, snow, or strong gusts of wind. You don’t want it falling apart due to the wind!

Make sure it’s easy for you to get inside the greenhouse or at least easy to access it. Make sure it’s comfortable for you to manipulate it and take care of the plants inside of it.

Finally, make sure there is good drainage and ventilation. You don’t want it to trap way too much humidity.

How To Use A Mini Greenhouse?

Mini greenhouses can be used in many different ways, whether that’s to start growing plants all year rounds for beginners, or to grow very specific seedlings faster than usual.

You heard that right, small greenhouses are great to start growing seeds. Usually, the seeds are placed over single-shelf units, since they provide ample space and light for the seedlings to grow faster. In a larger greenhouse with multi-shelf units, the seedlings need to be placed strategically so that they receive enough sunlight and the humidity level is perfect, which can often be a hassle. A controlled environment inside a small greenhouse traps humidity even better, which is excellent for the seeds and for root cutting.

That said, clearly you must still monitor the conditions of these smaller greenhouses to avoid overheating, too much humidity, and the very common: diseases.

What To Grow In A Small Greenhouse?

Smaller greenhouses are not suitable for larger plants or trees, but they are suitable for their seedlings. Essentially, any seed can start growing in a small greenhouse to then be repotted or relocated elsewhere.

When it comes to specific plants that can grow forever or continuously in a mini greenhouse, then we have:

• All herbs
• All vegetables
• Tomatoes
• Smaller fruits such as strawberries

Wrapping It Up

Small greenhouses are a great thing to start your gardening and plant loving journey. They are easy to build, maintain and manipulate. They grow smaller plants or crops fast, and are great for beginners. Plus, they don’t take much space and will fit pretty much any gardening.

Hopefully this guide will help you understand all you need about small greenhouses, how to use them, what to grow in them and much more.