Homemade Greenhouse: Germinate Seeds Easily Outdoors

Sowing seeds directly outdoors may be necessary if there is insufficient lighting in the apartment or if the apartment gardener only has a limited amount of space to work with. I'm beginning to start more seedlings outdoors because I am running out of my room in my apartment.

I did not have much luck at first. The soil would dry out too quickly preventing some of my seeds to germinate and the seeds that did sprout would shrivel up from lack of water. I lost some of my bulbs to the neighborhood squirrels. And sometimes slugs would attack my seedlings and eat all of the plant's tender shoots! I was able to solve all of these problems by creating a miniature greenhouse out of materials you probably already have in your home. Continue reading to learn how to make your own mini-greenhouse.

Homemade Greenhouse

• Advantages:
  
• Conserves water
• Prevents birds, squirrels and other animals from eating your seeds
• Protects your seedlings from slugs and other insects
• Uses recycled materials
• Requires less maintenance than sowing indoors
• Reduces clutter in your home
• Easier to adapt seedlings to outdoor environment
• Disadvantages:
• Seeds sowed outdoors germinated a bit more slowly than the ones I sowed indoors probably because of the differences in temperature.

Germinating Oregano Seeds Using a Homemade Greenhouse (left);
Oregano Seedlings (right)

• Materials:
• Container with draining holes
  
• Old Ziploc bags or other clear bags
• Seeds
• Water
  
• Optional:
• Bamboo Stakes
• Duct Tape or Large Rubber Bands
  
• Plant Identification Marker
• Directions:
1. Fill your container with soil, leaving about 1/2" of space from the top of the soil to the rim of the container.
2. Sow seeds according to the directions on your seed packet.
3. Thoroughly water the soil (i.e., until water begins to drip from the bottom of the container).
4. Place the ziploc bag or clear bag over the rim of your pot. You want the bag to stand somewhat erect. If the bag is saggy, just place a bamboo stake in the center of the pot to keep the bag from collapsing. It is not necessary for the bag to form an airtight capsule, but you do want the bag to fit snuggly over the pot to help trap moisture and to prevent the seeds or seedlings from drying out. If the lip of your bag is too wide, you can (a) gather some of the plastic around the rim of the pot until the bag forms a snug fit over the rim of the container and secure with a rubber band or duct tape, or (b) place a large rubber band over the bag and around the base of your pot.
   
• Tip: The large ziploc bags are sturdy, and fits snuggly over a standard 6" terracotta pot. If you keep your pot outside and are expecting rain make sure you place a bamboo stake in the middle to keep the bag from collapsing.
  
5. Place the container in a sunny location. As the sun warms up the soil, the water will rise, hit the plastic ceiling, and drip back down to the plant. Not only does this cut down on your maintenance time, but this also conserves water. You can go weeks without watering, but it is still a good idea to check in on your plant at least once a week.
   
6. Leave the protective bagging on the plant after your seeds have sprouted. The plastic bag will deter slugs, insects, birds and other pests. Just make sure the plant leaves do not touch the walls of the plastic bag. If they do it is time to remove the bag. If you would like to continue to use the greenhouse method at this point, just upgrade to a larger bag.