HOW TO BUILD a BACKYARD GREENHOUSE
Popular Mechanics|March - April 2022
Step-by-step plans for making a plant-filled oasis
JOSEPH TRUINI
HOW TO BUILD a BACKYARD GREENHOUSE

Many backyard gardeners start their plants indoors in late winter or early spring, before the weather is warm. But the best way to jump-start plants for spring gardening and also extend the growing season into winter is with a backyard greenhouse. Our design is a 6-by-8-foot structure, large enough to accommodate dozens of plants but compact enough to fit into the smallest yard. It's also easy to build, requiring only basic carpentry skills and easy-to-use tools. You can finish it over a couple of weekends.

The cost of the materials to build our greenhouse is about $1,200. That's higher than some pre-assembled greenhouses, but our materials are more reliable than any "snap together" model; plus, this one is customizable. We include a potting bench, overhead plant hanger, and deck, but you can add or subtract features as needed. Whether you're an expert gardener or a rookie, our greenhouse will expand your gardening potential and diversify the kinds of plants you can grow at home.

CUT THE TIMBER FRAME FOUNDATION

Start by crosscutting two pressure-treated 4x6 timbers to 8 ft. long, and two other 4x6s to 6 ft. long. Mark both ends of all four timbers for a 134-in.deep x 542-in.-wide half-lap joint. Set the depth of cut on your circular saw to 134 in., and make a shoulder cut across the timber precisely 542 in. from each end of the four 4x6s. Then set the saw to its maximum depth of cut and make the cheek cut in from the end of the timber [1].

Denne historien er fra March - April 2022-utgaven av Popular Mechanics.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra March - April 2022-utgaven av Popular Mechanics.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA POPULAR MECHANICSSe alt
ONE OF THE 'GREATEST THREATS' TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST ISN'T WHAT YOU THINK.
Popular Mechanics US

ONE OF THE 'GREATEST THREATS' TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST ISN'T WHAT YOU THINK.

EXPERTS ARE PREPARING THE REGION AGAINST THE THREAT OF DANGEROUS VOLCANIC MUDFLOWS, KNOWN AS LAHARS, WHICH COULD INUNDATE THE COMMUNITIES SURROUNDING MT. RAINIER IN AS LITTLE AS 30 MINUTES.

time-read
10+ mins  |
January - February 2025
THE WORLD'S TOUGHEST ROW
Popular Mechanics US

THE WORLD'S TOUGHEST ROW

They rowed 3,000 miles across the Atlantic, battling unpredictable weather, chaotic seas, and finicky equipment. But what they discovered gave them profound new insights into the power of the ocean.

time-read
10+ mins  |
January - February 2025
HOW TO DIY OFF-GRID SOLAR
Popular Mechanics US

HOW TO DIY OFF-GRID SOLAR

SPEND THE TIME UP FRONT AND PLAN IT CAREFULLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT

time-read
9 mins  |
January - February 2025
Are We on the Verge of an ARMS RACE in SPACE?
Popular Mechanics US

Are We on the Verge of an ARMS RACE in SPACE?

RUMORS OF A RUSSIAN SPACE NUKE, ALONG WITH OTHER SATELLITE-TARGETING WEAPONS, HAVE MADE GEOPOLITICAL TENSIONS EXTEND INTO ORBIT.

time-read
10+ mins  |
January - February 2025
Fresh Fingerprints on an Ancient Statue
Popular Mechanics US

Fresh Fingerprints on an Ancient Statue

A CLAY FIGURINE HAS SPENT MILLENNIA incomplete, waiting at the bottom of a lake for its long-dead craftsman to finish the Iron Age-era statuette.

time-read
2 mins  |
January - February 2025
Quantum Entanglement in Our Brains
Popular Mechanics US

Quantum Entanglement in Our Brains

IT HAS LONG BEEN ARGUED THAT THE human brain is similar to a computer. But in reality, that's selling the brain pretty short.

time-read
2 mins  |
January - February 2025
The Tools of Copernicus
Popular Mechanics US

The Tools of Copernicus

WAY BACK IN 1508, WITH ONLY LIMited tools at his disposal, Nicolaus Copernicus developed a celestial model of a heliocentric planetary system, which he described in hist landmark work De revolutionibus orbium coelestium. It was a complete overhaul of our conception of the universe-one that, unfortunately, earned him the ire of the Catholic church for decades after his death-and forever changed the way we look at the stars.

time-read
2 mins  |
January - February 2025
Building a Sixth-Generation Bomber Raptor
Popular Mechanics US

Building a Sixth-Generation Bomber Raptor

THE GLOBAL COMBAT AIR Programme (GCAP)-a project by the U.K., Italy, and Japan to develop a sixth-generation stealth fighter-has been busy at the drawing board reshaping its vision of the future of air warfare. And judging by the new concept model unveiled at this year's Farnborough air show, that future has big triangular wings.

time-read
3 mins  |
January - February 2025
The Electroweak Force of the Early Universe
Popular Mechanics US

The Electroweak Force of the Early Universe

TODAY, THE UNIVERSE AS WE KNOW IT IS governed by four fundamental forces: the strong nuclear force, the weak nuclear force, electromagnetism, and gravity.

time-read
1 min  |
January - February 2025
This Ancient Fossil With a Brain and Guts
Popular Mechanics US

This Ancient Fossil With a Brain and Guts

WE KNOW WHAT FOSSILS LOOK like. For example, typical dinosaur fossils are bones turned to stone and preserved from the passage of time, located, if we're particularly lucky, in large collections that can be reassembled to represent the beast they used to prop up in their entirety.

time-read
1 min  |
January - February 2025