A homemade greenhouse for seedlings is a quick and economical solution. How to build an effective mini-greenhouse from improvised materials at their summer cottage

Such a phenomenon as a private greenhouse farm, in contrast to the industrial greenhouse complex, originated and became widespread in the seventies of the last century. It can be said that greenhouses on household plots began to emerge on the basis of and likeness of greenhouses, where collective farms, state farms and agricultural complexes grew the first long fresh cucumbers. There were queues for cucumbers, you could buy two cucumbers per hand. Citizens did not like this state of affairs. Those who had their own plots decided not to wait for favors either from nature or from the state, but to try to get an early harvest of their own vegetables. Obviously, for this it was necessary to create certain conditions for the seedlings, in particular, the greenhouse effect.

Greenhouse private farming spread throughout the entire territory of the USSR with incredible speed. This structure, which provides the plants with the necessary microclimate, was remarkable already in that it could be made from improvised materials and on its own. For almost half a century of existence, greenhouse designs have changed and improved, new materials have been used in construction (for example, plastic bottles) and original technologies. But the principle of creation home greenhouse remained unchanged.

The building is based on ordinary garden with a frame attached to it. A base may be present, although it is dispensed with without it. On the frame, in the role of which metal rods bent in an arc most often act, some covering heat-saving material is stretched. Usually this is a plastic film, but today there are many options that provide for its full replacement.

Differences between a greenhouse and a greenhouse

Designs that have the same functions have several significant differences.

1. Greenhouses below 2 meters in height are usually not installed. Greenhouses are rarely built higher than 1.2 meters.
2. Greenhouses are real "houses" for plants, stationary, with a fixed frame, walls, roof. The greenhouse is only a "temporary shelter" that has a removable portable structure.
3. Operate a greenhouse, especially a heated one,. The greenhouse is characterized by a short period of operation (usually early spring- by May suburban area there will be no trace left of greenhouses).

On a note! These characteristics greatly simplify the life of gardeners who want to help vegetables grow earlier and better, without spending a lot of effort, money and personal time.

Varieties of modern greenhouses

Today, three types of greenhouse structures can be distinguished. They differ in complexity of implementation and effectiveness.

On a note! A greenhouse, unlike a full-fledged greenhouse, is not warmed by anything (except for sunlight) and is not equipped with any equipment. But craftsmen have come up with a way to raise the temperature in it in the absence of the sun - this is the use of biological fuel. Unrotted manure is buried 20 cm deep into the beds, which, when rotted, releases a fair amount of heat.

Table. The main types of greenhouses.

All variations of greenhouses solve one problem - an early and good harvest. Depending on the capabilities and wishes of the owner of the site, as well as the materials available, the type of greenhouse is selected. After that, you can start step by step implementation project.

Creation of a collapsible arched greenhouse

In order to build the simplest arched greenhouse on the site, you will need two pairs of hands, a free sunny day and the following materials and tools:

• wooden planks 4 cm thick, 15 cm wide, and long - depending on the length of the structure (or a bar with a section of 100x100 mm);
• PVC pipes - diameter not less than 25 mm;
• insulated wire for longitudinal ties;
• pieces of reinforcement about half a meter long;
• film, preferably double density or reinforced (or lutrasil, spunbond, etc.);
• corners.
• nails, and better self-tapping screws;
• screwdrivers, screwdriver, hammers, axes, hacksaws (including for metal), knife, scissors;
• antiseptic composition for processing boards, brushes, gloves;
• perforated tape;
• tape measure, marker;
• old garden hose.

The advantage of using is that the miniature dimensions allow you to install them on a small garden plot. However, when the seedlings grow up, they will have to be moved to a greenhouse or open ground.

Rules for building a greenhouse

The construction is done according to certain rules. First of all, it is necessary to determine the place where it will be installed, as well as the size.

Step one: making the base

The basis should not be neglected. And although the tree is not the most durable material and requires antiseptic treatment, the frame on the base will be able to stand more confidently, more evenly, and the greenhouse will look much more attractive. In addition, the soil will not slide off the ridge during irrigation.

The base is made in the form of a box of a given size. Boards or bars are connected by corners using self-tapping screws or nails. The assembled box is covered with an antiseptic according to the instructions and left to dry completely. Then it is installed on a hail, previously leveled.

Step Two: Installing the Arcs

If there are no pieces of reinforcement of the required length (50 cm), they must be cut. PVC pipes also cut into three-meter pieces. Further, inside the wooden box-base, on two long sides, the pieces of reinforcement are firmly buried in the soil. In order to maintain an equal distance between the arcs, it is first necessary to make marks on the box.

The reinforcement is driven into the ground with a hammer by 25 cm. Then the pipes are tightly put on it and fixed with a perforated tape.

Step Three: Screed

It is necessary to make a screed, otherwise the arcs will deform over time and under the influence of temperatures, distorting the entire greenhouse. To make a screed, pipes are screwed to the central part of the arcs (hotbed ridge) with wire. Optimally - one along the entire length, but you can make a screed by connecting several short tubes.

Step Four: Coating

The film or other soft covering material that will be used is measured with a margin. The material will not only need to be fixed on the sides, but also close the ends with it, unless otherwise provided (you can make the ends of glass or polycarbonate).

It is convenient to attach the film to the arcs with an old garden hose. Pieces of 15 cm are cut off, cut lengthwise and put on a pipe wrapped in film.

Advice! To make the coating easier to handle, it is best to fix the film along the ridge. In this case, if necessary, one or another side of the greenhouse can be completely opened so that the plants warm up in the sun.

An alternative option is an opening greenhouse made of plastic pipes.

Here is another option for making a greenhouse from arcs, but without a base.

We drive flexible rods or PVC pipes into the ground. Before that, you should draw the planned location of the tunnel on the plot of land, so that the pegs will be driven in evenly

We tilt the rods or tubes in the middle and tie with a cord. The edges of the film are sprinkled with earth. A cord is tied to the pegs first, and then a film

We strengthen the structure by connecting the following arcs with a cord, which will be tied to pegs at the ends of the tunnel. After that, we stretch the film, which we sprinkle with earth on the sides, and also tie it to the pegs at the ends

Making a greenhouse on a wooden frame

This structure is considered more solid, although it is not much more difficult to make it. Instead of a film, glass or polycarbonate can be used as a coating here, and a combination of materials is also widely used - polycarbonate for walls and a film coating for a slope. The frame material suggests a different, not arched structure. The simplest is lean-to structure, which is also often used to create wall greenhouses.

Materials and tools:

• wooden beam for the box - 100x100 mm;
• wooden beam for the frame - 40x50 mm;
• wooden beam for racks - 20x40 mm;
• polycarbonate;
• film;
• corners;
• self-tapping screws are ordinary and for polycarbonate;
• screwdrivers, screwdriver, hammer, axe, hacksaws (including for metal), knife, scissors;
• antiseptic composition for processing boards;
• brushes, gloves;
• tape measure, marker;
• reinforced tape.

Building a greenhouse

Before you get started, you need to collect everything you need in one place so that it is at hand. Just as in the case of installing an arched greenhouse, you first need to determine the location, prepare the soil and find out the size of the future structure.

Step one: frame assembly

The lower frame is assembled first, which will simultaneously serve as an additional base box. It is made from a beam, fastened with self-tapping screws with corners.

Corner posts are attached to the base from a bar of the same section. In height, this greenhouse can be of the following sizes: the upper ridge of the slope is up to one measure, the lower one is half a meter. Corner posts are made to the appropriate length.

The upper frame is mounted on the racks (the same bar 40x50 mm is used). Between the upper and lower frames, intermediate racks are installed from a thin beam for better fastening covering material.

The whole structure is impregnated with an antiseptic.

Step Two: Preparing the Foundation

For a greenhouse of this type, you will need a base-foundation. It can even be a concrete or brick (half-brick) box, especially for wall-mounted greenhouses. But if you don’t want to deal with pouring or building a foundation, it’s enough to build a box from a bar - exactly the same as in the version of an arched greenhouse.

A ten-centimeter beam is fastened with corners to self-tapping screws and covered with antiseptic impregnation.

Advice! If there is no antiseptic, the frame and base can be painted with waterproof paint for outdoor use, several layers of stain or varnish. Wood cannot be left without processing - in this case, the service life will be no more than two seasons.

The finished base is tightly laid on the ridge. A frame is installed on it, fastened with screws and corners.

Step three: installation of polycarbonate walls

Material is cut into panels right size. The ends are covered with adhesive tape. The panels are attached to a frame mounted on a base. If there are no self-tapping screws with a thermal washer, you can use the usual ones by placing a thin metal plate under them.

Step Four: Attaching the Film

The film is better to use reinforced. The sloping roof with film coating will provide better ventilation and easier access to the contents of the greenhouse. It can be spunbond, and any soft roll covering material.

A greenhouse for seedlings allows you to get early shoots of your favorite plants. In the greenhouse are created comfortable conditions for each crop, which allows you to get a good harvest in the future. At the same time, you need to remember that care for each species is special.

If you make a rating, then flowers occupy the first place among the profitable cultivation of crops. Next comes greens, vegetables, mushrooms and berries. Can be grown in a greenhouse houseplants in pots, and decorative flowers.

For the second option, you need to determine the timing of the collection in time, until the plant has outgrown. You also need to take into account their implementation, because after cutting they quickly begin to fade. Indoor flowers in pots are more whimsical to the conditions of detention.

Greens are much easier to grow. In the greenhouse, you can grow dill, parsley, cilantro or any other type of greenery. In addition, the cultivation of greenery - profitable business. It is unpretentious in the conditions of detention, and is always in demand on the market. Main set up proper lighting up to 12-14 hours. It is also important to maintain the right temperature.

Up to 10 green crops can be harvested per year. This rapid turnover is due to the short maturation period.

When growing vegetables, you need to consider right neighborhood plants. The microclimate parameters for each species are different, so they cannot get along with absolutely all cultures. It is necessary to select the most similar plants according to the requirements.

Vegetables for planting in a greenhouse:

1. Radishes and Chinese cabbage- unpretentious care vegetables that ripen quickly;
2. Cucumbers are a popular product, although they have some difficulties during cultivation;
3. Tomatoes and peppers - grow for a long time and are quite whimsical in care.

Any crop can be planted in a greenhouse. With its help, they get early harvests potatoes, zucchini, strawberries. If you properly organize production, you can get good mushrooms.

Optimal timing of planting seedlings in the greenhouse of the main crops

There are no exact dates for this issue. Each gardener determines the timing of planting for himself. The reference points are the air temperature and the condition of the soil, individual characteristics each plant, the state of seedlings, resistance to temperature changes.

In April you can plant:

• Greenery;
• Radish;
• Salad;
• Chinese cabbage.

When the ground temperature reaches 18 degrees, cucumbers and eggplants can be planted. 15 degrees are considered optimal for tomatoes and peppers. It is very important when planting plants to measure the temperature of the soil.

May be planted:

• In the beginning - tomatoes;
• In the middle - cucumbers;
• Finally, pepper.

In early June, take sow eggplant. At the same time, the minimum age for planting cucumbers is 20-23 days. Tomatoes should ripen 45 days. Peppers need to be grown for 70 days. The age of eggplant seedlings is 50 days. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the general condition of the plants, the presence of leaves.

Rules: how to plant seedlings in a greenhouse

Early planting has many advantages over open field planting. This ensures that the seeds are protected from temperature extremes. You can also get early harvests of your favorite vegetables and fruits. In addition, diseases are excluded, because in the open field the plants are eaten by a beetle or caterpillar.

First you need to prepare the soil for planting and the greenhouse itself. To do this, you need to properly ventilate the room so that no chemical odors remain. It is also possible to make shelves or a rack in the greenhouse, with the help of which vertical cultivation of crops will be carried out.

Soil Preparation Mix:

1. AT equal parts take sand and humus and add a fourth of the garden soil;
2. It is necessary to mix such a mixture well and sift through a sieve so that the earth is saturated with oxygen;
3. It is necessary to steam the soil in advance in a water bath so that the soil microflora can recover;
4. This substrate is poured into a container for sowing and well compacted.

Before an agronomist plants plants, you need to find out whether further picking of seedlings will take place. Sowing seeds in pots or in a common container depends on this. Transplantation is carried out when the culture has several leaves.

For better growth seeds must be kept in a solution of monosodium glutamate.

For planting plants, the soil temperature should be at least 12 degrees. In this case, the greenhouse must be disinfected and well ventilated. Sow seeds in moist soil and mulch with humus. When planting in pots in especially warm weather, they can be taken out into the street under the warm sun.

Features of growing seedlings of different crops in a greenhouse

Each plant has its own requirements for temperature and humidity in the greenhouse, as well as its own characteristics in care. Eggplants are planted in pots, as they are not recommended to be transplanted. They don't take it well. Sow seeds in late winter - early spring.

Requirements for caring for eggplant:

1. Watering must be carried out with warm water;
2. The temperature in the greenhouse is 25 degrees;
3. Fertilize the soil with manure.

Cucumbers are sown at the end of April. Before planting, the seeds must be pre-treated in a solution of potassium permanganate. It is also advised to soak the seeds before planting. Cucumbers should be planted in moist soil. Mandatory seedling care includes regular watering twice a day with warm liquid.

Pepper before planting also needs to be processed in potassium permanganate. Seedlings grow at a temperature of 25 degrees. After that, it can be reduced to 10 degrees. Water vegetables in the morning after 3 days before germination, after which this procedure must be repeated every day. Top dressing should be done with phosphate and potassium.

Preparation of tomato seeds is similar to other types of vegetables. You need to plant tomatoes in pots with peat and humus. Seedlings need 22 degrees for comfort.

It is important to care for tomatoes without overwatering them. Abundant watering will make the stems too fragile, but the lack of moisture will affect fertility.

Each type of cabbage is individual in care. Every variety needs to be fed. This is done using zinc. boric acid, manganese.

Greenhouse requirements for early seedlings

First you need to define temperature regime for greenhouses. Ideally, it should be 12 degrees. This temperature is acceptable for different varieties and cultures.

Greenhouse requirements:

1. Possess low thermal conductivity;
2. Be comfortable for caring for plants;
3. Have an aesthetic appearance;
4. Create the right microclimate for each crop.

Before building a greenhouse in the country, it is necessary to determine the placement of the beds and the design of the greenhouse. It is also necessary to fertilize the soil with manure. Its bookmark will heat the soil, and allocate carbon dioxide, which has a good effect on young seedlings.

You need to place the greenhouse in an area with direct sunlight. It is important to place the greenhouse in an open area, without buildings that cast a shadow on it.

To speed up the reaction, the soil can be watered hot water. Then it is necessary to cover with a film. Such a device will positively influence the breeding of any plants.

Do-it-yourself greenhouse arrangement for seedlings

A greenhouse for seedlings can be made independently with your own hands. For construction, you will need metal, glass or wood. For the construction of greenhouse walls, polycarbonate or film is often used. If this is a winter hotbed, then you need to take care of heating. For spring greenhouses, this is not necessary. There are several types of greenhouses: frame and frameless.

The sequence of building a frameless greenhouse:

1. We prepare the ground;
2. We sow seeds;
3. We stretch the metal mesh;
4. We cover the wire with a film;
5. The edges of the polyethylene must be fixed.

When the seedlings grow up, you need to raise the greenhouse. The frame greenhouse is quite simple to install. It is built for plants that need warmth.

Stages of installing a frame greenhouse:

1. We prepare the soil;
2. We make a frame of plastic, metal or wood;
3. Installation of walls - we install a film, glass or polycarbonate;
4. We fix the ends with earth or wooden blocks.

This is the most simple ideas for the construction of a greenhouse structure. At the same time, materials for the construction of greenhouses can be different. Metal and plastic are more resistant, but wood is environmentally friendly. It all depends on the preferences of the owner.

Often they equip a small greenhouse for seedlings. Compact version it is advised to periodically transfer to other places. This is done taking into account the characteristics of the seedlings.

How to make a greenhouse for seedlings with your own hands (video)

The greenhouse allows you to grow seedlings of different varieties and types of plants. You need to know not only which crops need to be grown in greenhouses, but also individual requirements every plant. How to get good harvest depends on proper care for seedlings.

Examples of a greenhouse for seedlings with their own hands (photo ideas)

From the first days of March, a hot season opens for gardeners. Newfangled seeds were bought back in winter and itching to plant everything and more. Only spring on the calendar rarely meets us with warm days. And it is still impossible to plant plants in open ground - they will inevitably die at the very first night frosts. Despite this, get good seedlings flowers or the harvest of cucumbers can be earlier than the time set by nature. How? Very simple: you need to install a greenhouse on your site.

A greenhouse is almost a greenhouse, only small and not heated by electricity. This design is usually a removable frame, over which a translucent (transparent) film is stretched. When warm days come, the greenhouse is folded and transferred to storage, for example, in a barn, until the next spring.

The most tender varieties of plants or those whose harvest they want to get as soon as possible are planted in greenhouses.

Greenhouse effect: where does heat come from?

Although not used in a greenhouse electric heating, in its space it is always several degrees warmer than outside. This is due to the fact that a properly made greenhouse still heats up. Often - solar energy, which penetrates under the film and warms the air inside the greenhouse. Moreover, the less air, the faster it will heat up. Therefore, in early spring, when seedlings are grown in greenhouses, it makes no sense to make tall greenhouses. Young plants do not take up much space, and unused space will warm up very slowly.

There is another type of greenhouse that uses the heat of biofuels: manure, plant residues, some industrial waste. Biofuel has the ability to release heat during decomposition, so it is laid in a pit under the greenhouse, covered with soil, which heats up after a while.

Option #1 - frameless greenhouse

The greenhouse effect can be recreated in different designs, any of which can be called a greenhouse. The simplest of them is frameless. For its device, it is enough to sow the seeds in the ground, and then freely, without pulling, spread out on its surface. light film and fix it on the sides with bricks, stones, boards. Seedlings in this greenhouse, as in any other, need to be periodically ventilated, watered, and fertilized. Therefore, one side of the film must be fixed so that it easily rises and gives access to the greenhouse space.

In a frameless greenhouse, seedlings are grown only on initial stage of its development, since in a few weeks it will “run into the ceiling” of the film

Option # 2 - frame tunnel greenhouse

A more complex device is a tunnel greenhouse, which allows you to grow seedlings to a completely “adult” state. The frame of the greenhouse is made of thin rods, which are bent in arcs 40-60 cm high and installed in the form of a tunnel one after another. As rods, you can use metal wire, thin plastic pipes, branches of willow, hazel, willow.

Curved rods are driven into the ground to a depth of 20-30 cm. Optimal distance between them is 0.5-1 m, the width of the frame is 70–90 cm. For the stability of the frame, it is advisable to tie the rods together in a ridge with a dense cord. The ends of the cord are fixed on stakes driven into the ground from the ends of the frame. A film is laid over the frame tunnel and tied on the same stakes.

Scheme of a tunnel greenhouse on a wire frame

For the care of plants growing in a greenhouse, a film on a short time removed from the frame or lifted from the ends, like a curtain.

When warm days come, the film is completely removed from the frame and the plants continue to develop successfully already without shelter, in their vivo. The frame can be left in place or, if it interferes, put it away for storage by removing the rods from the ground.

A frame greenhouse covered with a film is the most popular type. makeshift greenhouses

Option # 3 - portable ground greenhouse

This design is very convenient, due to the fact that at any time it can be lifted and moved to another place. For its manufacture are used:

• wooden planks
• bricks
• old window frames

Manufacturing steps:

1. A box is knocked together from the boards around the perimeter of the future greenhouse, and its south side should be lower than the north. This is done so that sunlight can penetrate into the space of the greenhouse with virtually no loss.

2. One or two rows of bricks are laid out along the perimeter of the greenhouse. This will be the foundation for the wooden base-box.

Making a box from boards and brick foundation under the greenhouse

3. Window frames are fixed to the box on hinges. The use of hinges allows you to open the greenhouse in the same way as a regular window.

Fastening window frames on hinges to the box

4. The finished greenhouse is installed on a brick foundation.

This is what our build looks like.

Option # 4 - a warm greenhouse with biofuel

A warm biofuel greenhouse is more efficient than one heated by solar energy. The heat obtained from the decomposition of manure or other organic residues allows you to get a crop a month and a half earlier than under natural conditions.

Scheme of a classic Russian greenhouse heated with biofuel

In order to acquire such a greenhouse, do the following:

1. Dig a pit at the location of the future greenhouse. The depth of the pit depends on the timing of laying: in March -70-75 cm, in April - 50-55 cm.
2. The pit is filled with biofuel, best of all with manure - it can heat up to 60 ° C in a week.
3. They cover the pit with foil and mats so that the manure begins to “burn”. Periodically, as the manure settles, a new portion is added, filling the pit to the previous level.
4. Installed on the edges of the pit wooden logs(parubny) with a diameter of 12-14 cm. Boards can be used instead of logs. On the southern side of the pit, the log is laid on the ground, and on the northern side, it is raised to a height of 10-12 cm.
5. Top couples cover greenhouse frame.
6. After about a week, the manure will warm up enough - clouds of steam will rise above the pit. Then a layer of soil mixed with lime and ash is laid on top of the biofuel.
7. When the soil temperature in the greenhouse is set at around 20-25 ° C, seeds can be sown under the shelter. Biofuels will warm the soil for about 50 days, and then begin to cool. However, this period is enough for adult plants to grow from germinated seeds.

Growing seedlings is a troublesome and rather laborious process. It is very important to provide her with the right microclimate, the necessary conditions for growth and development. At the same time, everyone wants the plants to develop as quickly as possible, and the wind and cold do not threaten them. It is for growing seedlings that summer residents use a mini-greenhouse. He happens different types and will help to provide care for seedlings both at home and in the garden.

Every gardener needs a mini-greenhouse, and why is not difficult to guess.

The main functions and advantages of this facility:

• protects seedlings from negative impacts, including - from drafts in the apartment (if the panic is home), rain and wind on the street;
• does not block sunlight, but provides the correct microclimate for seedlings (the desired level of humidity, temperature);
• allows you to carefully harden seedlings;
• does not interfere with plant care procedures;
• It has a low cost, it is installed in almost a few minutes.

On a note! By the way, many build mini-greenhouses even on the balcony, and not just on the garden plot.

The principle of operation of a greenhouse is easy to understand - it provides plants with heat due to the fact that it covers them from all sides from wind and draft and is installed in a well-lit place. Warm air accumulated under the film is not carried away air currents in an unknown direction, and therefore in the greenhouse and the temperature is much higher than in open space. This is very important for plants that like warmth and cannot stand excessive coolness. And the structure that has not big sizes- a mini-greenhouse fully meets all these criteria.

What is recommended to grow in mini-greenhouses? First of all, it is, as already mentioned, seedlings of various horticultural crops in need of warmth and care. As a rule, containers with seeds for germination are placed in home greenhouses that are built on windowsills. Peppers, some types of flowers respond very well to the use of a mini-greenhouse. In the spring, plants can be moved to an outdoor mini-greenhouse for hardening. Thanks to the use of these structures for germination and seedling cultivation, crops will begin to bear fruit earlier than usual.

GrowBox - greenhouse for home

On a note! A home mini-greenhouse is, in fact, a structure that performs almost the same functions as a regular film stretched over boxes with future seedlings. However, work in it is much easier and more convenient.

By the way, another advantage of using garden mini-greenhouses is that their miniature size allows you to install them in a small garden area. However, when the seedlings grow up, they will have to be relocated to a greenhouse or open ground. But a mini-sized greenhouse will not be empty - you can plant other crops in it that do not require large spaces for growth and development.

Ordinary radish per season can produce 3 or more batches of crops, since in a mini-greenhouse you can start planting it very early, and finish growing much later.

early spring or late autumn onions, dill and other greens will feel great in the greenhouse, which will decorate your table and add vitamins to culinary dishes. AT small greenhouse you can even grow, which will bear fruit throughout the summer.

A mini-greenhouse will also help in rooting some types of plants. For example, it has all the conditions for giving roots in the country and taking root cuttings of raspberries, currants, roses.

On a note! For the purpose of rooting shrub plants in the garden, it is best to make a separate mini-greenhouse, since this process is far from fast and lasts about a year, and a greenhouse may be needed for new seedlings.

Types of mini-greenhouses

Such greenhouses can be various kinds, shapes and dimensions - from very tiny, domestic, to quite spacious, street. Consider the main types of these structures.

Table. Types of mini-greenhouses.

Description and characteristics of materials

Before we start studying the instructions for creating the simplest mini-greenhouses, we will deal with the basic materials from which they are built. Each of them has certain pros and cons.

What can the frame of an arched greenhouse be made of? The easiest option is plastic or metal arcs, someone even manages to make greenhouses from wooden arcs. If we compare these materials, we will immediately understand that the metal will serve much longer than a tree because it doesn't rot. However, it is prone to corrosion under conditions high humidity. To slow down both processes, the tree is processed by special protective equipment and the metal must be painted.

On a note! Unlike a greenhouse, when installing a mini-greenhouse made of metal, you will not need welding machine. Metal rods can simply be bent and stuck into the ground.

Plastic arcs are good because they are not afraid of either rot or corrosion. But it is a more fragile material than wood and metal, and breaks easily with the slightest effort. But also the cheapest.

By the way, a greenhouse box is usually made of wood, especially if it is a portable greenhouse or a "butterfly". But still make the “snail” out of metal - it’s easier and more convenient.

To cover the structure, you can use:

• polycarbonate;
• agrofibre;
• polyethylene;
• glass.

Polyethylene film is the simplest version of a covering material. It is easy to fix on any frame, and it is inexpensive. However, it quickly breaks and - even if it is removed for the winter - becomes unusable in 2-3 seasons. But on the other hand, in apartment conditions, greenhouses are closed with a film.

Agrofibre - very good material, which transmits enough light and provides plants with a favorable microclimate. This is a fairly dense, but porous material that allows moisture to pass through, but does not release heat. It can be washed, and agrofibre serves with careful storage for many years. It costs more than polyethylene.

- a material that has long been known to all gardeners for its positive properties. It is quite strong, light, easy to work with. They can cover both a small greenhouse and a huge greenhouse.

- good, but still not the best the best way for a greenhouse. The fragility and complexity of working with glass significantly limit the possibilities of its use. It is unlikely that gardeners will suffer with this material for the sake of a small greenhouse - except to cover the greenhouse.

Advice! We recommend using film, agrofibre or polycarbonate for mini-greenhouse equipment (depending on the type of product). So, for "bread boxes", "butterflies" buy polycarbonate, for outdoor greenhouses better fit agrofibre, and for home indoor - film.

Heating a mini-greenhouse with biofuel

Biofuel will help to insulate the greenhouse and provide it with additional heat. Its role is perfectly performed by manure, straw, old leaves. To equip such a heated greenhouse in the country is quite simple.

Step 1. In the place where the greenhouse will be equipped, make a small hole or trench in the shape of the future structure.

Step 2 Fill the hole about 2/3 full with biofuel mixture. To do this, mix leaves, straw, manure with soil.

Step 3 Spill the "bed" with water and close fertile soil by filling the trench to the brim.

Attention! The soil layer must be thick enough for planting horticultural crops into it.

Step 4 Put a greenhouse on top of the structure.

Due to the decomposition processes, the biofuel will heat up and give off heat more actively, and the greenhouse will accumulate it. This is how the natural heating system will operate in any greenhouse.

So that the greenhouse is not blown away by a strong gust of wind, and the whole structure is sufficiently rigid and stable, it is necessary to make a foundation. This will take quite a bit of time and will allow, if necessary, to easily transfer the greenhouse to a new location. More details.

We make mini-greenhouses of different types

Depending on the type of construction, greenhouses can be made different ways. Let's consider some of them. Let's start with the simplest option - a frameless greenhouse. This is just covering the ridge with seeds planted in them and covered plastic wrap or agrofibre. Just cover the ground with material and press it down along the edges with bricks or stones, protecting it from blowing winds. And this simple structure will already be considered a greenhouse.

You can also make a tunnel or arched frame greenhouse yourself.

Step 1. Purchase or make yourself several arches of the same size (usually they choose arcs made of metal or plastic). You will also need polyethylene, wire and clamps.

Step 2 Set the poles about 40 cm apart by simply digging or pushing the ends into the ground 30 cm.

Step 3 Using a wire, a wooden slat, connect the arcs to each other in top point. This will give the structure stability.

Step 4 Cover the resulting structure with a film and secure it on one side with plastic clamps or wire. On the other side of the film, fasten with clamps or wire wooden lath- the latter will help roll up the material during the opening of the structure.

Step 5 The ends can be closed separately with pieces of film, or you can simply take a film of greater width and, while closing the greenhouse, lower its sides onto the ends.

Step 6 Fix on the film with stones or bricks.

This is one of the most simple options mini greenhouse. But there are others.

You can also make a small portable greenhouse. To do this, you will need lumber, screws, glass or polycarbonate, awnings and a handle.

Step 1. Put together a small frame without a bottom, resembling a beveled box.

Step 2 put together wooden frame from thin bars - this will be the basis of the transparent cover.

Step 3 Insert a sheet of glass or polycarbonate into the frame.

An alternative option is to use old window frames.

Step 4 Attach the frame to the awnings on one side of the box (higher side).

Step 5 From the bar, make a support for the frame. It is also possible to provide the frame with a hook for closing. The mini greenhouse is ready.

On a note! By spending a little more time and putting together a few polycarbonate frames, you can make such a greenhouse completely transparent.

Planting seedlings in open ground in March and April is dangerous and possible only for frost-resistant crops and varieties, night frosts and morning dew will destroy young shoots left without shelter. Not everyone can install a greenhouse for planting seedlings, the material is quite expensive, and installation will require some knowledge, time and study of the drawings.

The benefits of using a greenhouse are obvious:

• Retains heat and moisture. A microclimate is created inside, which helps plants develop better.
• Protects from precipitation and pests. The greenhouse protects seedlings from heavy rain and hail, pests and birds.
• Availability and ease of installation. Unlike a greenhouse, anyone can make a homemade greenhouse, and the materials for it are inexpensive.
• Saving space and time. The organization of a frameless greenhouse comes down to laying the material and fixing it from the wind. If the bed needs to be moved for the purpose of crop rotation, the greenhouse is dismantled and moved in a few minutes.

There are several ways to quickly organize greenhouse conditions directly on the beds.

Frameless greenhouse with insulated soil

This is the simplest and cheap option, used for early seedlings, mainly greens or radishes, or as a temporary shelter. It looks like a polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, ethylene vinyl acetate or stretch film laid on prepared beds (insulated with manure or peat).

It is stretched over a wooden or aluminum frame so that it does not sag, or it fits as is (the tension is maintained by stones, in which case they will need a lot more). In any case, it is fixed on the sides with bricks, large stones or beams, so as not to be blown away by the wind.

Agrofibre is often used as a covering material: its surface lets moisture in, but does not let it out (watering can be done without removing it), light, elastic and durable. Can protect plants even when sub-zero temperature.

Frame greenhouse

It is stationary and portable. As a frame, metal arcs, reinforcement, or wooden beams. On the metal carcass any heat-saving film is stretched, the ends on the sides are pressed with boards, or fixed on the frame.

AT sunny days the film is lifted to ventilate the plants. It is possible to use polycarbonate, which is inserted into a solid metal frame.

The design can be made independently, from wood. The frame is mounted so that one of the sides is pitched, at an angle of 45 degrees. The structure is installed so that the slope is on the south side.

Can be used as a framework brickwork, beams or walls of any building in the country house on the south side. Old window frames with glass are laid on the frame at an angle of 45 degrees.

How to choose the right place and make a greenhouse

If there is no need to make a greenhouse already finished garden choose a flat, sunny and windless place for it. To make a greenhouse on unprepared soil you will need:

• Dig a pit about 50 cm deep. Length and width may vary depending on availability of material or required sizes future beds;
• cover 10 cm with rubble, and the same amount with sand;
• Lay straw or humus for soil mulching.
• Fall asleep on top of the mulch organic fertilizer, which is also a biofuel for soil heating (dung, peat, chicken manure, humus).
• A greenhouse frame is mounted, if necessary, or a frame with stretched agrofibre is prepared.
• The rest of the space is covered with earth.

A home-made greenhouse allows you to take into account all the requirements of the summer resident and create for seedlings greenhouse conditions protecting her from negative factors while saving time and money.