How to Make a Mini Green House With PVC Pipe

Mark a rectangle in your garden where the green house will be. Use a carpenter’s square to make sure the corners are exactly 90 degrees.

Drive quarter-inch diameter rebar stakes on each of the four corners of the rectangle. The length of the rebar depends on the width of the rectangle. The length of the rebar stakes depends on the width of the rectangle and the type of soil, but start with a length of 2 feet or more. The wider the rectangle, the longer the rebar should extend out of the ground. As an example, a rectangle that is 3 feet wide would need about 6 inches of rebar sticking out of the ground. In addition, the stakes should extend far enough into the ground so they do not move. If the ground is extremely sandy or very wet, drive the stakes farther than for less sandy or drier soil. If the length of the rectangle is longer than about 6 feet, drive additional rebar stakes along the side of the rectangle halfway between the corners.

Multiply the width of your rectangle by 1.57 to get the length of the PVC arches for the green house. This will give you half-circle arches. Cut one piece of half-inch diameter PVC pipe to this length for each set of two rebar stakes on the rectangle.

Slip the end of one of the PVC pipes over one of the rebar stakes. Bend the other end of the pipe and slide it over the rebar stake on the opposite side of the rectangle. Repeat this step for each set of rebar stakes. You should have at least two PVC pipe arches, one at each end of the rectangle. If you drove additional sets of rebar stakes along the length of the rectangle in Step 2, you will have an additional arch for each set of additional stakes.

Spread a transparent plastic sheet over the arches and attach it to the arches with clamps. The plastic must be large enough to extend onto the ground about 6 inches all the way around the rectangle. Lay 2 by 4 boards on top of the plastic on the ground to anchor it.