DIY Mini Greenhouse

Over the past two years, I have gotten really into gardening. I tried at my apartment and succeed in a small balcony garden of just some herbs and tomatoes, nothing special. Lucky for me, we bought a house not too long ago and I was able to start a real vegetable garden! Now I needed a greenhouse to hold all my little seedlings. Read on to find out how I made one myself! Check out my other gardening posts here!

If you have been reading any of my other posts, you know that I am on a journey to be as self-sufficient/sustainable as possible out here in suburbia. I’ve begun composting, making many of my own sustainable beauty products (including lotion bars, soap, shampoo. Check out those posts by clicking the links!), and making my own cleaning products! I have been trying to be as eco-friendly (and budget-friendly) as possible.

I wanted to be able to produce as much of my own food as possible. In a world where almost nothing is made without chemicals or made ethically, I’m determined to create an environment where I don’t have to rely on those products nearly as much (hopefully, ever, in the future!)

I started my garden last spring and I was doing it on a tight budget. I knew living in upstate New York I would be starting seeds inside to lengthen my growing season. I knew I wanted a greenhouse to start these little seedlings but a greenhouse was definitely not in the budget that year. (buying a house was expensive, who knew?)

I decided to try out multiple different DIY methods and this one by far worked the best. And it was made with things I had laying about the house! It was basically free except for the seeds and soil!

Read on to learn how I did it!

I wanted something I didn’t mind getting dirty, could hold in some heat and would allow at least 30 seedlings to grow in it.

I found an old storage bin, already missing a lid, and decided to go with that! I knew the plastic wouldn’t hold in heat very well so I lined the entire thing with aluminum foil. This helped keep in a few extra degrees (which can be crucial to seed germination)

After everything was lined I put in my seedlings. I made little pots out of newspaper (reduce, reuse, recycle folks) and planted my seeds in those (check out that post here!)

I placed my newspaper pots in my DIY greenhouse and then covered the entire thing in plastic wrap! I have reused the plastic wrap multiple times for different greenhouses so don’t feel like you need to use tons of plastic to make multiple greenhouses people! Always try and reuse materials whenever possible, better for the environment and your wallet!

The plastic liner on top keeps the heat and moisture in creating the greenhouse effect. If your house doesn’t get warm enough you might want to consider a warming mat to heat the greenhouse to an appropriate seed starting temperature.

I have made mini ones of this as well to store about 16-20 plants! You can really use this method with any container as long as you have enough heat to encourage germination.

I had almost 95% germination last year and this year it’s almost higher! Who says you need fancy materials to start a greenhouse? I hope this post encourages you to go out and start your own garden, however big it may be! This DIY can allow anyone to be a greenhouse gardener pro!

Check out some of my other Gardening Hacks Here!