The products and services mentioned below were selected independent of sales and advertising. However, Don't Waste Your Money may receive a small commission from the purchase of any products or services through an affiliate link to the retailer's website.
Gardening gets expensive fast, so gardeners must be a creative (and thrifty!) bunch. One of our favorite inexpensive gardening tricks uses clear umbrellas to construct a backyard greenhouse. There are plenty of examples of people creating these DIY mini greenhouses on social media, and what’s so great about it is that it’s potentially saving and extending the season for some of your favorite plants in spring and fall. Even if that’s not a concern in your garden, if you live in a place where summer storms can wipe out your herb garden or beat up the succulents you moved outside for the summer, you’re might want to try using clear umbrellas to protect them.
How To
The process couldn’t be simpler. You’ll want to snap off the handle, especially if it’s hook-shaped, so you can stake it into the ground. Depending on the size of the umbrella, you’ll be able to cover up tender young plants coming up in a giant pot or sections of rows in a raised bed or the ground. If you have twine on hand, you can try setting it up like a tent to hold the umbrella in place. (Can I pop an umbrella over a caged tomato if hail’s in the forecast? Hmm, experimentation definitely required there, but maybe.)
You can definitely be inventive with this, but it’s really pretty simple. Take a look: Project Allotment posted their pink-accented umbrellas serving as DIY mini greenhouses on X, which they say they got on eBay:
We got these clear umbrellas off ebay to use as mini greenhouses. #projectallotment #umbrella #garden #greenhouse pic.twitter.com/ymvR6iAtn3
— Project Allotment (@allotment_new) May 15, 2016
Eden Gardens Allot posted their DIY mini greenhouse over a whiskey barrel:
Clear umbrella …. Mini greenhouse pic.twitter.com/8qTsmFjHZj
— Eden Gardens Allot (@gardens_eden) June 2, 2013
Late spring snowstorms can take out people’s carefully planned gardens, so this tweet from MainelyHRT recognizes the crucial need to save your seedlings:
Save your clear #umbrella to protect your early #spring #plants. A mini #greenhouse! #garden #seedlings #gardenlovers pic.twitter.com/rd9tjYe5Gd
— MainelyHRT (@MainelyHRT) January 25, 2015
MORE: This DIY weed spray uses what’s already in your pantry
If you’re a consignment shopper, you can keep an eye out for clear umbrellas as you shop. Some gardeners have written online about picking up clear umbrellas on a budget at dollar stores, which would certainly bring the cost down. But if you’re having a hard time coming up with a true steal on a clear umbrella for your mini greenhouse needs, you can also just buy one on Amazon.
And if you need a bunch of them, this is the way to go — Amazon sells packs of them! (Handy if the forecast has turned wet for your outdoor wedding, eh?) A 6-pack of transparent umbrellas goes for $67.99 on Amazon.
What do you think of this DIY mini greenhouse solution?
This story originally appeared on Don't Waste Your Money.
