Our daughter, Devani, and son-in-law, Ashe, just purchased a small greenhouse kit for outdoors. They had a perfect spot for it on the back of their house, so ordered the size that would fit well there.
They’re just getting started in gardening, as a part of expanding into more plants for their new home. For vegetables, they plan to start growing tomatoes and peppers first, and possibly some herbs. She also enjoys succulents, so they’ll grow some succulents there as well, (just while it’s cold).
Devani said, “Over time we’re planning to have cherry tomatoes, kitchen herbs, and pepper varieties in there and move the succulents out just onto our outdoor table and porch.”
“Our goal is to grow a couple fresh ingredients we use regularly, and that seem fairly simple to maintain for newbie veggie growers.“
A Small Greenhouse Can Pet-Proof Your Plants
They have an adventurous young cat named Noodles, who loves to destroy things, including plants, rubber pan handles, and nerf darts. (There’s a very recent dire story of a very close call, but thankfully, he survived after surgery to remove a nerf ball tip from his gut!!!). So for now, at least until Noodles matures more, they need to keep their plants outside!
Gardeners and homeowners are well acquainted with pests that eat yard and garden plants. But when you can’t keep houseplants even indoors, because of your cat… it’s tough for plant lovers!
Devani said, “We immediately stopped buying indoor lilies because they are poisonous for cats!!! Fortunately, we got this one away from Noodles before he had done more than mouth it!”
A Note on Succulents in Green Houses
Devani shared that, “We learned that we need to be careful with succulents in green houses. If there is not enough ventilation, it can be too humid for them, and too much humidity can cause fungus and/or mildew on the plants. So we will be moving these out as it continues to get warmer over the spring.”
Small Walk-in Greenhouse Kit – Setup and Review
They ordered the small greenhouse kit from Amazon. It’s 56 inches wide by 29 inches deep by 77 inches tall, which was a perfect fit for the spot they had available.
If you want a little more space for plants, the next size up that’s well reviewed is this small greenhouse kit. This one is very similar to Devani’s but measures 4.8 feet by 4.8 square by 6.3 feet tall.
Our daughter’s said, “There truly is not a lot of room, but for us, that is okay because we’re not looking to grow a lot yet. So this is a great greenhouse for a beginner OR if you don’t have a lot of space.”
So if you’re a beginning gardener, and/or have a small space or area, this small greenhouse kit could be just right for you.
They’re pleased with it and will be filling it with plants soon!
They’re also eager to see how it holds up to Virginia’s mountain winds! So we’ll report back with updates after they’ve added more plants and have seen it in all conditions of weather.
Small Greenhouse Day 1
If you’re looking for a DIY project, you might also check out how to build a cold frame, or our article on our cattle panel greenhouse. We also started with an even smaller indoor greenhouse!
Small Greenhouse – Day 2
So Devani started potting up succulent plants she ordered, and they expanded overnight after being planted and watered! Next will come tomatoes and peppers!
Meet Our Daughter, Devani, and Her cat Noodles
Contributions From the Community
12 Shelf Small Greenhouse
This 12 shelf small greenhouse measures 57 inches wide by 80 inches deep by 77 inches tall, and is the same — or similar to — the one Kimberly Booth uses as pictured below.
“I use one every year, just bought a new cover for it. Mine has 12 shelves though, it’s about double that one [above]. It works pretty good but they do tend to blow away if not anchored well.“
~Kimberly Booth
[For anchoring it], “I use cardboard around the base to keep the wind from getting up underneath and then weigh it down with bricks or pavers. Then tack it down with rope, which goes over the top of the greenhouse and stake it to the ground.”
~Kimberly Booth
A Larger Small Greenhouse
“I got a 6×12 …. within a week, I ordered a 2nd 6×12. I love mine. Being in a rainforest (Hawaii), I need to keep a lot of plants out of the rain! These are a great affordable greenhouse!
It is just the green house, no shelves or such. I have tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini …..by using twine, they grow up and over! Also have my hydroponic lettuce, some eggplant, and herbs in there.“
~Kimberly Campbell Jordan
Here’s a link for a 7 foot by 12 foot greenhouse similar to Kimberly’s. What we like about her choice of design is that the entrance door is wide so that when it’s warm out you can open it up on both ends to allow ample airflow.
I’m LeAura Alderson, a garden, herb and plant enthusiast with a passion for discovering the many edible and medicinal benefits of the plants all around us, including the weeds! I’m a writer, editor and media publisher for our family of websites.
While I was certified in fitness and life coaching, I am NOT a health practitioner. However, I’m a lifelong health enthusiast, with a keen interest in healthy, organic foods and making home remedies and the content we share is from our own experience and usage as well as that extracted from scientific research so that you can explore further on your own.
Always seek the advice and guidance of your health practitioners first and foremost.
As a family we’re steadily expanding our gardening, experimentation and knowledge around all things gardening, edible landscaping, fresh organic foods and self sustainability with farming in our future. I also own and manage iCreateDaily.com, a site all about transformation through creation, and the power of positivity, optimism and mindset.