With the popularity of homegrown food and indoor gardening, the mini greenhouse market has exploded. Find out what to look for when buying one and see our list of top picks.
According to the National Gardening Association (NGA), 35 percent of American households grow food either at home or in a community garden.
Having fresh vegetables and herbs on the table all-year-round isn't the only benefit — homegrown vegetables often taste better than supermarket stuff.
If you’re interested in growing your own food but lack space and time, a mini-greenhouse might just be the thing you need.
Here’s my review of the best mini greenhouses you can use in your own home.
With clear plastic panels, this mini greenhouse allows you to maximize the available sunlight for your plants, while the adjustable roof lets you easily control the ventilation.
I love this greenhouse for two reasons: One, it fits almost anywhere and two, it retains excellent heat — which makes it perfect for early sprouting and growing late in the season.
This Outsunny greenhouse has a durable aluminum frame and rust-resistant hardware so you don’t have to worry about the elements — I know from my own experience that it’s going to last.
This spacious greenhouse can fit all your plants together and pamper them all year round.
Two large zippered front doors provide superb air circulation and give you easy access to your plants.
The way I see people use this greenhouse is to fit it over existing plants, flowerbeds, even small shrubs that need protection in winter.
Due to its generous height, I find that this one is perfect for my tomato plants.
The greenhouse is made of durable reinforced plastic that holds heat great, [1] allowing you to extend your growing season late into the fall.
I recommend it to my friends who live in apartments — it fits almost any balcony, while the roof flaps keep out curious city birds.
The only issue I had was the manual. As parts were not labeled it took me a while to put everything together.
This walk-in greenhouse gives me generous headspace so I can easily check on my plants, while the shelves allow me to organize my herbs, veggies, and flowers.
The greenhouse has a lightweight steel frame and comes with four wind ropes and hooks, so you can easily anchor it for extra stability. This makes it ideal for windy days but also for people with pets.
However, the lightweight steel frame comes at a price, as it only supports light trays and planters.
I bought this greenhouse for my mother’s balcony to replace the one I made myself.
The UV-resistant cover makes this greenhouse perfect for drafty corridors and balconies, while the multilevel design gives you minimum footprint and maximum planting space.
Mom uses this greenhouse for her succulent collection and says she especially likes the roll-up door — she can water and mist her babies without any fuss while having them protected from rain and high winds.
However, plastic fittings need some work right out of the box and if you use it outdoors you may want to secure it against the wind.
This miniature greenhouse with PVC cover is great for keeping individual plants, like peppers, warm on cold nights. [2]
Remove it from the carrier and it pops into shape, so you don’t need to bother with assembly.
The problem with small greenhouses like this is that it gets very hot inside unless you keep the door open.
Pop this plant house open and your flowers and veggies are ready for the cold season. When you’re done using it, just fold the greenhouse in its carrying case.
This feature also makes these mini-greenhouses easy to clean. Just hose them with a low-pressure sprayer and mild dish soap.
Still, due to its size, this unit will only be able to accommodate one plant. I also had an issue with a zipper. Good thing it was taken care of by the seller.
Apart from using it to protect individual plants, I found that this mini-greenhouse maintains high humidity levels, which is perfect for seed sprouting.
These are also very affordable so instead of pitching a larger greenhouse in your yard, you just plant a couple of these and neither wind nor frost can harm your plants.
Unfortunately, affordable means that the cover feels flimsy at the touch, and again the door zipper didn’t hold out for long.
I’m a big fan of shelved greenhouses as I like to keep my plants organized: flowers on top, herbs in the middle, and vegetables on the two lower floors.
People often use these tiered greenhouses as green displays on porches or at the corner of the garden.
In bad weather, just zip down the heavy-duty front cover and your plant babies will be safe behind a tough PU cover.
On the downside, this greenhouse could use a set of wind ropes. Shelves may come apart unless you secure them with zip ties, especially if few plastic joints break on you.
This 4-tier vertical greenhouse will feel at home anywhere you put it — on your balcony, deck, patio, even indoors.
It uses a push-fit tubular frame, [3] so you don’t need any tools to put it together. The cover can be completely removed if you want to wash it.
Like many vertical greenhouses, this one isn’t too stable as my cat has proven it on multiple occasions. You may want to secure shelves with zip ties.
It’s also a great way to grow from seed all year long which can end up giving you an abundance of plants throughout the full year. Greenhouses are also a great way to harvest fresh vegetables all year round.
Kyle Barnette, executive director of the Charleston Horticultural Society
The multilevel construction of these greenhouses allows you to diversify your plants and keep them organized.
This particular greenhouse is ideal if you want to green up your patio, deck, pr balcony with annuals, as it takes little space and provides a splendid display.
Although advertised as rust-proof, the frame rusted quickly so I had to take it outside where I saw another problem — even a light breeze would knock it down.
This walk-in portable greenhouse is perfect if you have plenty of space and want to enjoy every comfort of growing your own food.
For extra stability, you can anchor this greenhouse with four wind ropes and ground spikes that come with the kit.
Unfortunately, quality control could be better with this one. The product looks and feels cheap and despite the size, you can only use it for young plants and light trays.
With a total of 12 wired shelves available, this greenhouse will hold many planting trays.
The roll-up door and generous middle section give you enough space to water your plants, even those at the lowest level.
The plastic cover isn’t very durable and the whole unit needs more weight to stand against what wind. If you have heavier planters, you may want to leave them on the ground level.
Since there is no built-in base or shelves, you’re not limited by the shelves’ carrying capacity — you can bring many large plants inside.
The way I arrange them is to line the tallest plants under the center roofline, and the others in front.
These greenhouses come without anchor ropes so I had to bury the frame to make it more stable. The cover isn’t UV-resistant as it already cracked on the corners.
Tooca mini-greenhouse an affordable way to extend the growing season for your leeks, bush beans, and broccoli.
The problem with this one is that the sides don’t come all the way to the ground and my cat made a home of it. If you use it outdoors, you may want to burry it for both stability and to keep critters out.
This 4-tiered greenhouse has wheels so you can easily roll it inside in cold weather or use it without the PVC shroud in summer.
If you prefer to have it fixed in one place, just remove the wheels and you’re all set.
However, I discovered that the wheels are useless when I fill the racks. The plastic cover has also ripped open on several spots, so durability and this product don’t stand together.
This mini greenhouse is also good if you’re looking to extend your growing season or keep a beautiful floral display on your porch.
The plastic cover is fully transparent and aesthetically more pleasing than some other mesh options — keep this in mind if you’re looking for a decorative mini-greenhouse.
Contrary to what the manufacturer says, however, the frame rusted after just a few weeks. I also had to reinforce the shelves with zip ties.
These walk-in mini greenhouses will shield your plants from rain and gusts of wind, and provide you with easy access for watering and picking.
However, the cover doesn’t go all the way down so pests may sneak in. The frame is flimsy and several joints cracked while I was putting it together. That aside, I still needed to use zip ties to makes shelves hold.
The three tiers are the main selling point of these mini-greenhouses, allowing you to store potted plants and germinate seedlings in one unit.
And this is where good things end. The connectors are made of flimsy plastic so keep the superglue at hand. If you use it outdoors, find a way to anchor it or make it heavier against the wind. The zipper has failed on me quickly.
The 4 shelves are more than enough for seedlings and herbs, but I also find the bottom shelf useful for storing my gardening tools and spare pots.
Unfortunately, this greenhouse doesn’t stand to its name. Definitely not the best choice, as it was difficult to put together, and even complete needed support on the sides. The cover fits loosely which not only looks bad but lets warm air escape.
A mini greenhouse is an umbrella term for greenhouses that includes a wide variety of designs, from those that can fit a whole person who’s standing, to those that are small enough for tabletop use.
Mini greenhouses that are commercially sold are typically made of metal frames, have optional shelves, and have a PU or PE plastic cover that zips open on one side.
One main reason (to have a greenhouse) is to be able to ‘winter’ your plants. Even in the most temperate zone you risk frost and freeze on winter nights and a well-insulated greenhouse is ideal to save those favorite plants
Kyle Barnette, Executive Director of the Charleston Horticultural Society
Most gardeners use them to start seedlings earlier or extend their growing season late into the fall. People also find them ideal for protecting their flowerbeds or individual plants against strong wind and pests. [4]
While tabletop greenhouses are perfect for protecting your collection of succulents and cacti in the cold season, multi-tiered and walk-in greenhouses cover a wide variety of uses, from seed starting to cutting propagation and growing edibles.
However, the smaller size of mini-greenhouses doesn’t mean they need less maintenance. Heat and humidity can build up rapidly in these small units, so you either need to monitor the humidity levels or keep your greenhouse ventilated whenever possible.
If you’re looking for one greenhouse that offers a full package, you should seriously consider the Outsunny 39" Aluminum Vented Cold Frame Mini Greenhouse Kit.
The first thing I like about it is the solid design. The greenhouse looks and feels stable. No need for you to fumble with zip ties or ropes.
Also, every single part fit perfectly — nothing cracked or ripped here. When I shut the roof panels in the evening, I know my peppers and herbs are safe and pests can go and try elsewhere.
I love the roof panels for another reason: they open all the way up, allowing me to pluck the choicest leaves and quickly inspect what’s going on inside.
Whether you’re looking to germinate flower seedlings or start a mini garden of edibles, I’d recommend you go for the Outsunny 39” Kit.
I love mini greenhouses! I have a few of them and they are so handy for growing plants indoors. I highly recommend them!
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I am curious if any of these reviewed greenhouses are made from eco friendly materials? I am looking to buy a small temporary greenhouse for my apartment deck to protect my edible plants from nearby construction debris and chemicals.
However, I wonder if they are incased in plastic that is coated in chemicals that if that gets hot, those chemicals will release gasses hat will permeate into the plants that I will be eating.
Perhaps I am uneducated on if this can actually happen or not. But I am finding I am concerned about it and can find zero information on this.
Any perspective would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Marissa
Interesting information about PVC Decks. This looks super cool. I’ll be back to read more!
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4 Tier Mini Greenhouse
During the warmer months of the year nothing beats getting out into the garden and caring for your favorite plants. As spring approaches, the days are beginning to get longer, flowers are starting to bloom and your favorite garden center is stocking up for the long summer season. While spring and summer are the best time of year for gardeners, what are you supposed to do the other half of the year when temperatures and light are less than spectacular? Although many gardeners have resigned themselves to the fact that their planting days must come to an end during the cooler months of the year, the fact is that it’s still possible to grow beautiful plants using a 4 tier mini greenhouse.