Harvest plump tomatoes in winter and enjoy beets all summer long with the best portable greenhouses that expand the growing season.
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8 Best Portable Greenhouses to Conveniently Protect Plant Life
Updated on Sep. 26, 2024
A portable greenhouse—like any greenhouse—creates a relatively warm environment that protects your plants and keeps them thriving year-round. Typically, the walls are made of transparent materials, which allow light in and help facilitate a regulated climate that’s ideal for cultivating a variety of plants.
Gardener and writer Niki Jabbour advises that before you purchase a greenhouse option, consider carefully how you want to use it. Will it be temporary frost protection overtop a garden bed? Or are you planning to start seedlings inside it in spring?
Maybe you’re looking to create a microclimate around heat-loving summer vegetables like tomatoes, eggplants and peppers. Or perhaps you’re hoping to extend the harvest season into the autumn and winter months. Here are our favorite portable greenhouses to help you achieve your gardening goals.
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Best Overall Portable Greenhouse
Koksry Walk-In Greenhouse
When winter comes calling, the Koksry Portable Walk-In Greenhouse swoops in to save the day…and your plants! The three-tier portable greenhouse has eight shelves to save all your plants and herbs from getting covered in frost. Plus, the structure prevents pests from snacking during your harvest season, which you’ll be able to extend thanks to the greenhouse.
Its waterproof transparent plastic cover protects plants from harsh ultraviolet (UV) rays, which can cause them to burn. Mesh screen windows on both sides regulate internal and external airflow as well. It also has a steel pipe and ground nails to stabilize the structure and prevent it from being knocked over by strong winds.
Verified Amazon purchaser, Gabrielle Pierce, is a fan of this greenhouse. She writes, “I just love this little greenhouse! It tucks into the end of my covered porch and it is just the perfect size, small but with plenty of room for numerous plants. And for me to be in there with them!”
Pros
- Lightweight
- Affordable
- Waterproof, UV plastic cover
- Mesh screen windows on each side
- Ground nails and rope for stabilization
Cons
- Heat and humidity levels can increase rapidly in smaller structures
- Shelves aren’t especially sturdy
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Best Budget Portable Greenhouse
Eagle Peak Mini Greenhouse
Say goodbye to the back-breaking work of moving plants, pots, soil and equipment around your property. This four-tier greenhouse features a set of removable casters to roll it from the garage to the patio to the flower beds. When you get to where you’re going, lock the brakes on two of the wheels and you’re done. This mini greenhouse is simple to put together and disassemble without tools.
“This was a breeze to put together,” writes Frances Thompson in a five-star review. “This is on a covered deck holding succulents in warm weather and overwintering other plants in cold. Kudos to the engineer who thought to make the wire shelves in two pieces per shelf! I often have plants to overwinter that I have to carefully bend because they are taller than the shelf. I can now just leave one side out and the plant can stay tall. Ingenious.”
Pros
- Wallet-friendly
- Includes removable casters
- Four shelves
- One-year warranty
Cons
- Wire shelves can sag under the weight of heavy pots
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Best Lean-To Portable Greenhouse
Eagle Peak Outdoor Lean-To Greenhouse
When there’s not enough land for a freestanding greenhouse, the Outdoor Lean-To Walk-In Greenhouse is an efficient side-of-structure option. It saves space while offering a decent amount of room for caring for plants. The three-shelf rack makes a handy staging/potting station.
We also love the zippered doors on this unconventional greenhouse that let you enter from either side. Floorless and lightweight, it assembles in minutes and sets up on hard surfaces or over soil. Customers love its sturdiness, with one five-star reviewer mentioning that it stood up to days of 20 mph wind gusts.
Pros
- Designed to set up next to a door, garage or shed for more space
- Made of durable powdered-coated steel frame
- Two roll-up zipper doors
- Shelf staging included
Cons
- Needs additional weights to keep it from blowing over
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Best Collapsible Portable Greenhouse
Outsunny Arc Door Greenhouse
For fans of no-brainer setups, the Outsunny Pop-Up Greenhouse comes out on top. Along with a tear-proof polyethylene cover over a flexible steel frame for sturdiness, the Outsunny ships with four wind ropes to tie firmly to the included ground nails. This lightweight greenhouse is ideal for extending your growing season. Carry and store it in the handy bag.
Pros
- Easy to assemble pop-up design
- Sturdy, PV cover
- Includes guy ropes for extra stability
- Excellent for high-humidity plants
Cons
- Some reviewers suggest buying sturdier tent posts to secure the guy ropes to the ground
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Best Dome-Shaped Portable Greenhouse
Tierra Garden Haxnicks Greenhouse
The Tierra Garden Haxnicks Greenhouse is a “sun bubble” that warms up quicker than most traditional greenhouses. That’s due to its innovative curved dome surface, which made our list of the best greenhouse kits. It faces the sun at a 90-degree angle all day long, allowing maximum penetration of light for a boosted growing environment. Made of UV-stabilized PVC and flexible fiberglass rods, the patented one-piece folding design sets up in minutes.
“Love this bubble greenhouse!” writes five-star reviewer Sheri. “We had a bunch of windy weather shortly after I set it up so I anchored it from the center handle at the top as suggested except I tied it to a picnic table. Was easy and worked great. No issues. Held up great! Like that, I can fold it up and put it away like a tent when I want to.”
Pros
- Curved shape warms up quicker than a traditional greenhouse
- Ventilation included
- Waterproof
- UV Resistant
- Light diffusing panels
Cons
- Pricier than other options on our list
- Requires more than one person to set up
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Most Versatile Portable Greenhouse
Quictent Mini Cloche Greenhouse
