If you’re into growing plants year-round, a greenhouse is pretty much a garden essential. But greenhouses tend to be quite expensive, and putting one up isn’t the most creative of tasks.

If you’d rather make your very own unique version of a greenhouse yourself, which is just as effective, much more visually interesting, and environmentally-friendly, just save up your own plastic bottles and use them for your build.

Making your own greenhouse out of plastic bottles really doesn’t require much time or skill. It’s the perfect quarantine activity if you’re looking for rewarding projects to keep you busy. All you’ll need is a good supply of plastic bottles and some 2×2 timber and 4×4 posts. Let’s get started!

What you’ll need:

• Around 1,500 plastic bottles (get collecting!)
• A selection of 4″ x 4″ posts and 2″ x 2″ timber
• Screws, door hinges, and fencing staples
• Postcrete
• Gravel, slabs, and mulch matting
• Garden canes

Once you’ve gathered your materials, it’s time to get straight into it.

1. Build up a bottle stash

Here’s where you’ll need a bit of storage space in your home, as your goal is to collect 1,500 plastic bottles! In the example by The Handy Mano, 2-liter bottles are the bottle size of choice, but 1.5-liter bottles work just as well. Don’t bother with 500-ml bottles, though – they’re just too small.

2. Wash your bottles and cut them to size

Obviously, dirty bottles with their labels on aren’t going to cut it here. Rinse out all your bottles, remove the labels, and carefully cut off their bottoms. Their lids can be recycled, as you won’t need them for your greenhouse.

3. Position the posts

The posts are needed to give the greenhouse support and structure. Take your 4″ x 4″ posts and set them into concrete. Here’s where you’ll need to spread your mulch matting all around the posts, which will stop weeds from being able to grow inside your greenhouse.

4. Create the body of the greenhouse

Now that you have your support posts in place, it’s time to connect them with the 2″ x 2″ boards to create the framework. To keep things stable, make sure to create a frame for the door, roof, and both sides of the greenhouse. Use your screws to attach the corners of the frames, but keep each frame separate for now.

5. Stack your bottles

Now for the fun part! Create the walls of your greenhouse by stacking your bottles one on top of the other on the garden canes. You’ll end up with a number of separate clear beams.

6. Attach and secure the beams

Take each bottle beam and attach them one by one to the frames of the greenhouse using your fencing staples. To keep the structure nice and stable, it’s best to fasten each staple around the neck of the bottle on the end of each beam.

7. Connect the frames

You’ve completed all your frames by now, so it’s time to lift them into position and create the four walls of the greenhouse. You might need a helping hand from a family member to do this. Attach the frames to the corner posts that you positioned in place earlier.

8. Attach your doors and roof

When it comes to the final features of your greenhouse, you’re free to be as creative with your bottles as you like. The Handy Mano recommends fashioning a sloped roof, which will help with surface runoff when it rains, but it’s up to you.

And that’s all it takes! If you’re looking to get handy in your garden, this is the perfect opportunity. You’ can build your greenhouse as tall and wide as you wish. So what are you waiting for? Get hoarding your water bottles – you finally have a purpose for them!

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Source: Shareably, The Handy Mano