Enjoy Small Indoor Greenhouses

The experience that most people have with seeing greenhouses is at a plant nursery or perhaps the zoo, where a large glass building, big enough to walk into, hot and filled with plants. But if you think that's the limit to the size and design of greenhouses, you're mistaken! There are greenhouses that encompass multiple acres of land, as well as small indoor greenhouses that can be operated in your basement or even on your desk at work. The uses of small indoor greenhouses can be fun as well as useful.

Grow Plants All Year

One of the big benefits to small indoor greenhouses is that you can enjoy your gardening hobby all year, even if it's cold outside. The design of small indoor greenhouses usually help to capture light, or have some sort of light source to help plants grow, and by covering the area with glass or plastic, you help to capture humidity and warmth, adding to the natural warmth that the inside of your home will provide. This allows you to grow some plants, such as herbs and some vegetables, all year.

Another result of this benefit is that for those who also do plenty of outdoor gardening, these can be useful tools. Small indoor greenhouses can protect transplants of your more delicate perennials when winter comes, and can be where you start seedlings in the spring, in preparation for early flowers and vegetables. By using small indoor greenhouses to help make up for some of the weeks of cold weather each year, you get a jump on having beautiful outdoor plants.

A Pretty Display

Small indoor greenhouses don't have to be huge to be effective. While many will be the size of a small walk-in closet, there are designs for small indoor greenhouses that will take up about as much space as a reasonably sized aquarium, or even something small enough to house a single potted plant. One enterprising gardener even built a simple one using a child's construction set and plastic wrap! What this means for you is that you can have a small, personalized greenhouse that can showcase small plants.

Useful In School

Another benefit to small indoor greenhouses is that one of the right size can be useful in schools as an educational tool. Children can learn about plants through hands-on learning, helping to cultivate plants and examining the life cycle. For some, learning by doing far exceeds the retention that book learning provides, and small indoor greenhouses can introduce kids to the wonderful world of gardening. So from a child's education to winter cultivation, small indoor greenhouses provide ample opportunities for growing things all year long.