A mini greenhouse makes a great addition to the garden at both the start and end of the season. They can warm the soil in spring so you can start sowing and planting earlier, then in the fall they come to the fore to protect plants from cold and extend the season further into the colder months.
Such mini greenhouses are placed on the ground to create a protected space to insulate plants from frost and cold. They also make a warmer, secure environment, perfect for any last sowings of vegetables and flowers for the year. I have used such mini greenhouses before to protect later vegetable sowings, and, if you want to do the same this fall, I saw this portable mini greenhouse at Wayfair with 51% off, down to $34.59.
51% Off At Wayfair
Portable Mini Greenhouse
This versatile mini greenhouse has a steel frame and a high-quality, water-resistant polythene cover to provide a protected environment for your plants.
Why we love the Wayfair portable mini greenhouse
(Image credit: Jacky Hobbs/Future)
One of the main things you want from such a product is for it to be sturdy and practical, and the Wayfair portable mini greenhouse ticks both of those boxes for sure.
When it comes to durability, it has a steel frame with a polythene cover to shield your plants from cold temperatures, heavy rain, and strong winds. Its size (measuring in at 46.75″ x 23.5″ x 23.5″) means it is versatile and can be used on flower beds, vegetable gardens, or raised garden beds to cover all manner of plants.
The transparency of the cover means it keeps weather and pests out but allows light to penetrate so your plants continue to grow. However, the material is not permeable and prevents water and air from passing through.
What combats this potential issue is two semi-circular front windows as part of the design, which can be rolled up for access to water plants. These windows allow for essential air circulation, keeping the plants inside healthy and at reduced risk of fungal and bacterial diseases.
Such a portable greenhouse or cold frame offers benefits to gardeners throughout different seasons.
It makes a great, practical way to protect plants from frost. By trapping heat inside, it keeps the temperatures 5-10°F above the outside. It means it is suitable for protecting borderline hardy plants through the coldest months. However, it cannot be relied upon to protect tender plants through winter; these are better brought indoors.
If you use a Wayfair portable mini greenhouse in the fall in a productive garden, you can plant vegetables in November for quick winter harvests. Such a protective cover also extends the harvesting season for many crops, including crops that are ideally harvested before frost, such as lettuce, carrots, and turnips.
A mini greenhouse not only extends the season further into the fall, but also offers a useful way to warm up soil earlier in the spring. This means you can sow seeds outdoors in the spring earlier.
Cornflowers, snapdragons, calendula, penstemon, or more can be sown in February or March outdoors for earlier blooms. While crops, including salad leaves, carrots, and radishes, can be started earlier under protection.
A bonus is that the protection from a mini greenhouse reduces the risk of slugs or snails nibbling young seedlings when they emerge. To keep such pests out of the greenhouse, it features extended edges. It is best to bury them in the soil to prevent pests from sneaking underneath to munch on plants.
What shoppers say about the Wayfair portable mini greenhouse
Reviews for the Wayfair portable mini greenhouse tend to praise the robustness of the cold frame and how it protects their plants from cold weather. It was proclaimed to be ‘easy to assemble’ and for its sturdiness among the reviews.
‘It’s great for protecting perennials through the winter,’ says one shopper.
In fact, ‘great’ is a frequently used term, with another buyer describing it as ‘great’ at protecting their kale plants and another illustrating: ‘[It is a] great portable greenhouse. Love the versatility and durability.’
When it comes to portability, another shopper said it was ‘convenient to move’ and did a great job at protecting their plants from being nibbled by rabbits.
‘I love my little mini greenhouse,’ says a purchaser. ‘It fits perfectly over my vegetable boxes for starting seedlings in the spring. I had great success in my garden this year.’
The only niggles mentioned by shoppers regarded the cover. There were a couple of mentions of struggles fitting the cover over the frame, with one saying the polythene cover ripped while attempting to install it.
However, one shopper who did struggle with the cover admitted: ‘Wayfair customer support was very professional and promised to send replacement covers.’
No matter the size of your greenhouse or cold frame, keeping it clean is an important maintenance task. It ensures the most light penetrates through the glass or plastic cover, and the mini greenhouse is free from harmful fungi or bacteria that can strike plants.
It is simple to clean a greenhouse, especially a mini one. Empty all plants out, remove any debris, and use a soft brush or sponge soaked in warm soapy water to scrub the glass or plastic cover clean.
Shop mini greenhouses
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Folding Aluminum Greenhouse
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