🌱🏡 How to Build a Mini Indoor Greenhouse for Under $25

Winter doesn’t mean your gardening has to slow down. In fact, it’s the perfect season to create a cozy little indoor greenhouse and you don’t need a fancy setup or expensive equipment to make it happen.

A mini indoor greenhouse helps you:

✔ germinate seeds faster

✔ grow herbs through winter

✔ give humidity-loving plants a boost

✔ protect tender plants from dry indoor air

✔ keep curious pets away from seedlings

✔ enjoy a tiny tropical oasis (for less than the price of takeout!)

And the best part?

You can build one for under $25 with supplies you already have or can easily grab at Dollar Tree, Walmart, or a thrift store.

Let’s build your tiny indoor garden paradise!

🧰 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 (𝐁𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐭-𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭)

𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞

* 1 clear plastic storage bin with lid ($7–$12)

* Optional: small wire rack or cooling rack ($1–$5)

𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐁: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞

* 4–6 inexpensive picture frames ($1 each at Dollar Tree)

* Hot glue or super glue

* A piece of cardboard or poster board for the base

* Optional: small LED puck light or fairy lights

𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐟 + 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

* Small wire shelf or tiered rack ($10–$15, often cheaper secondhand)

* Clear plastic shower liner or clear tablecloth ($1.25–$3)

* Tape or binder clips

Any of these become a functional, cute indoor greenhouse without going over budget.

🌡️ 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐚 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐒𝐨 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐬

A small enclosed space gives plants the three things they’re desperate for in winter:

𝟏. 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐲

Great for ferns, herbs, begonias, calatheas, and seedlings.

𝟐. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞

Keeps cold drafts away.

𝟑. 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐮𝐬𝐞

Clear walls reflect and hold light longer — especially helpful in December.

Plus, everything looks neat, organized, and adorable.

🧪 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 — 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞

(Ready in 2 minutes!)

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭:

1. Flip the clear bin upside down (lid on the bottom).

2. Place plants, seed trays, or herbs inside.

3. Prop open one corner for airflow if needed.

4. Add a small battery-powered puck light if extra light is needed.

5. Snap the lid on loosely or leave slightly ajar.

𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫:

* Seed-starting

* Propagation

* Tender herbs like basil

* Ferns & humidity lovers

Cost: $𝟖–$𝟏𝟐 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥.

Ease: 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐈𝐘 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫.

🎨 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐁: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 — 𝐏𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞

This one looks like a mini greenhouse you’d see in a boutique shop.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭:

1. Remove glass from picture frames and clean.

2. Glue the frames together into a cube or rectangle.

3. Glue the glass back in or leave it out for ventilation.

4. Attach the cube to a cardboard or poster board base.

5. Add lights or moss for decoration.

𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫:

* Small succulents

* Herbs

* A “living centerpiece” for holiday tables

* Plant displays

Cost: $𝟔–$𝟏𝟐

Ease: 𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐲 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐮𝐧.

🪴 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢-𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 — 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲

Still under $25 — and holds LOTS of plants.

You’ll need:

* Small wire shelf ($10–$15)

* Clear plastic tablecloth or shower liner ($1–$3)

* Binder clips ($1)

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞:

1. Wrap the clear plastic around the shelf like a curtain.

2. Clip in place with binder clips.

3. Leave a small flap for airflow.

4. Put a grow light inside or above if needed.

𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫:

* Large herb collections

* Multiple seed trays

* Humidity-demanding plants

* Winter microgreens

Cost: $𝟏𝟓–$𝟐𝟓

Ease: 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫-𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐲.

🌞 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞

Plants inside a greenhouse still need good light.

𝐈𝐟 𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭:

* Place greenhouse near a bright window

* South or east-facing windows work best

* Rotate plants weekly to prevent leaning

𝐈𝐟 𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭:

* Clip-on LED grow light ($10–$12)

* Place 4–10 inches above the plants

* 10–12 hours per day works great

Even budget lights work fine for herbs, lettuce, seedlings, and houseplants.

💦 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 & 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬

Mini greenhouses increase humidity. Which is wonderful, but you’ll want to adjust your routine:

✔ 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲

The soil stays moist longer.

✔ 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲

Open the door, lid, or side for 20–30 minutes to prevent mold.

✔ 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

A light mist on the “walls” is normal.

Heavy droplets mean:

* too much water

* too little airflow

✔ 𝐀𝐝𝐝 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝐣𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫

This boosts humidity for ferns and tropicals.

🌿 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞

🌱 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬

* Lettuce

* Radishes

* Winter herbs

* Microgreens

🌿 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐬

* Basil

* Mint

* Cilantro

* Parsley

* Chives

🌺 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬

* Calathea

* Ferns

* Baby monsteras

* Fittonia (nerve plant)

* Orchid keikis

🌵 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬

Succulents prefer dry air. Skip the greenhouse for these.

🧼 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: 𝟓 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬

1. Vent daily

2. Wipe condensation weekly

3. Rotate plants for even light

4. Don’t overwater

5. Keep greenhouse away from heat vents

Mini greenhouses don’t require high maintenance — just small tweaks.

Have you built a mini indoor greenhouse before?

Show us your setup or your under-$25 version if you try this one! We’d love to see your creative builds. 🌱✨

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