The Best Portable Greenhouse for Your Backyard or Balcony

Sometimes referred to as a mini greenhouse, portable greenhouses prolong a season and allow you to get an early start on another. They're also perfect for growing cold-sensitive plants, like orchids or tropical hibiscus, and getting a head start on your veggie seeds for a spring garden. Like stationary greenhouses, a portable greenhouse protects your plants from unfavorable weather conditions, like frost, wind, and rain. Best of all, you can move it from one location to another without much effort.

Whether your only gardening space is a patio, balcony, or larger landscape, there's a portable greenhouse that's the perfect size and shape to suit your needs. Choices include everything from those that could fit on a tabletop to pop-up types to larger ones that are big enough for you to walk inside. Besides their portability, they are usually a breeze to put together.

To ensure you get the perfect one for your specific needs, we share some points you should consider when purchasing a portable greenhouse. We've also given our take on some of the best-quality portable greenhouses and why they can make your life a bit greener.

To select the perfect-size portable greenhouse, measure the area where you plan on using it. You don't want to open up your new greenhouse only to find that it's too big to fit in the chosen location or that a larger one would have fit. Take into account the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the area.

For long-lasting use, select a greenhouse with a durable and sturdy structure that won't collapse with the slightest movement or amount of use. Rust-resistant metal structures withstand more than one or two growing seasons and can last for years.

Make sure the pieces join together sturdily and don't wobble around because they are flimsy. Additionally, durable cover materials that withstand various outdoor conditions while protecting your plants are imperative.

Ventilation in the portable greenhouse allows you to control the amounts of heat, air, and humidity created inside. During summer when temperatures are hot, you should be able to open the ventilation area, which allows more cooling airflow inside. In winter, closing up everything creates more heat inside the greenhouse and keeps your plants warmer.

To select a large-enough greenhouse, consider the size of your plants and how many you have. In addition, if you're growing potted plants, like veggies and flowers, or if you'll have seed-starting trays, you'll probably want a greenhouse with shelves. Shelves make tending your plants easier since they're off the ground, and you can have more plants in your greenhouse because there's more space.

Whether you're starting seedlings, prolonging a season, or protecting your plants from poor weather conditions, the Ohuhu portable greenhouse won't let you down whether you use it indoors or outside. The durable waterproof cover is made from PE material with UV protection and won't tear.

It measures 27 inches by 18 inches by 62 inches and is big enough to hold various plants on its four detachable steel wire shelves. The rust-resistant steel tubes add durability and years of use to the portable greenhouse's structure. The cover has a zippered roll-up door allowing for easy access inside with screened ventilation allowing for adequate air circulation inside. Best of all, no tools are required to set it up, and all the parts are detachable, meaning moving the greenhouse is easy.

The LeJoy portable greenhouse is big in size but small in the amount of money you'll spend, making it budget-friendly. Its dimensions are 56 inches by 29 inches by 77 inches, and it has six shelves with three shelves on each side, so it's big enough to hold multiple seed-starting trays or plant pots.

You can use the greenhouse both outdoors and indoors. It has a durable and clear waterproof grid PE cover that protects plants from poor weather, like wind and frosts. It has a durable frame made from powder-coated steel with a strong bearing net on each layer. The bottom shelf is situated off the ground, allowing for additional airflow underneath. It's large enough for you to walk inside the zippered roll-up door, and it has screened ventilation, giving your plants the necessary air circulation for good growth.

If you're looking for a large portable greenhouse that's sturdy and big enough to hold a wealth of different plants from small to large, then you can't go wrong with this walk-in model from King Bird.

At 15 inches by 6.6 inches by 6.6 inches, it's big enough to hold everything from your seed-starting trays to sapling trees and shrubs, protecting them from poor conditions like rain, wind, and frost. It has a tunnel design with a heavy-duty, rust-resistant galvanized steel frame with three top crossbars and 10 bottom poles to reinforce the entire structure. Also included are 20 extra stakes and four ropes to secure it to the ground.

The greenhouse has a durable, reinforced grid PE cover that is waterproof and UV protected. Two doors on each end zip open and have a PE cover that rolls up and opens to a screen door, allowing more air circulation and easy entry. You also have eight screened roll-up windows and two vents on the doors, adding to the ventilation and allowing you to control airflow and the temperature inside.

If you don't have a lot of yard space but would like to get a head start on the growing season or have a place to protect your tender plants, then the Eagle Peak portable walk-in greenhouse could be what you need. It's big enough to hold a variety of plants at 72 by 48 inches but still small enough to fit in tightly spaced yards.

The high-quality PE cover is UV protected with a zippered roll-up door and two mesh windows, allowing for ventilation and air circulation. It protects plants from unfavorable conditions, like rain, wind, sun or frost. The greenhouse is large enough for you to walk inside and care for your plants, and best of all, no tools are necessary to set it up—it's ready straight from the box!

If you're gardening on your balcony, Vivosun's portable greenhouse works great because it's not too large at 27 by 19 by 63 inches, and the addition of casters makes it easy to transport from one location to another.

It has powder-coated heavy steel frames and four deep shelves that hold multiple plants. The high-quality PE cover has a roll-up and zippered front door that allows for easy access and ventilation, and it is waterproof and UV protected. Whether faced with rain, wind, sun, or frosts, the durable cover keeps your plants protected. The greenhouse is the perfect solution for gardening when you live in an apartment or condominium and don't have yard space.

If you need extra shelves to hold all your gardening tools, plants, and trays, then Ohuhu's 12-shelf portable greenhouse can fulfill your needs. The large greenhouse's dimensions are 56.3 by 55.5 by 76.8 inches, and it has 12 wired shelves with six on each side, giving you plenty of space for your flowers, veggies, or seed-starting trays. It has a sturdy, rust-resistant metal frame, and plastic connectors. Assembly won't take a lifetime.

The greenhouse has a PE cover with grid distribution, making it durable and tear-proof, and it's waterproof with UV protection. Your plants are protected from unfavorable weather, like rain, frost, wind, or sun. There's room to walk inside through the zippered roll-up door, which makes caring for your plants easy, and the two Velcro side windows allow for good ventilation and airflow control. With all the available shelf space, you'll have room for all your tools and plants.

If you're searching for a sturdy miniature greenhouse that can fit on a table, then AHOME's mini pop-up portable greenhouse answers that call. The greenhouse is small enough to sit on an indoor or outdoor table or even on a shelf, and it can protect several plants. There's no assembly required, as all you have to do is take it out of the package, and it instantly pops open and is ready for use.

The transparent PVC is waterproof and stands up to sun, wind, rain, pests, and frost, giving your plants a warm and protected area to reside. You can increase air circulation by opening the screened zippered vent. The pop-up greenhouse has an open bottom so you can place it directly over a plant. Don't let the mini greenhouse's size fool you because although it's small, it offers big protection for your plants.