Recycle Old Picture Frames for an Indoor Greenhouse

I like having plants around the house but I just actually have 2 south dealing with windows and they are shaded much of the afternoon by a large tree. Thankfully, we have a sun parlor off the south side of the home with 3 full walls of ceiling to knee level windows. If it weren’t for the felines, it would be a fantastic place to grow plants.

With all the sun to lounge in, they invest a great deal of time in there and they enjoy to munch on houseplants, collect potted plants and destroy fairy gardens like Godzilla on a rampage. I desired a protected place to keep houseplants, but when my greenhouse truly shines is in spring I begin a lots of plants from seed every spring (click on this link to read about beginning seeds). and needed shelving to grow them on and a place to keep them safe from cats. I didn’t desire to invest a lots of money, and I wanted something that would look nicer than wire shelving.

I started to come up with a method to repurpose the glass to make an indoor greenhouse. Equipped with my 20% off coupon, I simply purchased some of those frameless image frames (generally a sheet of glass with clips to hold a picture). You might likewise utilize replacement glass, but those weren’t on sale and would’ve been more costly.

I required to raise up the greenhouse to a minimum of the bottom of the windowsill and I desired it to have an open location on the bottom so I might save products & & keep the cat’s litter box beneath it. I ended up developing a table that is 24 inches tall as a base for the greenhouse. The last dimensions for the entire greenhouse is 26 inches deep x 37 inches broad x 68 inches tall.

Materials

3– 2 x 4( 8 ft length)– for building the table base
1– 1 x 15 (8 feet length)– for the floor of the greenhouse
17– 2 x 2 (8 feet length)– to form all the panes
3 inch screws
1.5 inch screws
the glass from 36 11 x 14 photo frames
clear glass/wood adhesive
paint & & guide
2 hinges.

Directions

I built the greenhouse in 7 pieces.

Piece 1 Include some basic legs made from 2x4s, protecting everything with the long 3 inch screws.

Building the body of the greenhouse – For the real body of the greenhouse, I used 2 x 2 lumber (actual measurements are 1.5 in x 1.5 in) and 1.5 inch wood screws (screwed in at an angle) to make the grids. The grids must be 11 x 14 inches on center.

Piece 2 is the back, overall determining 33.75 x 42.5 inches with 9 panes for glass.

Pieces 3 & & 4 are the right & & left side. Each total measuring 22.75 x 42.5 inches with 6 panes for glass. On each of the 42.5 sides I screwed on the four corner posts (an extra 2 x 2 that we’ll use to connect the sides with the back & & front)

Piece 5. Total measuring 11.75 x 42.5 inches with 3 panes for glass.

Piece 6 is the door, general measuring 22 x 42.5 inches with 6 panes for glass.

Piece 7.

is the top, overall measuring 26 x 37 inches with 4 complete panes and 2 smaller sized panes (if you do not have access to a glass cutter, I would recommend just leaving these open as extra ventilation). The leading grid is a little different than all the others. There is a 4 inch x 37 inch opening the whole length of the leading to permit ventilation, leaving 4 11 x 14 grids and two 11 x 9 grids that will be covered with glass

At this point, I primed & & painted all the pieces– do this before you connect the glass!

I utilized the adhesive to attach the image frame glass. The only glass that required to be cut were the two smaller sized 11 \u00d7 9 panels on the top. Everything else fits tight and nice. I did make a tactical mistake here. I ought to have bought clear adhesive, and for some reason I purchased beige, so obviously now I can see all the adhesive lines! They explain adhesive– make certain you get clear!

I let the pieces dry flat to enable the adhesive to treat for a full week. Then I just had to screw all the pieces together, include the hinges for the door– and be extremely careful not to crack the glass.

For shelving in the greenhouse, I got some plastic covered wire shelving (the kind you would use to arrange cooking area cabinets). I hung 2 upside down from cup hooks screwed into the top of the greenhouse utilizing twine.

I use another cup hook screwed into the leading to hold a heat light. Due to the fact that my sunroom is unheated, I utilize this in the spring when it’s still cold to keep seedlings warm.

It’s not perfect, but I enjoy my greenhouse, and it wound up coming in under $100 entirely. I can fit 5 flats of seedlings in here right now, and I have a lot of space to add more racks if I require more. I have a place to keep houseplants safe from the cats when it’s not seed growing time. I have used it for Fairy Gardens and growing plants that could be dangerous to pets if they ate them (I can have poinsettias at Christmas for the very first time in decades!).