A greenhouse is every gardener’s dream, but not all of us have the budget and ability to maintain a large one so in this article we are going to review small greenhouses to help you figure out a way to garden in your balcony or a small garden.

Here are all the recommendations reviewed below:

Best Overall: Home-Complete Mini Greenhouse

Another Favorite: Flower House Pop-Up Plant House /Mini Pop Up Greenhouse

Best Mid-range Option: 4 Tier Mini Greenhouse

Most Spacious Greenhouse: Quictent Updated Mini Greenhouse

Tiniest Greenhouse: Zenport Balcony Greenhouse

“It’s a great choice for placing anywhere.”

Best Hard-Cover Greenhouse: Ikea White Indoor/Outdoor Greenhouse

Why you need (or not) to buy a small greenhouse?

A greenhouse is not a luxury. It’s a gardening unit that allows you to plant on a year-round basis; as green thumbs, it’s a dream to harvest our plants all year long to see spring colors during the winter days is so satisfying.

The advantages:

To provide all sorts of protection from the weather (snowstorms, excessive heat, high winds…), pests (insects, crop-wrecking pests…), and many other factors that could eventually kill your plants.

And finally, allowing you as a home gardener to produce plenty of gratifying crops consistently (extend the growing season).

The Drawbacks:

Greenhouses in general have some drawbacks which are:

Maintenance:

You need to know that managing a greenhouse isn’t easy and requires a ton of work, but as long as you are here learning and taking the time to read about it, I am assuming that you are ready to commit to it and make it work.

The cost: 

The big fancy structures cost a lot, and the costs continue even after the acquisition of things like heaters to maintain the warmth during the cold months, maintaining it consistently,

Design:

It could be a pain in the a** If you buy the wrong one that doesn’t fit with your garden design, this will reduce the aesthetics of your garden, so make sure to know exactly where are you going to put it for it to fit in harmony with your garden design.

The conclusion to this question:

While those drawbacks could make a problem for big fancy greenhouses, The small ones like the ones we review in this article are much more forgiving as they don’t need almost any maintenance, they are way cheaper and they don’t take a large space in your garden, even if you do not like the way they look many years from now, you can always use them for different purposes to store your tools or start your seedlings, now let review each product to find the one for you.

Features and benefits of all the products:

Home-Complete Mini Greenhouse

Home-Complete Mini Greenhouse-4-Tier Indoor Outdoor Sturdy Portable Shelves-Grow Plants, Seedlings, Herbs, or Flowers In Any Season Gardening Rack

About this item

• Home indoor and outdoor solution: protect your plants and herbs in all weather. Place the greenhouse indoor inside your garage during the cold winter or outside With no PVC cover during the hot summer
• Sturdy design: Tubular Steel frame and shelves can carry 24 pounds each. Strong clear PVC clear cover. Easy to attach warm sun lamps if needed
• Easy movement and assembly – as casters are detachable you can have it fixed in one place or easily moved. No tools required
• Can be used as a storage space to store all of your gardening supplies or plants.
• Dimensions – 27.1″ Long x 19.3″ Wide x 63.3″ – high

Question: Will this fit on an apartment balcony?

Check the specs for exact dimensions. It’s about 20″ deep x 27″ wide x 66″ tall. If your balcony is large enough it might just be perfect. Remember to account for room to move around to tend your plants.

Flower House Pop-Up Plant House /Mini Pop Up Greenhouse

Mini Pop up Greenhouse Small Indoor/Outdoor Gardening Flowerpot Cover Backyard Flower Shelter

About this item

• Portable pop-up greenhouse.
• Easy and quick install, set up, and fold in seconds.
• This small vegetable garden plant greenhouses cover is great for either indoor or outdoor growing.
• The mini greenhouse promotes and maintains high humidity levels to create a superior growing environment.
• There is a zipper window, you can open it in the warm day
• It is made from the excellent clear PVC, each greenhouse cover came with four steel ground tack that can make it very stable not moved easily.

Dimensions are :

27″ Long = 68cm long

27″ Wide = 68cm wide

31″ High = 78cm high

Packag weight: 2.5LB

Gardman Mini Greenhouse

Ideal for small backyards or homes where space is an issue, you can place it on a deck, patio, or balcony or use it for seed starting.

About this item:

• Strong push fit tubular steel frame assembles in minutes without any tools
• Lightweight and easy to assemble, no tools are required.
• Clear polyethylene cover and roll-up zippered door for easy access
• 4-tiers for plants, flowers, seedlings
• Portable, Removable cover that is Waterproof and bug resistant.
• Includes four 18″ deep shelves with simple push-fit assembly, guy ropes, and metal stakes for extra stability against wind.
• For additional security, a zip tie can be attached from the frame to the shelves and there are tabs on the back to fasten it to a wall or patio railing.
• Enrich your Greenhouse by adding a combination of grow lights, thermometer, heating mats, fans, etc.

Dimensions are :

27″ Long = 68cm long

18″ Wide = 45cm wide

63″ High = 160cm high

Quictent Updated Mini Greenhouse

This Mini Greenhouse offers the perfect solution for those smaller gardens that cannot accommodate a conventional greenhouse but still want a large space to work with, It can protect your plants from too much heat or cold, shield plants from dust and gale, and help to keep out animals. It has a strong powder-coated steel frame and Transparent PE cover with zips for easy access and ventilation.

About this item

• One PE cover, with 2 LARGE DOORS, easy to open completely and rolled up with ropes, makes a bigger operating space & better ventilation and easy to set up.
• One PVC Transparent Cover, with a side zipper door, provides easy access to your plant and allows air to flow through on hot days. also, this cover can let more light in the winter to keep enough warm inside.
• Both two covers are overlong cover design, which can make the greenhouse more airtight and secure, just bury it in the soil, easy way but useful and stable.
• Heavy-duty powder-coated steel framework + UV protected、Waterproof 、Reinforced 、2 Covers provided、50 Pcs white T-Type tags ( for marking seed plants and recording its growth).
•  Big enough to work for a good-sized plant pot & garden bed. Can be used both indoors & outdoors. Easy to move and convenient to store.

Dimensions are :

– Width: 71 Inch

– Height: 36″ by 36 ”

– Width: 180 cm

– Height: 92 cm / 92 cm

Zenport Balcony Greenhouse

Zenport cold frame greenhouse cloche is easy to access, will protect your seedlings for optimal plant growth, display an elegant design, to grow in small sheltered places such as patios and balconies.

About this item

• Easy to self assemble
• The greenhouse frame is constructed of sturdy tubular steel with a green paint finish.
• It has a waterproof transparent plastic cover and zipped roll-up panel for easy access to plantings, adjustable ventilation, and humidity control
• Create warmth and insulation, while allowing air, moisture, and sunlight to filter through for optimal growing conditions.

Dimensions are :

– Width: 47-Inch long

– Height: 23 5/8 ” by 23 5/8 ”

– Width: 120 cm

– Height: 60 cm / 60 cm

Ikea White Indoor/Outdoor Greenhouse

This is a refurbished greenhouse that is tested and certified to look and work like new, it has a minimalistic look to it that makes it a great addition to your indoor or outdoor garden.

About this item

• Provides a good environment for seeds to sprout and plants to grow.
• The roof vents can be placed in a halfway open position to allow air to circulate and the temperature to cool.
• the frame is made of steel, Polyester powder coating. has other parts with Polystyrene.

Dimensions are :

– Width: 17 ¾ ”

– Height: 13 ¾ ” / 13 ¾ ”

– Width: 45 cm

– Height: 35 cm / 35 cm

Before you buy

Find a place

How Much Space You Have in your garden or your house is the first indicator to decide what to buy; try calculating the length, width, and height to fit it, preferably on a sunny spot in your garden to give it as much light as possible.

If you are afraid that your greenhouse will become too hot, install a thermometer and use a shade cloth (or a thick blanket) during the warm days of the summer.

Decide what to grow.

Try to be Efficient while Using the Space because generally, it is limited, and it gets messy easily.

Depending on what you will grow and the plants’ needs, you will know how much space you need and the condition that they need to be planted.

Material Quality

Different materials lead to different results and require special knowledge and

Resistance to Weather Phenomena

They are generally made out of woods or aluminum frames and covered with polycarbonate, plastic, or glass, consider solid materials like aluminum and glass.

Ventilation

The Lack of proper ventilation can lead to poor plant growth; you can generally fix it by installing a fan or an evaporative ventilator.

You don’t want to keep the ventilation going for too long because that also can be damaging to plants. Try to make it operationally efficient and budget-friendly.

Heating and Cooling 

The greenhouse is designed to trap heat and energy provided by a heater (to keep an optimized temperature) on cold days or radiate from the outside. Keep in mind that the temperature inside should stay at about 80 – 85 degrees Fahrenheit in all seasons.

In excessive heat, its design allows warm air to rise and go through the opening to keep the place cool. Make sure to cover it from the harsh sun to prevent it from overheating.

Ensure that the greenhouse material and construction support the heater before using it on the plastic body.

Lighting

Lighting is a vital element for every plant to grow to be able to photosynthesize.Six to seven horse are needed to get healthy growth from most plats, depending on its variety. So think about adjusting the lightning needs where there’s not enough ( especially during winter).

Many lighting options to choose from include: controlled LED fixtures and T5 fixtures.

Irrigation

A proper irrigation system for the types of plants you are going to grow should be available.

Based on the greenhouse size, you can choose from: Drip Irrigation (bringing water directly to the soil to water the roots), Misting System, Drip System with reservoir ( for automatic watering when you travel).

Durability 

Right here it’s better to know what building materials do you need, choose high quality, and the ability to withstand belowharsh summer season and winter conditions, we listed these materials based on the varieties of greenhouses

Price

Based on your prerequisite, you can pick out one with the price that suits you. Try to find your sweet spot where you won’t sacrifice quality while being under your budget.

Types of greenhouses:

We present to you the different types of greenhouses:

Mini greenhouse

This type could be the perfect choice to use indoor or in small garden owners; it is generally referred to as “Starters” their small size makes them suitable for starting seedlings and hardening off plants to be transplanted.

They are generally made out of wood or aluminum frames and covered with polycarbonate, plastic, or glass. Consider solid materials like aluminum and glass if you are putting it against tough weather conditions and design pleasing wood frames for indoor usage.

We advise you to choose an easy to move around type to expose it to sunlight during winter and protect it from harsh weather conditions.

Other than starting seedlings, It is recommended to grow various herbs and spices in the mini-greenhouses to make the best out of the space available.

6×4 greenhouses: 

you can choose from two options here plastic and polycarbonate:

Plastic foil greenhouse : 

Budget-friendly and lightweight (easy to move around), but it isn’t so good at protecting against weather conditions or heating in winter (plastic foil is so thin the heat would flow right out of your greenhouse or damage it) it also has a shorter lifespan.

Here you can find bottomless greenhouses that are portable and easily movable, in order to use them in the hot season and store them when it’s cold.

Polycarbonate: 

The steady structure should last you many years but with a higher price range. Will give you the opportunity to grow vegetables the whole year.

6×8 greenhouses

It is a decent-sized greenhouse with loads of room to grow a decent range of your favorite plants; you can use it to start seedlings, harvest grown crops, or even use it as storage.

It is a beautiful greenhouse that fits most backyards and doesn’t take up too much space.

if you want to send the best gifts to your loved ones here’s an article to help you figure that out: Best gardening gifts