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Collapsible Greenhouse
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Give your plants a chance with this portable starting house
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By Don Ross; Photography by Roger Yip
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Get your green thumb in action this spring with a starting house
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Like a great vacation, gardening actually starts with anticipation, well before the Canadian climate permits. You can close the gap between the seed catalogue and that first jab of a shovel into soil if you nurture those seeds yourself with a vertical cold frame (or starting greenhouse).
My design can be collapsed and stored after its seasonal work is done, leaving more room for the garden itself. The greenhouse is built of western red cedar; while this wood is pricey, it's lightweight, warp-resistant and attractive without paint. For durability, exterior-grade screws and nails, stainless-steel staples and outdoor-rated hinges are a must.
Time to Grow
This project is made entirely out of plastic-covered frames made with 2x2 and 2x8 lumber. Lay out the parts for each panel in your workshop, then use your carpenter's square to ensure each panel is true as it comes together.
At each aligned corner, drill and countersink for #8 x 31⁄2" deck screws. Hold the joints together tightly and drive the screws, being careful not to strip the holes by over tightening. Note in the plans that the end panels need extra crosspieces, placed at intervals to support the shelves.
Lumber retailers sell heavy, 6-mil polyethylene vapour barrier by the foot, and it's perfect for sheathing the panels. (Don't worry about the text written on the plastic. It rubs off with a little Varsol.) For easier handling, cut a piece of the plastic several inches wider than the width of the panel you're working on. Lay the plastic across the panel frame with the factory-cut straightedge on a long side. Load your stapler with 3⁄8" stainless-steel staples (necessary for preventing ugly rust stains), then get ready to think like an upholsterer.
Align the poly sheet and staple the down first corner. Pull the straight edge tight, being careful not to tear the plastic off. Staple the second corner, then staple the rest of that side at 2" intervals. Move to the opposite end and pull the corners taut. Before you staple, check again that the frame is still square. Chances are it will be; the plastic sheeting does a remarkably good job of keeping the wood just the way it is.
Pull the centre of the end you're working on tight, then staple again at 2" intervals. Repeat the process on the other two sides. Use a sharp blade to cut off the excess. Leave about 1⁄2" excess around the outside edges of the frame.
Open door policy
The doors are simply panels themselves, sheeted with poly in the same way as the other frames. They form the entire front face of the greenhouse. And while the doors do add some strength, battens over the edges of the plastic sheeting and staples protect the seams and enhance appearance. While you could choose to cut battens from red cedar lumber, then sand and round all of those edges, I took a slightly more expensive shortcut and purchased pine batten mouldings instead. I opted to protect this wood with a penetrating outdoor stain in a red cedar colour.
Centre the battens on the frame, set in 1⁄4" from the outside edge, along the frame's inside. I also cut the ends of the battens at a 45º angle for a tidy, mitred fit. Use 11⁄4" hot-dipped galvanized or stainless-steel finishing nails to apply the battens. Anything less will lead to ugly rust stains over time.
Two of the battens involve door hinges, so they need extra preparation before assembly. While the hinges could be recessed into the frame members, it really isn't necessary to go through the trouble. It's easiest to cut a recess for the hinges into the back of the battens. I used a mitre saw for this, with the blade depth set to match the width of hinge thickness.
Click here to see how to put it together.
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