The Mini Greenhouse

For those of us who do not have the space, or even the finances, for a full sized greenhouse the mini greenhouse or cold frame is the only other option besides the window sill. Mini greenhouses are available from most nurseries and garden centers and there is a truly immense selection of high quality, low priced, mini greenhouses available to purchase online or via mail order.

Advantages of the Mini Greenhouse

Possibly the most important advantage to using a mini greenhouse is space, being highly compact and somewhat portable, they can be placed almost anywhere in the garden. Many choose to have theirs on a patio, or a balcony, where they will receive most sunshine and when the patio is in use the greenhouse can simply be moved out of the way and put back when finished. However it can also be used for display purposes, in which case it can be kept permanently on the patio to show off your finest specimens.

Most good quality mini greenhouses are made of tough tubular steel, which is usually coated with plastic, making them easy to dismantle when they are not in use. The tubular frame is covered in a strong fleece or durable polypropylene cover. At the front is usually a roll-up zipped door/panel to allow easy and quick access. Some of the finer examples are rather tall with up to four tiers and often come equipped with both summer and winter covers allowing you to use them throughout the winter months. You may find the cheap mini greenhouses are not really suitable for use over winter.

A mini greenhouse is highly suitable for seed germination and plant propagation and, if you place them near your back door it is extremely easy to monitor the temperature and humidity, too hot or humid all you need do is open, or even remove, the plastic cover. I love continually checking on my plants, usually next years perennials, as often as I can and being disabled I really appreciate my little three tiered mini greenhouse being within easy reach. My main greenhouse is at the very back of my garden and is a fair old trek so I like to keep some of my plants nearer the home. I also have a few specimen plants dotted around on each of the tiers making the whole thing look rather pretty.

Durability

I love mini greenhouses and I actually have two of them, one with a loose plastic cover (mentioned above) and another which is a far more robust gro-house which is twin walled polypropylene. The polypropylene is crystal clear and six times stronger than glass! I have this one a little further away from the house in an area of my garden which gets most sunlight but is rather exposed. It is only small, sufficient for nine standard seed trays, but it is rigid enough to withstand the weather. I have used it for two years now and there is no sign of damage or discoloration and I shall be setting it up again this year for my early bedding plants. It cost a little more than my other mini greenhouse but I hope that it will last a while longer yet.

Other uses of the Mini Greenhouse

Most garden items are now available in trendy stainless steel, while expensive they look spectacular and are highly durable if cared for correctly. During the winter months I store mine away in the house but in the spring I am a little lazy and I have to admit that I always leave the bottom tier of my mini greenhouse clear so that I have somewhere to throw my little stainless steel trowel and fork set in the evening so that they are easily to hand the next day.

I am so pleased with the two that I already own that I am now considering purchasing another cheap mini greenhouse which I can use to store the gardening equipment that I use most often. Every year I curse myself when it comes to digging out the garden hose as it has usually been thrown to the back of my garden shed but when I have finished with it I usually just throw it back there. It would be far better if I organized myself and placed it on one of the shelves in my new mini greenhouse where it would be within easy reach at all times.

Billy Harris was a professional landscape gardener for many years but since retirement he spends most of his time tinkering in his own garden. During the winter months he writes articles for a small number of gardening sites.