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Best Greenhouse Kits for Year-Round Gardening | TIME Stamped

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You spend a lot of time, money, and hard work tending to your garden.  That’s why your plants don’t just deserve a greenhouse—they deserve a quality shelter that reflects your gardening preferences, space, and style. If you’ve never had a greenhouse to protect your beautiful flowers and delicious vegetables from a deluge of rain or plant-munching pests, you owe it to yourself to make the next growing season the best you’ve ever had. polycarbonate solid sheet

Thankfully, you don’t have to work yourself to the bone hand crafting a greenhouse from scratch when there are conveniently designed, simple-to-assemble greenhouse kits. These kits range from tiny greenhouses to shield a few flower pots from the elements, to massive automated buildings made to last decades. Here’s how to find the best option for your gardening needs.

With so many styles, brands, and materials to choose from, even experienced gardeners should take their time to find the right greenhouse kit that best suits their property and gardening needs.

Snow, rain, and extreme temperatures will put a greenhouse to the test, and while you’ll do great with a mini greenhouse that may survive a few years on your patio, large, heavy-duty greenhouses need a rugged metal or wooden frame and glass or plastic polycarbonate panels to thrive for decades to come.  

It’s easier than you may expect for a greenhouse to overheat and bake your plants on a hot  day, but the best greenhouses incorporate essential ventilation features like multiple windows, automatic vent openers, fans, and shade coverings.

Since your garden is as unique as you are, you’ll need a greenhouse to match your property’s size and your gardening style. Some may need a mini greenhouse for sheltering small flower pots, while dedicated gardening enthusiasts with space will gravitate toward larger models to protect their favorite plants all year long.

A number of factors determine the price of a greenhouse, including its size, materials, and feature list, but generally speaking, smaller, lightweight, and plastic-based green houses are more affordable than their bigger, heavier, and metal, wooden, and glass counterparts.

While it’s easy to see the appeal of a huge walk-in greenhouse, they take up a lot of space and are simply not in the budget for many gardeners—so a smaller, reliable model like the Miracle-Gro Transparent Greenhouse Kit from Lowe’s is the perfect solution. At $50, this tall, slim greenhouse is a snap to assemble without tools, features a roomy interior for housing a wide variety of small plants, and is light enough to move.

Its transparent PVC cover is easy to throw over the greenhouse for extra protection from cold weather and pesky insects, and it’s a top pick for smaller properties, propping up against a shed, house, or fence, and while it’s not nearly as wind-resistant as bulkier and pricier options, this slim greenhouse is both a top pick for beginner and budget-conscious gardeners alike for the cooler months.

Dedicated gardeners searching for a greenhouse designed to endure nature’s worst for years to come will appreciate the thick weather-resistant aluminum frame, ultra-durable polycarbonate paneling, and wind-resistant design of this huge greenhouse. Not only is this large greenhouse rugged, all-season growers will love its premium insulation for a reliably toasty interior, big lockable double doors, and four adjustable roof windows that provide a premium feel to match its durable construction. 

If your property is low on space, a lean-to greenhouse that braces itself against your home or shed might be your best bet. Palram’s Canopia greenhouse fits the bill perfectly due to its rugged polycarbonate panels, galvanized steel base, and aluminum frame, water-collecting gutter, and simple-to-assemble kit of sliding doors and panels. Between its minimal square footage, maintenance-free design, and relatively inexpensive price tag, there’s a lot to appreciate about this greenhouse.

It’s gorgeous, sports a collection of durable polycarbonate panels, and is simple to assemble. But the nearly $16,000 price tag limits this beautiful greenhouse to hardcore gardeners who can afford to go all out. However, if price is no obstacle for you, this charming, cottage-like greenhouse features adjustable windows, a large lockable door, and a sizable area of 120 square feet, allowing you to set up shelves, lighting, plumbing, or whatever you need to make the greenhouse of your dreams. 

If you live in an area known for stormy weather, the thought of a windy day ruining your investment may keep you from buying that greenhouse you’ve always wanted. Harmony’s ultra-sturdy greenhouses are designed to shrug off high-wind gusts, sports a sturdy steel frame, and are made in five sizes to best fit your yard or patio. Beyond the rare threat of wind, these silver-colored aluminum greenhouses are weather, humidity, and rust-resistant, making them a solid option for locations with wild weather and extreme climates. 

Elegant, huge, and featuring a premium construction, Janssens’ European-style greenhouse is sure to impress. Don’t let its old-world charm fool you into believing this is merely a fancy, yet basic model. It incorporates rugged tempered glass into its design, a pair of automatic window openers, the convenience of built-in gutters, and rubberized glass seals for enhanced insulation throughout those chilly winter months.  

Some gardeners prefer the timeless appeal of a wooden greenhouse, and these models capture that rustic charm while incorporating a roomy interior, durable frame, and a convenient automatic window vent. Designed to resist powerful wind, protected by tough polycarbonate paneling, and available in three sizes to suit your property, this is hands down the best wooden greenhouse on the market.

Anyone searching for an absolutely mammoth greenhouse should check out the 200 square-foot space of this stunning aluminum model. This tempered glass model provides a well-insulated space to keep your plants nice and toasty throughout the winter, as well as four ventilation windows, the convenience of misting system, and a dependably strong construction that will shield a huge collection of plants and gardening supplies from the elements for many years to come.  

Just because you’re in the market for a smaller greenhouse doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice square footage for storage. With six spacious and adjustable shelves, a durable steel frame, and rugged plastic cover with a handy rolling door flap, it’s a value-packed deal at just $80. As much as we liked the Machrus Ogrow Deluxe’s sturdy shelving system and how quick it is to assemble, we highly recommend using its included ground anchors and ropes to secure this little greenhouse to the ground to keep it from tipping over in a windstorm.

For some people, a tiny greenhouse is all they need, and when it comes to itty-bitty greenhouses, it’s hard to top Zenport’s simple, but reliable little plant protector. Perfect for patios and tiny gardens, this model is a snap to assemble, sports waterproof zippered openings for easy watering and ventilation, and is by far the lightest greenhouse to make our list. If you need a simple, yet effective greenhouse for a few small potted plants, this is a safe bet as long as you remember to weigh it down so it doesn’t blow away on a windy day.

If you’re still intimidated at the idea of assembling your own greenhouse, you’ll appreciate the pure simplicity of the Outsunny Walk-in Garden Greenhouse. Its interior is a rugged, yet lightweight steel frame that easily screws together with the included tools and basic instructions, and the exterior is a tough plastic cover that takes minutes to set over the greenhouse and stake down. In addition to how easy it is to put together, this greenhouse has four roll-up windows, an opaque cover for privacy, and a generous interior for multiple shelves and plenty of plants.

It doesn’t get simpler than a windowed wooden box, but Costway’s durable and lightweight little greenhouse works well as a miniature greenhouse that’s a breeze to assemble. Its sturdy wooden frame and polycarbonate panels are designed to last, and with its wide shelves, convenient hinged lid, and locking doors, this greenhouse is an effective way to care for plenty of small and delicate seedlings, flowers, and other small plants.

Although its cedar lumber exterior may seem appealing, yet basic at a glance, this advanced greenhouse is anything but due to its automatic roof vent that opens and shuts to maintain the optimum levels of heat and moisture for your plants for a low-maintenance gardening experience. In addition to its smart vent, it features impressively durable walls and panels, plenty of shelf space, and is relatively easy to put together if you have a friend to lend a hand.

With its charming retro aesthetics, expansive interior, and innovative roof shape that helps snow to slide right off, this German-engineered greenhouse is hands-down the best pick for gardeners who love classic greenhouses, as well as anyone who wants to keep the growing season long into winter. Some of its other brilliant design choices include a locking automatic vent that lets hot air out while keeping pests from entering, materials, and a shape made to withstand wind and hail, and a cozy, locking Dutch-style door to let in cool air while you’re tending to the garden in the warmer seasons.

If durability is your biggest concern when shopping around for a greenhouse, the ultra-touch and extra-long aluminum frame and thick commercial-grade polycarbonate panels are sure to last for a long time to come. Not only was this model made with longevity in mind, it’s the best choice for warm climates due to its automatic solar powered ventilation system and companion fan that works to keep your precious plants from overheating, and handy rainwater-recycling programmable watering system.

Just because winter has arrived doesn’t mean that you have to quit gardening for the season, especially if you have a winter-resistant and extremely portable Clihome Mini Greenhouse. While its cold-resistant frame does wonders for keeping the plants inside safe and toasty, if the weather looks particularly nasty, its wheeled base comes in handy for moving your garden inside until the frost melts away. If you prefer stationary greenhouses, its wheels are easy to remove, converting this model into a premium wall-mountable lean-to greenhouse for year-round plant keeping.

A number of factors influenced our top greenhouse picks, including hours of research, assembling, and testing a collection of residential greenhouses, as well as previous experience with horticulture and gardening equipment. Although we considered many aspects when narrowing down our list of the best greenhouses, some of the most important factors we noted include durability, how simple it was to put together, its feature list, and overall value for your money.

When you consider how simple and convenient it is to assemble a pre-made greenhouse kit as opposed to planning, gathering, and buying the lumber, windows, flooring, ventilation, and accessories for your own greenhouse—as well as the extensive warranties included with many models—the kit is by far the cheaper and more convenient option.  

The best greenhouses for frigid environments need to be able to withstand hail, freezing temperatures, and snow, and are built to shield plants from chilly conditions Look for greenhouse kits that note an insulated design to retain additional heat for longer, in addition rust- and weather-resistant materials such as a galvanized steel frame, and an extra-rugged transparent material, such as polycarbonate or better yet—tempered glass.

Greenhouse kits are usually delivered directly to your home either by the manufacturer, online furniture store, or retailer you purchased it from, or by hired delivery contractors. The delivery details will vary between retailers, so research how deliveries are handled before you buy a greenhouse kit.

Garden hobbyists will find that a quality greenhouse is an excellent investment. Greenhouse kits are much easier, more affordable, and less time consuming than building a greenhouse yourself.  They greatly extend your local growing season, and they provide a weatherproof place for your plants to safely grow without you having to worry about commonplace pests or diseases.

For best results, plan on setting up your greenhouse in a spot that will get at least six hours of full sunlight a day. However, this is a flexible rule for gardeners growing shade-loving plants, as well as those living in particularly sunny areas, to keep from burning fragile plant species.

Yes. Although a literal green greenhouse may be tempting, colored materials will block a certain spectrum of light from entering. Some plants will not grow properly if they don’t have access to the entire spectrum of natural light, so a clear greenhouse is always the best option.

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