A greenhouse is one of those things that every gardener dreams of having. Yet, buying one from the store and getting it set up can be a difficult and costly affair. However, there is another option. If you are into DIY projects, you can always build your own from scratch using plastic bottles like this gardener did. It’s a pretty inspiring accomplishment.
Their tutorial on how to build your own plastic bottle greenhouse consists of just 8 easy steps, and if you have a weekend to spare, it’s likely that you can build one too.
The best part is that they’re relatively cheap. As long as you have a source of plastic bottles and some extra 2×2’s and 4×4’s lying around, you’ll be good to go. The whole project takes about 240 feet of timber in total.
Here is what you’ll need:
- 4″ x 4″ posts and 2″ x 2″ timber
- Screws, hinges for door, and fencing staples
- Postcrete
- Gravel, slabs, and mulch matting
- Garden canes
- Approximately 1500 plastic bottles
Now for the instructions:
1. Collect the bottles.
First, you’ll want to gather all of the plastic bottles needed for the project. While they used 2-liter bottles for their greenhouse, it is also possible to build one with 1.5-liter bottles. Unfortunately, 500 mL ones will not work as they are too small.
2. Wash and cut them.
2. You also have to prepare the bottles for building. This means removing all of the labels, washing them out, and cutting the bottoms off with a pair of scissors. You can discard all of the bottle tops.
3. Set the posts.
Create the corners of the greenhouse by settling the four 4″ x 4″ posts into concrete. You’ll want to spread mulch matting around the insides of the posts to prevent weeds and other undesirables from growing in your greenhouse later on.
4. Create the frames.
Use the 2″ x 2″ boards to create the frames of the greenhouse. You’ll need a frame for each side, as well as one for the door and roof. Screw together the corners of each frame, but don’t attach them to one another for the time being.
5. Stacking the bottles.
In order to create the walls themselves, you’ll want to layers the bottles one by one on top of the garden canes. Each one will end up looking like a long clear beam.
6. Attach the bottles.
Then, secure your “bottle beams” to the frames of the greenhouse using fencing staples. Each staple should be fastened around the neck of the final bottle at the end of each beam.
7. Mount the frames.
Now that all your frames are completed with all of the bottles attached, it’s time to connect them together to actually build the full greenhouse structure. Mount each of the frames to the upright corner posts.
8. Doors and roof.
Lastly, you’ll want to attach the roof and doors. It’s up to you whether you want to do a flat roof or a sloped one, but The Handy Mano recommends doing sloped. Just like the walls, you can make the roof and doors completely out of bottles.
That’s it, your bottle greenhouse is now complete! Obviously, it’s going to be a little more challenging than these simple steps make it out to be, but we are confident you will be able to figure things out. After all, that’s part of the fun of DIY, right? The Handy Mano has a more detailed supplies list for what they used for their greenhouse on their website, but don’t be afraid to get a little creative with it.
While the greenhouse they built is 6 ft by 8 ft in area and 8 ft tall, you can really customize the tutorial to build whatever size and shape greenhouse you would like. As always, it’s up to you, and we wish you happy gardening!
See more photos of plastic bottle greenhouses below.
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