Introduction: Building a Miniature Greenhouse for $10
Want juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, and honey sweet watermelons, all from your garden? Well, it might take some time but the results are worth it.
Today, we will discuss planting your seeds and keeping them in a mini greenhouse. So what are you waiting for? Let's get started!
Step 1: When to Start
You should start planting as soon as the weather starts to get warm (late winter, early spring). It also depends on where you live so be mindful of the temperature in your area.
Step 2: What You Need
*Plastic Wrap (The thicker the better)
*2 Small Self-Adhesion Strips of Velcro
Please note the amount of cups and potting soil may vary depending on how big your Styrofoam tray and cups are.
Step 3: Holes
The Styrofoam cups will be the "flower pots" for this project. You must first make drainage holes by poking hole through the bottom of the cup (about 3 holes) with a nail.
Step 4: Rocks
Next, flip the cups around and add small rocks to the holes. This is done so the water can drain but not too much (it has to seep below the rocks).
Step 5: Soil
Next add soil until you have about 2 inches of space untill the top of the cup.
Step 6: More Holes
Use your fingers to poke 3 holes in the soil for each cup. Your finger should go about 2cm deep into the soil. These holes are where you're seeds will go.
Step 7: Seed Time
Add a seed to each hole. Be careful and don't crush the seeds. You can have the same type of seed in all of the cups, or like me, have a different plant in each cup!
Step 8: Fill Up
Fill up the cups with more soil until there is about 1 inch left from the top. Be sure not to compress the soil.
Step 9: Post-Its
Use your post-its to label the kind of plant you planted in each cup.
Step 10: Label
Put the post-it notes on your cups in correspondence.
Step 11: Place
Place your cups onto the Styrofoam tray.
Step 12: Green House Making Begins: Wires
You will need 3 wires, they are about 16 inches long but it depends on how wide the Styrofoam tray. The goal is to bend the wire into a dome shape into the two sides of the Styrofoam tray (see picture 2).
Step 13: Stick
Stick the wire through the side of the Styrofoam tray. Repeat this for the other 2 wires and for the other side.
Step 14: Tape
Use tape to attach the wire to the Styrofoam tray Adjust the wire so all 3 form even arcs (see picture 2 for the results).
Step 15: Plastic Wrap
You need a piece of plastic wrap that can lay on the arc and have about 1 inch hanging over on each side (see picture 2). If you want it to be more durable, you can double layer the plastic wrap.
Step 16: More Tape
Tape the plastic wrap down. You need at least 3 pieces of tape going across. Repeat with the other side.
Step 17: Even More Tape
Tape the plastic wrap to the wire from the inside. Repeat with the other two wire.
Step 18: Plastic Wrap, Part 2
Cut another piece of plastic wrap. This time, it has to be long enough to reach from the outside arc to hanging off of the tray about 1-inch. Again, you can double layer to make it more durable.
Step 19: ....Tape?
Tape the plastic wrap around the arc. Also, tape the end of the plastic warp to the edge of the tray.
Step 20: Plastic Wrap: Part 3
Finally, cut one last piece of plastic wrap. Once again, it has to be long enough to reach from outside the arc to hanging off of the tray about 1-inch, but this time it is on the other side. You can double layer if you want, again.
Step 21: TAPE!!!
Tape the plastic wrap around the arc, but make sure not to tape the end of the plastic wrap to the tray.
Step 22: Velcro
Take one piece of Velcro and stick one part of it to the corner of the tray. Attach the corresponding piece of Velcro on the corresponding corner of the plastic wrap. Make sure that if you attach the 2 pieces of Velcro together, they can reach. Repeat with the other side.
Step 23: Watering
Water your plants.
Step 24: Plants Go In
Put your plants into the green house by going through the end of the green house that you used Velcro. Close the green house up by attaching the 2 pieces of Velcro together.
Step 25: Maintainence
Every day, open up the green house and spray about five sprays with your spray bottle.
Step 26: Finished
Be sure to place your greenhouse somewhere sunny and with enough patience, your plants will sprout up.