Easy and Affordable Mini-Greenhouse

Location: Southeast US

Greenhouses in the south are usually confined to merchants who provide plants to the public. When I lived in a northern climate I remember yearning for spring flowers. The bare trees, snow covered lawns and dormant planting beds provided such a barren landscape month after long month. Heated greenhouses were limited to those homeowners who could afford them and the rest of us made do with a few cold frames to get plants started as early in spring as possible.

The simple greenhouse in this video is a perfect match for a southern gardener. It not only would allow you to plant vegetables a bit earlier but would provide a good frame for shade cloth to protect plants from sun scald later in the season. I see many uses possible for this simple product. It would be useful to protect trays of flower seeds for an early start on the blooming season and I think I will use such a moveable greenhouse for that purpose next spring.

Traditionally, when I plant seed for early starts the trays will with soil are on top of the refrigerator and on a couple deep window sills. With both cats and dogs, I’ve had my share of messes with my current system.

Buying 3 inch pots of annual and perennial plants in late winter and early spring could quickly yield 5-6″ pots of thriving flowers to add a quick color punch to a summer flower garden while saving the budget as well. In Coastal areas, the sandy soil makes inserting the tubing for the greenhouse frame an easy chore for almost anyone.

Using PVC pipe as a frame is something I’ve seen done many times as gardeners shield tender vegetables from the harsh sun. Until I saw this video I never thought of using that same framing method to create a small greenhouse.