How to Make Portable Greenhouses

Portable greenhouses work well for germinating seeds or for growing plants year-round. Making a portable greenhouse is a quick project you can easily build using PVC pipe for the frame. PVC pipe is easy to work with and lightweight; moving it around in your garden is much easier than moving a portable greenhouse made from wood. Putting the PVC pipe together is like a puzzle; each piece is joined to the next one using fittings with openings to insert the pipe. The instructions below are for making a 6-foot by 6-foot square portable greenhouse with a flat roof.

Things You'll Need

• Sixteen 3-foot pieces PVC pipe Eight 6-foot pieces PVC pipe Eight straight PVC pipe fittings with three openings Eight corner PVC pipe fittings with three openings PVC cement Thick plastic sheeting Waterproof adhesive

Instructions

1. Begin the frame by attaching two of the 3-foot long PVC pipes together with one of the straight pipe fittings. Follow the instructions on the PVC cement for assembly. PVC cement will be used to join all of the pipes together as you make your greenhouse. Repeat this process until you have created eight straight pipes measuring 6 feet long. These pipes will compose the base and the top of your portable greenhouse frame. Because your portable greenhouse is 6 feet square, you will need one side support in the center of each wall, which is what necessitated the joining the pipes together with a fitting. The third opening in the fitting is where you will place the wall supports.

2. Join four of the 6-foot long pieces you just made with the three-opening corner fitting. Insert the pipes into the side openings, leaving the third opening facing up. You now have a 6-foot square base for your portable greenhouse.

3. Insert one 6-foot length of PVC pipe into the third opening of each corner and each straight fitting on your base. These are your wall braces for your greenhouse frame.

4. Fit the remaining created 6-foot lengths of pipe onto the top of your wall supports, using the remaining four corner fittings. Fit the pipes into the center wall support first, and then join at the corners.

5. Cover the portable greenhouse with thick plastic sheeting, adhering it underneath the PVC pipe on three sides of the base with waterproof adhesive.

6. Cut a slit opening in the plastic on one wall for the door of your portable greenhouse. Glue the plastic to the base from one side of the slit to the corner. Leave enough plastic free so that you can enter the greenhouse, then glue the remaining plastic to the base.

Tips & Warnings

• Add braces to the base of your portable greenhouse if you live in a windy area.

• Wear safety gloves and a mask when working with PVC cement.

Resources

• Greenhouse Showcase: Portable greenhouse building ideas