Do you ever imagine yourself biting into a plump, juicy, ripe tomato straight off the vine that you grew right in your own backyard? Do you live in a climate that does not have enough heat for your tomatoes to truly thrive? Look no further because here you will learn how to build a fabulous tomato greenhouse.
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How Would A Tomato Greenhouse Benefit Me?
There are several reasons why building a backyard tomato greenhouse could be beneficial.
- The greenhouse provides a protected environment for your tomatoes. It reduces the accessibility of pests and animals which might otherwise damage your crop.
- It reduces exposure to extreme weather conditions which may damage your crops such as extreme rain or wind.
- In climates that do not have a lot of warmth (tomatoes love warmth), a tomato greenhouse provides a climate in which tomatoes will grow and thrive.
- When tomato season is over, your tomato greenhouse can be used to grow another crop through the winter months such as lettuce, kale, chard or other leafy greens.
What Variety of Tomato Can I Grow in a Tomato Greenhouse?
You can grow just about any variety of tomato in a tomato greenhouse. Here are a few of the varieties that I have grown this year.
- Early Girl
- Roma
- Sungold
- San Marzano
- Sweet 100’s
- Mortgage Lifter
- Pink Birkeley Tie-Dye
Materials Needed:
Clear corrugated siding
2 X 4 lumber (for budget reasons, we used fir)
corrugated plastic roofing screws
exterior wood screws
hog wire panels
Tools needed to Build a Tomato Greenhouse:
screw gun
skill saw
measuring tape
hammer
level
grinder with a metal cutting disk
My husband used standard 2 X 4 construction methods while anchoring the roof joists under the existing eve.
At the time, we were budgeting for inexpensive materials so the foundation just consists of raising the baseplate 2 x 4 up off the ground using cement blocks that we found buried in the yard. My husband treated the bottom base plate with a wood preservative even though it had sufficient space off the ground to ensure longevity. The door consists of salvaged redwood that we found in the attic.
One key to building a tomato greenhouse is ventilation. So my husband left a gap in the corrugated roofing where the roof joists meet the house so that hot air could escape. Being that this is on the south side of the house which gets sunlight all day in every season, the temperature turned out to be just perfect for a plethora of fresh tomatoes.
How to Build the Tomato Greenhouse:
Building a tomato greenhouse requires some basic construction skills. Build three walls using standard framing techniques. Because this doesn’t have to be as structurally sound as some other structures, you can determine the proper spacing both for what stability is needed and aesthetics.
My husband prefers to use exterior wood screws as opposed to nails. Again, this is for ease of construction and there is no need to reinforce anything structurally like you would with a common 16D nail.
As you can see from the pictures, construction is pretty basic. The only thing my husband chose to do differently, was he gave the roof slope an extra steep degree of slope. This was because rather than cut three separate pieces of corrugated material and run them vertically, he chose to run one piece horizontally. This steep slope will ensure that water still runs off.
The corrugated plastic is pretty basic to install as long as you use the proper screws with the rubber washer. My husband would mark his lines with a sharpie and he found that his best method to cut was a grinder with a standard grinding wheel.
Again, to ensure proper venting, leave about a 4 inch gap between the house and the top of your corrugated roof so that heat can escape.
Installing the Tomato Trellis:
We used hog panel pieces for the tomatoes to climb up. We were fortunate to find ours already in the yard of the home we purchased, but some hardware stores carry them in pre-cut sections. For past projects, my husband has had to buy 16 foot section hog panel wiring at the local feed store. To cut this paneling, you need a steel grinding wheel, a grinder, and safety glasses.
To install the hog panel, my husband attached small 2 x 4 spacers onto the siding of the house inside the greenhouse. And then he simply attached the hog wire to those spacers using metal U clips.
Building the Door:
Your door is built just like a standard gate. Your door can be as creative as you like. My husband had some redwood laying around from an old fence that he used.
If you would like more information about how to build a door for a greenhouse, click here.
If you would like to view another one of our backyard projects, click here.