How to Build a Portable Greenhouse?

As a keen gardener, you would be waiting for spring when you can sow seeds and watch the tender plants burst through soil. But with the recent bewildering weather changes, you also know that spring does not always mean good planting conditions. So, what would you do then?

This dilemma led many gardeners to buy greenhouse kits or build something on their own. If you’re looking for an affordable solution, what you need is a portable greenhouse that you can move around to give warmth, sunlight or shade to your plants, as they need. If you are planning to build a portable greenhouse, the following tutorial will help you immensely –

What You Need –

 PVC Pipe – 1 inch
 Rebar – 6 ft
 Clear plastic – 1 sheet
 Waterproof tape
 Velcro strips that are glue backed
 Tent stakes
 Hammer
 Measuring tape
 Strong cord
 Scissors
 Ladder
 Bubble level

Steps To Build a Portable Greenhouse –

1. You have to first decide how big the greenhouse will be and where you want to place it. Choose a sunny and flat spot.
2. Measure a rectangular patch in your garden and mark its edges.
3. Mark distances of 3 feet along each side of the rectangular patch. Use a marker or a rock on the marked areas. The structure should be stable.
4. Place the 6 ft rebar on the marked spots and hammer it. Make sure that it is 3 feet inside the ground.
5. The rebar should be perpendicular to the ground and should not be tipping in any direction because that would render the structure unstable.
6. After placing the rebars, you now have to make the frame for the greenhouse. Insert the PVC pipe over the rebar and stretch it by bending it over the top. Your frame is now ready.
7. Find the center of the greenhouse area by measuring its total width. Around 1½ feet on both the sides of the center is where you need to use a rock as a marker again. 1 foot away from this rock marker, use a rope or cord tied stake and hammer it into the ground. Repeat the same process for the other rock marker as well.
8. Place a plastic sheet and pull it gently over your entire structure, covering it and making sure that you cover all the PVC pipes. Use rocks to hold down the edges on the sides of the plastic sheet or fix it in place with the waterproof tape.
9. Cut the plastic sheets into pieces that are 1 foot wider than the openings of your greenhouse. Cut this sheet in half and attach Velcro strips across the edge of the frame you set them in. This would create a nice door like entrance with flaps that could also substitute for vents. Your greenhouse is now ready.

Using readily available Greenhouse kits are much simpler than building your own greenhouses but the latter is easier on the pocket. You can choose your own design according to your needs and they work equally well.