Home Greenhouse Design: How to Build a Greenhouse

For the gardening enthusiast a greenhouse can be a blessing, allowing them to start the growing season earlier in the spring and extending the season until late fall. When considering building your own greenhouse, there are a variety of greenhouse and construction designs out there. Some of them may cost more then others, so it's important to consider your budget. However, regardless of your chosen design, building your own greenhouse is definitely a cost-effective alternative to buying one.

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Marking paint
• 18 feet of 1/2-inch flexible PVC pipe
• Hack saw
• Mallet
• Plastic sheeting
• Scissors
• Bricks
• 6 2-foot long 3/8-inch rebar stakes
• Binder clips

Instructions

1. Measure your flower or vegetable garden. This example is for a garden that is 6 feet long and 3 feet wide. Mark it with marking paint and then place 2-foot long 3/8-inch rebar stakes in each corner of the flower bed, hammering them into place with a heavy mallet. Hammer the stakes 18 inches into the ground.

2. Cut 1/2-inch flexible PVC pipe into three 6-foot sections using a hack saw.

3. Create the skeleton of the greenhouse by sliding one end of the PVC pipe over a stake, and then arch the PVC to reach the other side of the bed and rebar stake. Slip the other end of the PVC pipe over the stake. Repeat this process with the two remaining pieces of PVC pipe, giving you three hoops over the bed.

4. Drape plastic sheeting over the hoops and cut it to fit. Ensure that you leave 20 inches of sheeting past the base of the hoops so you can secure it.

5. Roll the excess sheeting toward the greenhouse and weigh down all of the edges with bricks.

6. Use binder clips to clip the plastic sheeting to the hoops. This will ensure that your greenhouse covering will stay in place, even on the windiest of days.

Tips & Warnings

• An alternate option is to purchase a greenhouse kit. These kits are available at most home improvement stores.

References

• Global Village Institute for Appropriate Technology: Build a PVC Backyard Greenhouse
• The Door Garden: How to Build My 50 Dollar Greenhouse

Resources

• GreenhouseKit.com