Mini-Penika on the balcony. DIY greenhouse on the balcony

City residents often have a desire to grow many colors, vegetables, fruits, spicy herbs, herbs or seedlings for a summer residence. And, it would seem, this is not possible for the owners of apartments, where there are absolutely no conditions and places for this. But so it seems only at first glance, in fact, this problem is solved very simply: you can create a mini greenhouse on the balcony. It is best, of course, if the balcony is glazed with double glazed windows and insulated.

Table of contents:

1. The advantages of the greenhouse on the balcony
2. Ready mini greenhouses
3. DIY simplest mini greenhouses
4. Do -it -yourself mini     
5. Do -it -yourself wooden
6. Mini greenhouse with a frame of metal or plastic pipes with your own hands
7. Arrangement of a mini greenhouse depending on the location of the balcony
8. Lighting for mini greenhouses
9. Installation of irrigation system

The advantages of the greenhouse on the balcony

Very often, there is not much space in the apartments to place a sufficient number of colors, not to mention growing seedlings. After all, it is impossible to put a large number of pots or trays on window sills. And the appearance of housing leaves much to be desired. In addition, it is impossible to create a microclimate necessary for plants in the apartment.

And the balcony is just an ideal place where there is free space, the possibility of ventilation, installation of heating and the necessary lighting for plants. Also, in a greenhouse on the balcony you can grow vegetables, berries and herbs all year round, which is the biggest advantage of mini greenhouses. After all, strawberries on the table in winter, greens and fresh vegetables all year round can only imagine this, but with a mini greenhouse it is quite feasible.

For those who annually plant seasonal vegetables in the country site, a greenhouse on the balcony is an excellent solution for preparing seedlings, which will always be under supervision and it is provided with daily care. A strong seedlings will grow in a mini greenhouse, which will then give a wonderful crop.

Often people dream of a green corner for relaxing in their apartment, where you can relax and relax after work, admiring beautiful flowers and decorative plants. The mini -greenhouse on the balcony will help to fulfill this dream with minimal financial expenses. It is quite possible to arrange a winter garden in a small apartment on the balcony, and to create additional comfort you can also buy a rocking chair and a decorative table there.

Another advantage of mini greenhouses is compact and mobility. Such a greenhouse will take up very little space, but at the expense of the tiers there are many plants. Most greenhouses are easy to disassemble if necessary or transferred to another place.

Ready mini greenhouses

To date, you can buy a ready -made mini greenhouse for seedlings, flowers or growing vegetables.

Such designs are simple in assembly and consist of a frame, shelves and a cover (film). First, the frame is assembled, shelves are installed, then the film is pulled on it. The presence of two lightning on both sides of the case provides free access to plants, convenience while caring for them and watering.

Different types of greenhouses are represented on the market, all of them differ in size, the number of shelves and the presence of additional equipment. What is very useful, since with this assortment you can easily choose a mini greenhouse that has the necessary capacity and optimally suits the size of the free space on the balcony. On sale there are mini greenhouses with a height of 1 to 2 meters, multi -tiered greenhouses have a very large capacity.

If in the summer there is no need in the greenhouse, they easily understand, taking, while taking very little space and weigh, as a rule, only about 5 kg.

Also, there are more expensive models on sale, but they are worth it, as they include everything necessary for the automated work of the greenhouse: ventilation, heating, lighting and watering of plants. They are called Gracaboks and thermal Secrets. Having bought such a greenhouse, the plants will only need to be planted and that's it, no more additional efforts will be needed.

DIY simplest mini greenhouses

In order to save money, it is not necessary to buy a greenhouse in a store, a mini greenhouse can be made from unnecessary household items. The simplest solutions to equip a greenhouse:

• from a wooden box on which the film cap is additionally necessary on top;
• From the old cabinet with glass doors, such a cabinet must first be redone a little and instead of the posterior wall, install a polycarbonate sheet or polyethylene film to improve lighting for plants;
• From the shoe shelf, there is the same situation as with a closet;
• From the old aquarium.

Such greenhouses will be convenient and most easy to use, they are easy to move from place to place.

Do -it -yourself mini

It is not at all difficult to make mini greenhouses with your own hands, for example, with a wooden frame, as well as from metal or plastic pipes.

The table contains all the advantages and disadvantages of these two types of structures, having viewed which you can easily decide which mini greenhouse will be the best solution in each case.

If you choose between these options, then we can say that a plastic mini is the simplest, inexpensive and mobile version of the greenhouse on the balcony. Such a greenhouse will cost the cheaper, it is lightweight, resistant to corrosion and the effects of the atmosphere, simply collect and disassemble it, while in disassembled the design will take up very little space.

For those who can hold a hammer in their hands, they independently make a mini greenhouse on their own on a balcony of wood or from metal or plastic pipes is very simple.

Do -it -yourself wooden

The most uncomplicated version of a single -sided wooden greenhouse, which is an ordinary box with an inclined lid. At the same time, you need to correctly calculate the slope of the lid to reduce the amount of sunlight. The bottom of the box is the floor of the balcony, the lid is necessarily transparent so that sunlight comes to plants.

In order to make a greenhouse made of wood yourself, you need to adhere to a certain plan of action:

• the first thing is to make a drawing and decide on the size of the planned design, not forgetting that it should be strong and stable with the possibility of free access for irrigation and ribbents; The height of the shelves will depend on what exactly is planned to be grown;
• then the preparation of the necessary materials: wooden boards, bars, screws, loops, nails, glasses or polyethylene; If wooden bars made of conifers, before installation, they need to be treated twice with hot olifa or antifungal impregnation, and then varnish with water protection properties;
• the next stage is directly manufactured by the product, following the drawing drawing; On the finished frame, the film is fixed with brackets, for this a construction stapler is used;
• when everything is ready, the tree must be treated using a protective agent, painted the inside with an oil basis with paint;
• all seams of the products are sequenced with a moisture -resistant sealant.

In the event that the mini telitsa will be used all year round, it will not be superfluous to insulate it with mineral wool or polystyrene foam. Thermal insulation can be done both inside and outside, but outside it is preferable.

Mini greenhouse with a frame of metal or plastic pipes with your own hands

It is also completely easy to make a greenhouse using metal or plastic pipes.

Rectangles cut from sheet plastic with drilled holes on the ends are used to metal pipes as fasteners. Such holes should be equal to the diameter of the pipes of the frame. If the structure is made of plastic pipes, fittings are used that are sold in the plumbing store.

First, a frame is built, the dimensions of which correspond to the location of the greenhouse. To ensure stability, it is better to attach such a frame to the wall of the balcony.

Then shelves are installed, the height of which corresponds to the height and width of pots, trays and plants that will be on them. For shelves, you can use any suitable improvised material, and if possible, it is better to buy special trays made of plastic from plastic.

After that, the structure is covered with a film made of polyethylene, which must be well fixed so that there are no gaps left, otherwise heat will go through them. The film will well let in the light and, at the same time, protect delicate plants from the influence of external factors.

On one side of the mini greenhouse, you need to install a swing door that will be closed with a zipper or sticky tape. Lightning is established using special glue or warmed up by an iron along the edge using paper on top. Every day for a few minutes you need to open the door to ventilate and prevent the appearance of mold on the soil.

Arrangement of a mini greenhouse depending on the location of the balcony

Plants will grow perfectly if during the installation of a mini greenhouse it is taken into account which side the balcony comes out and additional improvements are made:

• it is cooler on the north side, which means that you can not do without insulation;
• the eastern side is well suited for growing plants, but still, so that there is no excess of overheating on such balconies, you need to make a slight shading and ventilation;
• on the western side, heat is well supported, which has accumulated in a day, but shading here also does not hurt;
• the southern side provides a sufficient amount of heat and light for plants, but in order to avoid overheating, you need to take care of additional ventilation.

Lighting for mini greenhouses

If there is not enough sunlight on the balcony, you can make a mini -greenhouse with backlight, additional lighting will also be required for greenhouses that are used in the winter.

You can use:

• phytolamps that are sold in specialized stores;
• lEDs, they differ in low cost and, with the correct selection of colors, the desired spectrum of lighting is created, almost the same as daylight;
• high pressure sodium lamps are suitable for heat -loving plants;
• metal-halogen lamps are used for plants that require frequent irrigation.

When installing additional lighting in a mini greenhouse, you need to check the reliability of the waterproofing of each level so that the excess water that follows from the drainage holes of pots or trays does not fall into electrical appliances.

Installation of irrigation system

In mini greenhouses made by your own hands, sometimes it is necessary to install an irrigation system. As a rule, a drip type system is used for such greenhouses. This system is convenient in that moisture is brought directly to the roots of the plant, which means that the stems will not be damaged. It is advisable to automate a drip system of watering, then you do not have to spend daily time on watering.

Plant watering systems are sold in stores or made independently.

The automatic drip irrigation system is not difficult to do with your own hands, its dimensions will be small, since the greenhouse itself on the balcony also does not differ in dimensions. The watering system consists of a small pumping type pump, tubes and programmer.

It is important that the water container is located above the level of plants.

The pump is sold in a household, for irrigation, tubes from ordinary medical droppers are used, connecting elements are bought further, they are in each pet store and a programmer of turning on/off the irrigation system, which is a common inexpensive relay. Everything is connected together and the automatic drip irrigation system is ready.

The use of mini greenhouses on the balcony is very convenient and practical, such a solution not only benefits, but, of course, aesthetic pleasure from beautifully located plants. Those who at least once used it will no longer refuse such a necessary and useful design in his house.