When not to escape to the dacha: mini-greenhouse on the windowsill, ideas, recommendations

If you do not have the opportunity to visit the cottage in the near future, equip a green corner in your apartment or on the balcony. And to make your home garden useful, turn it into a mini greenhouse and grow some vegetables. The HouseChief editors will tell you how to build a greenhouse with your own hands and what materials will be needed to make it.

Read in the article

1 Why do you need a mini greenhouse on the balcony
2 Features of creating a greenhouse on a cold balcony
3 Frame and cover fabrication
4 DIY mini greenhouse made of wood
5 Greenhouse lighting
6 Irrigation system installation
7 Finally

Why do you need a mini greenhouse on the balcony

Installing a greenhouse on the balcony will allow you to grow a small crop or seedlings right at home. In addition, it will eliminate the need to buy vegetables at the store. To bring this idea to life is much easier than it seems at first glance.

Mini greenhouse on the windowsill — A stylish glass and wood greenhouse will be a real decoration for your balcony. You can grow onions, tomatoes, herbs, some bushes, and even mini trees

We recommend making a greenhouse in an apartment for a number of reasons:

flowers, vegetables and herbs for salads and hot dishes can be grown at home;
garden plants often decorate the interior of the apartment;
fresh vegetables can be eaten not only in the summer season, but all year round.

The technology for building a mini-greenhouse can be changed depending on what purpose it will be intended for. In some situations, only two boxes, soil and seedlings may be enough, and for the cultivation of certain types of vegetables, a complete re-equipment of the balcony is required.

We will consider the simplest options for greenhouses with a metal or wooden frame.

Features of creating a greenhouse on a cold balcony

If the balcony is not heated or insulated, then in the process of installing a greenhouse on it, you will have to apply the rules for arranging greenhouses in the open air. The greenhouse must be closed and maintain the air temperature that is optimal for the plants.

The greenhouse can be used ready-made or made by hand. In appearance, the structure may resemble a bookcase, so make sure in advance that there is enough space on the balcony for it.

If you do not want to cover the whole greenhouse, put plastic " caps" on heat-loving plants — If you do not want to cover the whole greenhouse, put plastic "caps" on heat-loving plants

On the balcony, you can also make a transformer greenhouse with a heating lamp and a removable top cover and one wall. In summer they can be removed, and in winter, when cold weather sets in, they can be put back.

Frame and cover fabrication

In order for you to get a strong, reliable frame, follow the instructions:

Make two frames using bars up to 40 mm. These structural elements will become the side parts of the frame. Fasten the cross bars at the level of future shelves.
Connect the two prefabricated frames to each other using horizontal beams. Their size should be equal to the width of the greenhouse.
Secure the planks to the horizontal bars. You should have shelves on which the seedling soil boxes will be installed.

Make sure you place the structure on a perfectly level surface, otherwise the rack could tip over.

Attach the rest of the parts to the finished frame. Open the cover from a regular film. Make it 3 cm longer than the frame. The front canvas should be in two parts, connected by a zipper - this will make it much easier for you to water the plants. Film covers can be fastened with ordinary tape or a seam stitched on a sewing machine.

Advice! Polycarbonate can be used to insulate fixed parts - the back wall, sidewall and top of the greenhouse.

Choose a place on the balcony in advance so that you can fit the greenhouse and move around calmly, watering the plants. If it is not enough, raise the structure higher, make multi-tiered greenhouses

DIY mini greenhouse made of wood

The simplest version of the greenhouse is a lean-to, made of a wooden frame. This is a regular box with a tilted lid.

The floor of the balcony can be used as the bottom of such a box. It is better to make the lid of a transparent, but dense material through which soft, diffused light will enter the greenhouse.

If you are afraid that the plants will not have enough light, make the structure high, and use ordinary glass or thin plastic wrap as a covering. In addition, the mini-greenhouse should be in the most illuminated place on the balcony.

To assemble a wooden box, you need to follow these instructions:

Draw a drawing and determine the dimensions of the future structure. Make sure it fits on the balcony. There should be free access to the greenhouse for watering the plants.
Prepare all the necessary materials in advance: bars and boards, self-tapping screws, plastic wrap, hinges and tape. If you are using coniferous blocks, pretreat them with an antifungal impregnation and varnish.
Build the frame and secure all joints and connections securely.
Install the cover. It can be made from foil, secured with staples or a stapler.

The greenhouse must be painted from the inside with ordinary paint, and the outside must be treated with a special protective agent. All seams and joints should be filled with a moisture-resistant sealant so that the structure does not become covered with mold, fungus and does not fall apart.

Attention! If you want to use a mini greenhouse not only in summer, but also in winter, additionally sheathe it with foam.

Greenhouse lighting

If your balcony faces the shady side or into the courtyard and not enough sunlight penetrates into it, then you should definitely take care of additional greenhouse lighting. In winter, it will be necessary for all greenhouses, even those that stand on a warm, well-lit balcony.

If possible, use a natural light source, but if it is not enough in the apartment and on the balcony, then you cannot do without additional lamps

To add light, you can use the following fixtures:

Sodium lamps. They are installed in greenhouses where heat-loving plants are grown.
Phytolamps. You can purchase them in a special store.
LEDs - budget and stylish solution. You can choose fixtures that give daylight-like lighting.
Metal halogen lamps. They are used by gardeners when planting plants that require frequent watering.

Any additional lighting must be waterproofed. Water often leaks from trays and drainage holes and can get onto electrical appliances.

Irrigation system installation

You can water the flower pots yourself, but if you want to automate the process, you should install a watering system. Best suited drip irrigation system - with a small supply, water flows directly to the roots of the plant.

You can also purchase a ready-made watering system at a flower and garden store or make it yourself. For DIY production, you will need a programmer, pump and tubes. It remains only to connect all the parts together and hang the structure from the roof of the greenhouse, as well as adjust the time and frequency of watering.

Make sure tubing and hose are not leaking. It is important that the water is dosed, as even a few extra drops applied every hour can damage the root system of some plants.

Related article:

Do-it-yourself drip irrigation in the greenhouse: types, pros and cons, secrets of choosing equipment, average prices, consumer reviews, correct installation of the system and useful recommendations.

Finally

It is very convenient to have a greenhouse on the balcony. She can produce a good harvest, which is enough to cook some of her favorite dishes in the summer or even winter season. In addition, a properly equipped greenhouse looks beautiful on the balcony.

Did you grow something in a greenhouse? If so, please write, is its design similar to ours?

Discuss0