7 Genius Seedling Greenhouses You Can Make Today

Start a garden without spending a lot of money with these DIY seedling greenhouses.

In this article:

1. Grow Plants with These Homemade Seedling Greenhouses
   1. Egg Carton DIY Greenhouse
   2. Plastic Bottle Mini Greenhouse
   3. CD Spindle Case Greenhouse
   4. Clear Storage Tote Greenhouse
   5. Mason Jar Greenhouse
   6. Plastic-Wrapped Greenhouse
   7. Clear Plastic Greenhouse

Seedling Greenhouses Ideas | 7 Ways for Little Spaces

Greenhouse Definition: It is a structure or a container that allows people to grow plants under controlled conditions.

Grow Plants with These Homemade Seedling Greenhouses

Seedling greenhouses are a quick, easy, and cost-effective way to keep your greenery thriving. In fact, you can make a greenhouse you can hold in the palm of your hand!

There are dozens of ways you can make a seedling greenhouse that can fit on a small shelf or windowsill. Even better, you can do these without shelling out so much on greenhouse or nursery supplies.

Check out 7 of the most inventive yet easy ways to make your own seedling greenhouses.

1. Egg Carton DIY Greenhouse

Egg Carton Seedlings Photo by Survival Life

This DIY egg carton seedling greenhouse will be one of your favorites when it comes to starting seeds in a small greenhouse. All you need is an egg carton as your germination tray.

Hint: It’s as simple as adding a clear plastic wrap or bag to your egg carton seedlings.

Home-Complete HC-4202 Walk-In Greenhouse- Indoor Outdoor with 8 Sturdy Shelves-Grow Plants, Seedlings, Herbs, or Flowers In Any Season-Gardening Rack

• 8 DURABLE SHELVES- The 8 sturdy shelves provide plenty of room for trays, pots, or planters of anything you want to grow. It’s a convenient option for any gardener!
• INDOOR OUTDOOR- This versatile greenhouse is ideal for both indoor and outdoor use; keep it on your backyard patio, deck, or in the basement or garage! The clear PVC cover helps protect seedlings from frost or pests for an ideal growing environment.

$69.99

Buy Now Price incl. tax, excl. shipping

2. Plastic Bottle Mini Greenhouse

https://www.instagram.com/p/BA1g4lWrrGO/

A plastic bottle can be another great DIY greenhouse for your seedlings! It is a perfect excuse to save those plastic bottles instead of throwing them away.

You can recycle and upcycle the containers and turn them into these awesome seedling greenhouses. Most of all, you can help save the environment.

3. CD Spindle Case Greenhouse

Do you still have those cases from your CD-burning days lying around the house? Did you know they make perfect greenhouses for your seedlings?

All you have to do is to have an empty CD spindle case. Then you cut out the column at the center.

Cover up the hole at the base and drill a couple more on the top cover. Add your small pots and seeds.

That’s a simple seedling greenhouse idea you can do in no time at all.

RELATED: The Art of Seed Saving

4. Clear Storage Tote Greenhouse

https://www.instagram.com/p/BgGrZzfBWDa/

Sometimes, temperatures can be erratic. You can have warm temperatures during the day and cold ones at nights.

In these situations, grow your seedlings in small containers inside clear plastic totes.

You can take the totes out in the morning. This way, the plants can enjoy a day’s worth of sunlight and build up their tolerance to the cold.

Then at night, you can bring them inside.

5. Mason Jar Greenhouse

https://www.instagram.com/p/RXyrwXuJzJ/

A mason jar is a basic item for homesteading and canning. An old one, though, can make an awesome greenhouse for your seedlings.

You can make a simple but cute greenhouse with it. Simply make sure there is adequate airflow for the plant so it can thrive.

Tip: If you don’t have a mason jar, you can make a mini greenhouse terrarium with a plastic container. The principle is the same.

6. Plastic-Wrapped Greenhouse

View this post on Instagram

Cloning the honeysuckle from work. Currently going well under the grow light and on the heater. #minigreenhouse #planting #gardening #greenthumb #rootinghormones

A post shared by armedmedic3153 (@armedmedic3153) on Apr 30, 2016 at 3:19pm PDT

This plastic-wrapped homemade mini greenhouse is another excellent addition to your list of ideas. It’s also easy to do and inexpensive.

This type of seedling greenhouse is an effective solution for difficult seeds. It’s also great for beginners since it needs only a couple of cheap gardening supplies.

Burpee Home Professional Two Tier Grow Light | Two Wide Spectrum Bulbs | For Indoor Growing and Seed Starting

• Burpee two tier grow light is a compact, lightweight unit that takes up very little space but doubles your plant production with two complete trays of growing space
• Each tier comes with a 22" X 11" Tray and a fully adjustable light box come complete with two 20-watt wide-spectrum bulb

Buy Now Price incl. tax, excl. shipping

7. Clear Plastic Greenhouse

View this post on Instagram

The first #trueleaves of my #heirloomtomatoplants. Notice the #repurposed_berrycontainer perfect #minigreenhouse #thrifty #homesteading #homegrown #sustainable #slowfood #growyourown #growforyourself #unfiltered

A post shared by Michele (@michele.homesteading) on Apr 10, 2016 at 6:22am PDT

Who says you need a whole lot of equipment and tools to start your garden?

With this idea, all you need is a clear plastic food container with a lid. Then you can use tissue paper cores or cardboard rolls to complete the greenhouse for your seedlings.

For more ideas on seedling greenhouses, check out this full tutorial video from OikoEco: 

Of course, if you want the faster route to growing seedlings, you can buy a full-sized greenhouse. It’s already available in Amazon, and you can choose among the different sizes and even designs.

There’s something nice about upcycling old items, though. Besides, turning them into something useful such as seedling greenhouses is a valuable skill.

These ideas are a good start. With some ingenuity and creativity, you can come up with even more!

These tips will also inspire you to start a cheap but effective garden. You don’t need to spend a lot — or any — money on greenhouse accessories and greenhouse equipment.

You can also create this homemade weed killer to protect the seedlings further. The most important thing is these seeds will grow and serve their purpose.

Do you have other seedlings greenhouses ideas you can recommend? Do share them in the comments section below!

Up Next: 10 Gardening Tips And Tricks You Can Use Right Now!

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on February 10, 2016, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.