Building a greenhouse is a simple and cost-effective way to provide a stable growing environment for plants. It can be done from the ground up or from a greenhouse kit, depending on your needs and climate. The process involves choosing a sunny spot in your yard, choosing a framing material, choosing a covering material, choosing a location, preparing the greenhouse site, constructing the frame, and adding the covering to the frame.
There are various greenhouse kits available online, including those recommended for first-time greenhouse builders. These kits come with detailed instructions, diagrams, photos, and instructions to help you create a sturdy building that can withstand various weather conditions. For example, a 9-foot by 16-foot DIY greenhouse features a cedar wood frame with a polycarbonate cover.
To save money and reuse materials, it is essential to check zoning laws and regulations before starting. Building your own greenhouse allows you to control the design, cost, features, and functionality of the structure. This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to build a greenhouse, offering guidance on tools and materials, framing materials, covering materials, and assembling the greenhouse.
Creating paths around and inside the greenhouse is crucial for maintaining its stability. Watering and trampling can make soil paths in a greenhouse turn into mud, so it is important to create a rectangle with four 1600mm x 1200mm hardwood sleepers and pre-drill holes with a 5mm drill bit.
In summary, building a greenhouse is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to provide a stable growing environment for plants. By following these steps, you can create a greenhouse that meets your gardening needs and climate while saving money on greenhouse kits.
📹 The Ultimate Guide to DIY Greenhouses: Pros, Cons, and Everything In Between
This video details pros and cons for FIVE different DIY greenhouses. Information about the builds and materials used are below.
What is the cheapest way to build a greenhouse?
Building a greenhouse is a cost-effective and easy way to create a greenhouse. To attach the plastic sheeting, you need a frame made of PVC pipe, PVC connectors, fence mesh, or tree saplings. The frame can be attached to a wooden base or anchored into the ground. Bending the frame into a hoop shape ensures rainwater runs off the greenhouse. Attach the plastic sheeting to the frame using nails, screws, zip ties, or other sturdy fasteners. This greenhouse can be made to any size and cost around $50, with an estimated cost of $1 a square foot.
Can I leave my greenhouse open at night?
To ensure optimal greenhouse ventilation, use a maximum-minimum thermometer to monitor the temperature and be alert for signs of plant damage. Open doors and vents on sunny days, and temporarily remove panes to help during heat waves. Fit automatic vent openers to ensure roof vents open even when you’re not around, but remember that it takes time for the wax to expand. Provide alternative ventilation such as doors and side vents to prevent damaging temperatures. In changeable weather, vents and doors may need to be partially open to limit sudden temperature increases. Larger greenhouses may require automated ventilation and shading.
Shading is usually required from mid-spring until early autumn to release some heat but limits the light plants receive. Use only the minimum amount of shading to keep temperatures below 25-27ºC (77-81ºF), allowing as much light in as possible, especially for edible plants like tomatoes. Sun-loving plants like succulents may not need shading, but providing shade can make the greenhouse more pleasant.
Why are greenhouses so expensive?
The cost of constructing a greenhouse depends on various factors, including size, design complexity, materials used, location, labor costs, and permits. Greenhouse kits are generally cheaper than custom-built options, as they come with pre-cut materials and detailed instructions for easy assembly. Custom-built greenhouses offer more flexibility in design and can be tailored to specific needs. Operating a greenhouse once built can include heating, cooling, lighting, water, and fertilizers, which can vary depending on the size of the greenhouse and the plants being grown.
Can you make a DIY greenhouse?
There are various types of greenhouses available, including cold-frame, attached, and standalone structures. Cold-frame greenhouses are the smallest and simplest, typically attached to a house side and can only house a few small potted plants. Attached greenhouses are larger and typically have a heat source, sharing electricity with the structure they are attached to. Standalone greenhouses are freestanding structures that require an electrical connection and heat source if not close to an existing structure.
When choosing a greenhouse frame, it is essential to choose a sturdy material that can withstand high winds and the greenhouse structure’s weight. Homeowners can choose from various materials to frame their greenhouse, including metal, wood, and plastic. Choosing the right frame is crucial for a successful greenhouse project.
How much does it cost to build a homemade greenhouse?
Greenhouses can range from sheds to industrial-sized buildings, with kits available from hardware stores. For larger, more customized structures, hiring a professional is recommended. The average cost for building a greenhouse is between $2, 500 to $25, 000, or $15, 000 on average. The cost per square foot increases with the square footage, but prices decrease as the overall square footage increases. Standard mid-sized greenhouses cost $25 per square foot, while large commercial greenhouses, made of plastic or fiberglass over a steel framework, cost between $2 and $4 per square foot.
How do you build an eco friendly greenhouse?
A sustainable greenhouse design entails the selection of an appropriate site, structure, and building materials, the implementation of an eco-friendly watering system, adherence to the 3 Rs, and the optimization of energy usage.
How do I keep my greenhouse warm?
This article provides 16 tips to keep your greenhouse warm in winter, especially in high-latitude and high-altitude areas where winters are typically colder. To ensure effective heat use and warmth, follow these steps:
- Insulate blankets or curtains with weatherproof materials.
- Windbreaks should be avoided.
- Use simple insulation materials, such as blankets or curtains, to prevent drafts.
- Use soil heat storage to maintain soil temperature.
- Install a greenhouse-livestock integrated system, which integrates the greenhouse with the livestock.
- Use a thermal curtain system to protect the greenhouse from the cold.
- Use double-layered plastic film for insulation.
How do greenhouses survive winter?
Greenhouses are designed to retain heat by minimizing heat loss through insulation, such as double-glazed windows or multiple layers of plastic film. Heating systems, such as electric or gas heaters, wood-burning stoves, or hot water pipes, are used in regions with severe winters to provide additional heat. Ventilation systems regulate temperature and humidity, allowing excess heat to escape during the day and preventing condensation, which can lead to mold and fungal issues.
Automated systems open and close vents or fans based on temperature and humidity settings. Row covers and thermal blankets can be used to trap heat closer to the ground, protecting delicate crops from frost damage.
Do greenhouses save money?
Growing from seed is a cost-effective alternative to buying established plants, and owning a greenhouse allows you to refresh your garden without spending hundreds of pounds. It also allows you to experiment with new varieties at a low cost, making propagating cuttings easier. Growing your own fruit and vegetables all year round is possible, as a greenhouse allows you to start crops earlier in the season and extend harvest time.
Some fruits and vegetables require glass protection to thrive, and you’ll soon discover the taste of your own greenhouse-nurtured tomatoes. You can also sell surplus produce at local farmer’s markets.
Can I make my own greenhouse?
There are various types of greenhouses available, including cold-frame, attached, and standalone structures. Cold-frame greenhouses are the smallest and simplest, typically attached to a house side and can only house a few small potted plants. Attached greenhouses are larger and typically have a heat source, sharing electricity with the structure they are attached to. Standalone greenhouses are freestanding structures that require an electrical connection and heat source if not close to an existing structure.
When choosing a greenhouse frame, it is essential to choose a sturdy material that can withstand high winds and the greenhouse structure’s weight. Homeowners can choose from various materials to frame their greenhouse, including metal, wood, and plastic. Choosing the right frame is crucial for a successful greenhouse project.
Are there environmentally friendly greenhouses?
Sustainable greenhouses can balance ecological integrity with agricultural advancements by utilizing renewable energy sources like solar panels and air-source heat pumps. This reduces carbon footprint, lowers emissions, and reduces operational costs. Integrating technologies like semi-transparent organic photovoltaics on roofs can generate energy while promoting healthy plant growth. Waste management is crucial, as organic waste can be recycled into renewable energy, CO2, and fertilisers, reducing environmental impact and reintroducing it back into the greenhouse system.
📹 The Secret To Building A 10×12 Greenhouse In One Day
I’m going to build this 10×12 greenhouse in one day and I’m not making any cuts with a saw. That’s the plan anyway. I’ll also show …
When I get around to building my greenhouse it’s going to be a monster! 150 ft X 50 ft. I’ll save some money by using my own trees and cutting them into lumber sizes myself. It’s really going to be a chore to build, especially when I have to build it all by myself. With the help of my vehicles and tractor I’ll figure out a way. Built my 20ft X 12 ft chicken coop tractors that’s all on wheels with a hitch to hook it up to a truck to move wherever I want. Makes it nice not having to clean as much, just move the coop to a clean spot and let the waste compost where it lays! Coop itself is actually 12’x12’ and 3 ft off the ground so chickens can use the area under the coop to get out of the weather. Hardware cloth goes all around it to keep chickens safe from predators. Built it like a tank since I knew I would be moving it around like a RV trailer on a rough field. It’s over 3 years old now and still looks like new. Very expensive and even more so if built today with cost’s climbing so much! But even 3 years ago this still cost me $6,000.00 to build since I used as much waterproof material as I could and treated lumber. All framing was pocket screwed together on all joints from both sides with deck screws and glued with exterior glue too! Even glued all the siding on as well. So it won’t be falling apart anytime soon. Been a woodworker for most of my life and I don’t build things to be taken apart. Much less fall apart either! I only wanted to have to build this once and never have to build another one to have to replace one falling apart!
I was thinking for the second build if you built a second layer that was split down the middle at the peak kinda like blades that open out-wards tied with a piece of rope or string you could leave attached and when its time to clear snow pull on the outer layer and spread its wings to clear the snow it is a little more tedious but effective
I put an A-frame on top of a chain link fence garden, and then I covered it with the four mil plastic, cheaper than 6 mil, they both rot in the sun within six months, they don’t last 3 years. With very little Lumber, the additional weight on top of the chain link fence it’s about 150 lb. Each corner post is sunk in concrete, it’s just a fenced-in Garden that I put a roof on. It’s mid-February and as soon as this three or four in that snow the other day is done melting I can recover the plastic and within a day the dirt is soft enough to work. In order to maintain Heat in the early and latest part of the season, I have black rain barrels inside the greenhouse that radiate enough heat overnight to keep things from freezing at 4 a.m. if you do it right, you don’t tell Congress that you have rain barrels in your backyard. By the way, if the government asks you to register your vegetable garden, refuse to do that. Don’t be a moron. As of late, they don’t need to know anything.
I have a 16 foot by 9 foot cattle panel greenhouse with PVC piping for framing. I put panels horizontally on the inside with 6 mil plastic sheeting between the panels and the PVC and panels vertically over the top with 6 mil sheeting on the outside giving me about 1 1/4 inch air gap and a quite rigid frame! The inner panels are attached to the PVC with wire with duct tape reinforcing the plastic where the wire goes thru! A shallow plastic-lined ditch around the base of the greenhouse directs the rain/snow water into the plastic barrel that is buried inside the greenhouse so the plants aren’t drowned in a downpour and this doubles as a heat source when needed by placing an aquarium-style electric water heater in the buried barrel! The only con is that condensation can build up between the plastic sheeting! The whole greenhouse is sunken down about a foot because it’s better insulated and we get pretty strong wind storms here! Thanks for the article!
Nice article, thank you. I would like to try and give people, a little more information and some other options and pricing info on your last greenhouse. First a little info about myself. I have a little indoor operation. Three 200 s/ft rooms. I’ve been growing indoors for about 12 years now. With great success. I also have a huge outdoor garden. Where I grow mostly melons and or other plants that spread out a lot. Well 4 years ago I decided to build a greenhouse. Why ? I don’t know. Just something to do, I guess. Anyway, I wanted it to last. I didn’t want to have to replace that 6ml plastic every few years. So I decided to go with the polycarbonate sheets, like he did on his last greenhouse. There’s a few options you have with the polycarbonate sheets. There’s 2 single layer sheets and then theres the double layer sheets like he used. I highly recommend that if you are going to go with polycarbonate. That you use the double. I didn’t and I totally regret it. Let me explain. When I was pricing these sheets. The price difference between the single and double layer sheets was like 10 bucks. And I needed a lot of them. So I went with the single layer. And I’ve been kicking myself in the rump ever since. It was a huge mistake in more ways than one. First off the single sheets are rippled. So you have to add more supports in your walls and roof to attach these funky little rippled plastic pieces to attach the sheets to. So that means I had to add more wood supports to my walls and roof.
I currently have greenhouse fever, and I’ve been doing so much research on styles, costs, and plans, and this has to be one of the most helpful articles I’ve found. The plans and price lists just make this next level! Knowing a rough price is just so incredibly helpful. Genuinely, thank you so much for sharing!
Hi! I have been researching many different greenhouse builds, and because I live in a colder region, I think the twin layer polycarbonate walls are my favorite choice. Could you please let me know where you purchased them? I’ve been online looking and I am uncertain who to go with. Thanks for any feedback you may have.
Love the third one, the A-frame with rigid panels. If I were building that, face it south and put in black barrels filled with water. They will absorb sunlight and keep radiating the heat back at night during winter. Wonder if you could coat the wood with “everlasting fence post” liquid, there’s recipes online, to use cheaper materials or make good stuff last longer. Awesome article! Thanks for the great ideas!
Pvc frame with corflex sheets. With some pvc lines with spray heads. Solar lights. Concrete footings. Use no wood only plastic materials. Zero rot,everything can be washed to minimize mold,fungus, algae on the walls. rodents control was a pail, peanut butter and water with a little bleach. Was wondering if linings the inside with corflex sheets. Would winterize the green house.
Yr a frame greenhouse is great. No snow where I am but the simplicity of it is a winner. With the last one you showed Is that a concrete outer ring you made?. Wouldn’t concrete blocks filled be easier and work the same?. Thankyou very much. Most helpful. I still trying to work out the bug issue with the plastic. Rolling up the sides on hot days?
Thanks for the awesome ideas. I have been planning a greenhouse for a while and I couldn’t figure out how to collect and make use of rain water. I would never have thought to put gutters on the greenhouse. I’m going to use corrugated plastic and build off the ground like a deck, and attach to my shed. Wish me luck. Thanks again, I will be perusal for more ideas.
I have had a 6 mil plastic greenhouse built from the frame of a temporary plastic garage for five years. Here in eastern Ontario. Yes, the odd plastic repair, I even taped the top of the galvanized frame to reduce chaffing from the wind. As for bugs, keep the top uppermost parts of the end walls with either a drop down window or, as I do, pull the plastic down. Bugs find their way out.
Where did you get those metal deck plates that you pounded the square post anchors into? Lowes doesn’t have them although I have purchased the square post anchors. Lowes had those square post anchors at about $15/each when I bought them about 10 years ago. They’re now up to $32.00/each. (yikes!) Love the A-frame greenhouse! When I made the original raised beds in my garden around 2000, they were made of cedar. They rotted in about 3 years. I replaced them with concrete block and have never regretted it.
You have a lot of easily solved problems. One thing is that the UV plastic has a reaction when it touches metal so you need to keep it from touching the metal. Another thing to do is to use a 1/2 inch to 1 inch nylon rope weaved over the PVC and metal tubing on the inside to support the snow and have it slide off easily if you do it right. I did this to my RV tent and it worked great. Anchor the rope to the ground to make it tight.
I like the cattle panel. And it will be used for my next Greenhouse. There is a 12 mm rip stop light diffusing plastic available at about three times the price or around .30 -.35 sq ft. On wood framed Greenhouses using just plastic where snow load is not a issue, you can get some insulating airspace by adding a second layer of plastic on the inside. 🤠🏞️🐂
To heat your greenhouse, try taking all the insulation and metal off of a electric hot water heater, add two twelve volt heating elements, hook up to three solar panels at 250 watts each and you have free heat. You can place this in the greenhouse under a planting bench and you won’t even notice it. You have to purchase the elements from Missouri wind and solar. You don’t want the cheap elements off of Amazon. 13:57
Yo, so I live in the desert in ARizona nd I built the cattle panel greenhouse design. Only I am disabled, and slow, so I hadn’t got my ridge beam up, and only had shade cloth on it. I thought, it should be fine. But wind storm collapsed it. So for that design, ridgebeam should be included regardless of snow.
I am curious to find out if the pitch of your roof in your last build is steep enough to shed snow easily. It looked sort of flattish to me, but that might be from the camera angles. We are considering building a greenhouse in the near future and easy or self snow removal would be important to us. We can easily get a couple feet of snow in one storm in our area overnight. Depending on how easy the structure sheds snow is important because snow removal might require frequent trips outside to do it. Happy data collection. Documentation is important to understand which style is most efficient and effective in your climate conditions. What type of foam tubing did you use to protect rhe plastic from the sharp wire in the cattle panels and how did you attach it? I love your rainwater collection idea. Gravity would be the most efficient way to move the water to the beds so everything would need to slope downward. You could use small diameter PVC to make splitters with T fittings sort of shaped like the letter E to fit across the upper end of each bed area. Then connect pieces of soaker hose to the T’s and clamp the end as a stop. Or investigate drip irrigation systems. I understand that they are the most water efficient. You could talk with local landscapers and greenhouse owners about what you are trying to do. Most of the farmers I grew up with were happy to talk about their crops and give you pointers about what worked for them and what didn’t. Talk with your local State Soil Conservation District.
Gave your article a like. I did want to add a clarification….You indicated that having pvc pipe around your food would be a con. This is not quite true. Most people drink water that comes to their house through those pipes and plenty of foods like pickles arrive at restaurants in pvc buckets. It’s very safe around your food. Otherwise very good article and thank you for sharing.
You should never use treated lumber for a greenhouse. Leeching can cause the chemicals to end up in your soil. Use standard (not treated) lumber, and don’t use typical tar pr paint. Use a silicone or acrylic-based coating (Ames roof coating or their Blue Max coating is great). Apply it to the boards after cutting to length and allow it to cure BEFORE you build/install.
cattle panel a frame sorta but with a steep and non steep angle to cover larger space and just flat faced rear maybe 2 angles to roof a snow shedding angle and a strengthened higher but shallower angle also saw in comments about digging it down into ground for earth heating and cooling but would need an sump pump system for flooding a 12v automatic float bidlge would do just winterize before winter meaning keep them from freezing/breaking from ice expansion
Hi mate. For the a frame green house water supply you could feed the pipe underneath the soil or have it on top. Get 15mm or 22mm which is 1/2 inch or 3/4 and run the pipe through your garden and cap the end off. Then, drill holes a third up from the bottom of the pipe. This will create a little pressure in the pipe while a layer of water builds up then it should evenly come out of the pipe. Also depending how much is collected and the force it enters the pipe at. Copper is expensive but good for crops apparently. Or you could get a waterbut and collect the water then have a small solar panel connected to a 12v waterpump on a time clock. Thanks for sharing this was very useful
So, I am wondering… between the cattle panel greenhouse and the one which is shown after it, the A-frame w the rigid plastic panels…. I didn’t notice any in-ground posts for that, so, couldn’t the A-frame be built without them too ? Per my experiences, I would think the cattle panel one would be in more danger of blowing over or ripping the plastic then using it like a sail… ( had it happen to a tarp covered carport type “shed” from Menard’s, in high winds. Not even THAT high of winds, either). My next thought is would it help if one put in onto very heavy lumber or log “skids”, which could also then have eye bolts on the ends to be able to hook a chain to & then pull to move it if ever want to. Anyways, thinking the weight of those could be enough to secure it (unless u live in a VERY high wind area)… ? (If live with very high winds, would probably need to do a dome ?, or maybe my next, favorite idea would suffice). My ideal way to build one, I think, is going to be either the rigid clear panels (or maybe cheap, used patio doors) or cattle panels w plastic, on the south sides, w any of those clear materials on the framed ends, and a simple, VERTICAL frame, clad in shed siding, with a berm of soil at least halfway up the back/north side of it ( for us in the northern hemisphere, obviously). I’d add hay or bags of leaves in winter from there to top. Preferably have a foot or so of eaves along that side, and a rain gutter, to avoid issues from not having that. This would be a 4 season greenhouse, but I’d pry not heat it, not overwinter tender plants in it, but instead have them in a sunroom on the south side of my home, where it can also give me a joyful space to look out onto and have lil lounge space in :).
Nice article. Having build a few of these designs, one con I would mention to the last two designs is that the more intricate the framing the more sun that is blocked by wood framing. For propagation and starting seeds the last designs are excellent tho so that’s the trade off. I have found them to be awesome places to be on cold fall and spring days 😊
Is it possible on the A-frame greenhouse, to put a second corregated plastic roof on it to help it last longer? BTW, I commend you on your attempts to turn the land back into a self-sustaining homestead using regenerative agriculture practices, to set up long term food systems that will provide for your family with food security for the next 100 years. You are doing what we tried to do in the 1970s and failed at because folks didn’t understand the amount of work that self-sufficiency requires.
I bought a US Army surplus 16 x 16ft extendable frame tent, which I want turn into a greenhouse. The frame is aluminium and click system, I think it would be a perfect solution to save a fortune on costs. I paid 800 euro for the tent in Holland 20 years to keep my boat in and it stood for over ten years with an extra tarpaulin over it to porotect the canvas but my son kept kicking a football against it and ripped the window out so now will need to be upcycled. I looked around the US on gov planet and you can buy frames, I wanted a new canvas but the shipping is prohibitive.
Not sure if I missed the explanation on why the 6mil plastic designs had bug issues. I noticed for the A frame commentary you mentioned no bugs yet. Have the A frame and twin panel designs gone through a full growing season yet? Other than that pretty awesome builds, keep up the good work. I’ve been thinking a lot about how to make a temporary green house for a large raised garden bed ~10×25 (4 bay keyhole, like a comb). I live in zone 9b so would only really need the greenhouse in the winter/early spring months. I get summers that get into 100-110 easy so unfortunately cant keep ridged panels up year round.
Is there something like the opposite of a greenhouse? I live in Florida, and currently things are getting Far too hot in the summer and expected to only increase yearly degree by degree and for a little longer than before. If I can make something simple that can keep it out of the most of the heat and some of the killing sun it would help greatly!
I have a really crazy question. Have you ever built a 16 foot wide greenhouse without a brace in the middle of the 16 foot span? I want to build an in ground pool enclosure. So my pool is in the ground and I want enclose it like a greenhouse. The issue I have is, the width Would need to be at least 16 feet wide. I can’t find any green house plans or info on a design that could go 16 feet wide without bracing where the water would be. I wouldnt be opposed to any plans of any traditional pool enclosures either. It is hard to find any info on them.
I used the corrugated plastic panels and it does not last. It gets very brittle after a year or so and breaks very easy. I would not use it again and do not recommend it . Spend more and use better more durable plastic or used glass which I think is best and you can find on local ad sites for fairly cheap or free in some cases