Around here at TGG, we would grow green things 365 days a year if we could. But Mother Nature didn’t consult with us, so we are constantly looking for ways to outsmart her. These DIY indoor greenhouse ideas will let anyone garden when it’s cold outside. Whether for you that means starting your seeds indoors early in the spring, or bringing tender plants indoors for the winter… Or even just pampering your prize houseplants and keeping them protected form cold drafts and dry winter air, we gotcha covered. It doesn’t matter if you just need a mini tabletop or windowsill greenhouse to just start a few herbs, or a full size DIY indoor greenhouse for the basement or living room, we found a tutorial to help you grow everything you want to grow, when you want to grow it. So let’s check out how to build an indoor greenhouse!
Ikea Greenhouse Cabinet Hacks
Ok, we hear ya. First thing you might be thinking is, what are these things going to look like in my pretty house or apartment? Our other blogs are about DIY & decor, so we understand. So for those of you who fall into the “function after beauty” camp, this is for you. We found some amazing Ikea greenhouse cabinets that are genius hacks for plant lovers like us. And if you don’t have an Ikea nearby, no worries… You can use other types of cabinets as well. Ok, we are in love with these projects. I mean, an Ikea greenhouse cabinet is pretty, it’s practical, and… did we mention pretty? It’s so freakin’ pretty! Check out how these bloggers make these DIY indoor greenhouses with no, or very few tools. And, not a lot of money.
Indoor Greenhouse with Grow Lights
If you really want an Ikea greenhouse hack that works for you, try making one with grow lights. This one ‘By Brittany Goldwyn‘ not only is gorgeous, it has lights for plant growth. She also uses a temp and humidity sensor to monitor the inside of the cabinet. She used the Fabrikor Ikea cabinet for her DIY indoor greenhouse idea, but you could use any size cabinet for the same project. Tons of photos to help you see exactly how she made, and how she uses it. Not only do her humidity loving plants get a respite from the harsh dry winter air, her cat and little kiddo can’t get into the plants as easily. Oh yea, and it’s gorgeous. Are we repeating ourselves? We have shared a lot of Brittany’s projects over the years, but this may be our new fav. I’m afraid with the amount of houseplants I hoard, I may need a slightly larger Ikea cabinet, however.
Also, make sure to pay attention to her little tip… Some plants don’t love the high humidity of a greenhouse. (Check out her snake plants on top!) So make sure you don’t assume all of your plants will want to be re-homed here. You could also use this same cabinet (thanks to the grow lights) to start flats of seeds.
Fabrikor Indoor Greenhouse DIY
Another Ikea greenhouse cabinet from’Brandon’s Orchids‘ on Insta. He put a waterproof Ikea peg board onto the back of his cabinets, allowing him to hang plants as well. Kinda brilliant, right?
Over at ‘Midwestern Jungle“, they added a humidifier to their Ikea DIY indoor greenhouse. It was a simple $35 addition, and those plants sure look like they love it! Don’t know if we mentioned it before, but the Fabrikor has adjustable shelves, so you can customize the cabinet to your exact needs.
Milsbo Greenhouse DIY
‘Rachel Aust‘ use a Milsbo Ikea cabinet to make her greenhouse. She also added LED lights (from the aquarium store) and a mini humidifier to keep her plants super happy. Rachel is a nutritionist, personal trainer and wellness coach (be sure to go check her out!). Who knows more than a wellness coach how important plants are in our lives? She has tons of step by step instructions for how she created her Ikea greenhouse hack, and once again, super simple. A drill is the only power tool required!
Ikea Detorf Greenhouse Hack
‘Sprouts and Stems‘ made an Ikea greenhouse cabinet for small spaces using the Detorf model. This tiny, slim cabinet could be squeezed into any unused spot to give yourself a place to grow. This one could even make a perfect apartment greenhouse because of it’s slim design. This is a DIY indoor greenhouse with LED lights and humidity. But this project requires zero power tools.
Other Greenhouse Cabinets
‘The Cape Coop‘ took a bunch of old 11×14 picture frames she had laying around, some lumber and some screws, and created a DIY indoor greenhouse, from picture frames. She uses it in a bright corner of the room to raise flats of seedlings. She also grows plants in it that might be poisonous to her kitty, and that’s huge for us pet lovers. The idea is ingenious, it recycles, and it looks so pretty. No one would be embarrassed to show this off front and center in the living room! Remember, if you don’t have a bright window to place your greenhouse in, you might want to add some grow lights.
DIY Mini Greenhouses
If you just want to start a couple of seeds, or show the kids the wonders of nature, then these little DIY mini greenhouse ideas should do the trick. We love these for starting seeds quickly on the windowsill. They don’t take up much space, many can be made from recycled or inexpensive materials, and they are super easy. Plus, what gardener doesn’t love being able to watch the magic of a sprouting seed unfold before you? It’s kind of one of the best parts of gardening indoors or out, isn’t it? Being able to observe that seed emerge from the soil, or that new leave unfurl is one of those feelings that only nature can provide, right?
Windowsill Greenhouse
A windowsill greenhouse is just a quick way to grow with available light, right on your windowsill. Jump on over to ‘HGTV‘ and find out how to turn recycled plastic food containers into DIY mini greenhouses. This project is not only easy, its free! Also, it helps keep plastic out of the landfill, which is something we all want to see more of. And, they work! They are small, so they can easily be kept right on a narrow windowsill for maximum lighting. You can’t do that with a larger seed flat. Here we show both a two liter pop bottle and empty berry or produce containers made into the perfect little humidity domes for your cuttings or seedlings. They also have an option for reusing egg cartons, then placing them in recycled bread bags for humidity.
Tabletop DIY Mini Greenhouse
Here is a tabletop DIY mini greenhouse made from picture frames and 1×2 pine. ‘110 Things 2 Do‘ got inspired first from a Pottery Barn piece, and then by the tutorial of another blogger. Then she pulled on her tool belt and put together this simple to build mini greenhouse. Lots of step by step photos and directions. You could use this as a terrarium for tropicals, succulents or air plants as well. The hinged lid makes it easy to care for plants. We wonder, could you add a little strip of LED lights to the top of the lid?
‘Anna Maria Larsson‘ made this super cool DIY greenhouse out of picture frames as well. It isn’t in English, but if you scroll down the page, there is a translation. You can also always call on Google Translate. We love how this one looks with the natural frames. But of course, it all depends on what frames you choose. Check out Ikea for inexpensive frames that are large enough to use in this project.
Need a super cheap DIY indoor greenhouse idea? Then jump on over to ‘Instructables‘ and find out how bamboo skewers and a plastic drop cloth can make the perfect place to grow plants! We would suggest using a clear drop cloth, for maximum light for the plants.
‘The Glorified Tomato‘ used this cool little greenhouse hack… Then turned a clear plastic storage container upside down. That’s it! You could prop the container open on days when the humidity or temperature get’s too high inside. Notice he has a desk lamp pointed right on his seedlings? You can order LED grow bulbs from ‘Amazon‘. They fit into any standard light fixture. Uh, yes please. We just ordered four of them. :)
How to Build an Indoor Greenhouse (A Serious One.)
Basement Greenhouse
Ok, if you are wanting to go all, “I am the one who grows” on us, (and BTW, we fully support that!) then you are going to need something a little more… well, serious. So a basement greenhouse DIY might be exactly what you are looking for. Jump on over to ‘Fine Gardening’ and find out how one woman turned her entire basement into a greenhouse. Basically, she set up grow shelves with lights, and then uses the basements heater for temperature control, just for the plants. She has fans to control humidity. She winters over hundreds of tender plants this way, and then starts her spring seedlings on flats. Can we just say, we’re a little bit in awe?
So if you love your plants like we do, we know at least one of these DIY indoor greenhouses caught your eye. What will you be growing this year? Don’t forget to check out our posts on outdoor DIY greenhouses, Top Seed Catalogs and also How to Start Seeds.