A beautiful "greenhouse" for a city apartment

Julie' Weldon, M.S.
Exec. Dir./Consultant
Wildlife Ministries, International/HWC, Inc.
suggests a more attractive solution for those with small spaces.

I have an extensive background in both design and wildlife ecology........so if you don't mind my being forward to offer a little recommendation(s) for the city folks with limited space, here goes:

Most tabletops/cabinets are usually anywhere from 28 to 36 inches tall, so anything taller than 24 inches usually won't work.

A customized 'cloche' for tabletop growing can be made from connecting old window panes together on top of a simple wooden frame bottom. Use silicone to close any gaps or leaky spots. A strong plastic can be used on the bottom of the box to keep moisture from damaging furniture.

Add a source of moisture: simple small rubber tubing inside a terra cotta bowl attached to a small water pump and filled with water, covering with larger pebbles ( big enough so they won't clog a recycling pump) and add plants! This is a little more effort, but I've found with people in small places it's worth it to create a nice, attractive area for plants, and the small gurgling fountain/water bowl seems to really enhance the whole setup.

[Julie' is also associated with Worldflower Garden Domes, from which small domes can be had. See the Gardener's Resource Lists in the column at right. Thanks, Julie'!]

And then there is the functional but plain looking
CITY APARTMENT "GREENHOUSE":

Hello Sherry!

Thank you for your page on greenhouses, its very interesting and well designed!

I have a question: Do you know where I could get information on how to build a small (table sized) greenhouse with artificial lighting? I live in a tiny city apartment and would so much like to grow some things. Thank you!

--Jacqueline F.

Hello, Jacqueline! Thank you for visiting my website (and for your compliments).

I start and grow some of the plants for the greenhouse in my house. The method uses very little actual floor space but provides lots of growing room. You could use the same for growing plants in your apartment. It's inexpensive, too.

(These instructions may ramble a bit, as it's late at night. Just read them through and I'm sure you'll see what I mean.)

I bought a 5 shelf plastic shelving unit from Home Depot for about $40. No metal parts to rust, pale beige color, ventilated shelves, assembles easily, and holds quite a lot of weight. Measures 73" high x 18" deep x 36" wide. The space between shelves is about 15 inches.

The unit has a couple of drawbacks: the shelves are not adjustable, and they are not as long as the light fixtures (so each light fixture extends beyond the shelves about 6 inches at each end of the shelves). That's not all bad, though, as the end of a fluorescent tube is not as bright, so there is not as much light for the plants there.

My other idea was to use standard shelf brackets attached to studs in the wall to allow shelves to be adjusted. It would work better, as you could get shelves as long or longer than the light fixtures, and it would take up even less floor space because it would be attached directly to the wall. The plastic shelves were fast and easy. They are slightly less than elegant, so if you will have this in your main living area, you might want to use brackets or better looking shelving.

Also at Home Depot (go to any large hardware superstore for the best prices), I bought 4 "shop light" fixtures for about $7 each. (You want the inexpensive white painted metal fixtures that come preassembled and use 2 (4 ft) fluorescent bulbs. They come with chains and hooks that allow adjustment when you hang them.

Don't forget some fluorescent bulbs to fill your fixtures. I use both "warm white" and "cool white" bulbs--one of each in the fixtures. You could use only cool white. They are the least expensive. Don't bother with "grow lights". I haven't noticed that the plants do any better with those, and they are very expensive. (Remember that with fluorescent fixtures, you should have the light just a few inches away from the tops of your plants.)

If you don't have some medium weight wire and wire cutters (or scissors that are expendable), get those too. For all of these light fixtures to have a place to plug into, get a power strip. If you aren't always around to deal with the lights, get an inexpensive timer. (I leave my lights on 18 hours using a timer. The plants rest in the dark for 6 hours. Don't leave the lights on 24 hrs.) Also have on hand a couple of wire coat hangers.

Assemble your shelving. Use the medium weight wire to make a closed loop that runs through the 2 holes at each end of the light fixture. (Use multiple strands of wire for this loop--for strength.) Twist the ends together securely to close the loop, making sure that the loop is loose enough for handling the light fixture and for adjustments. Do this at each end of your light fixtures.

Use the coat hanger wire to make large "S" hooks. (You can easily "cut" it by bending it back and forth a few times. The metal will stress and break.) Make one side of the "S" very deep (to hook over the ventilated shelving). The other (smaller) side of the "S" hook will attach to the light fixture's chain. You will need 2 "S" hooks for each light fixture. If your hands are weak, you might need pliers for shaping the hooks.

Now you're ready to set it all up!

Hook the deep side of one of your "S" hooks at the end of each shelf at about the middle. Put the end of the chain that came with your fixtures on the other part of the "S" hook. (You'll adjust things later.) Hook one of the tiny "s" hooks that came with your fixtures on the other end of the chain. Do this at the end of each shelf.

Maneuver a light fixture underneath a shelf and hook the tiny "s" hook onto the wire loop you made on the fixture. Do the same at the other end. Keep going until you run out of light fixtures. Have all of the light fixture cords extending out at the same side of the shelving unit.

Adjust the fixtures so that they will be at most 3 inches above your plants. Yes, this is a bit awkward because the light fixtures are longer than the shelves, but it's manageable.

Now, plug all of the light fixtures into the power strip. If you're using a timer, set it up and plug the power strip into the timer. Then plug the timer into the wall socket.

Now you're ready to grow!

I'm sure you've noted that the nonadjustable shelves will limit the height of the plants you can grow, but you will still have lots of choices. (I brought my orchids in from the greenhouse last winter for a few weeks. When they started developing bloom stalks and getting too tall, I just put them on the floor in front of the shelves, and they grew brilliantly.)

REMEMBER:

With fluorescent fixtures, you should have the light just a few inches away from the tops of your plants.

I leave my lights on 18 hours using a timer. The plants rest in the dark for 6 hours. Don't leave the lights on 24 hrs.

Seeds germinate readily because each shelf (except the bottom one) is warmed by the light fixture below it. Tropical plants love this warmth.

If you feel that the humidity is too low, you could surround your shelf areas with some sort of plastic. Don't close them in entirely, or they might cook without ventilation!

I did not find a need to use the plastic. Having the shelves full of plants produced enough humidity.

The shelves are ventilated, so the water will drip through. Take steps to prevent damaging your flooring. Use trays under the plants on each shelf--deep ones are safer. Less chance of overflow.

Hope this helps! Thank you for writing.

-- Sherry

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