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Today we are going to take a look at the best portable cold frame & mini greenhouses to help protect your carnivorous plant during dormancy. I suspect most people are here because you have a venus flytrap or a sarracenia that’s about to go through dormancy but your worried about the colder temperatures.
If you live in any zone that is a 9 or below, you may experience some freezing temperatures. The lower your zone, the better odds that there are consecutive days going under 32 degrees.
If this happens it puts your carnivorous plants at risk that are being stored outside during dormancy. Most people “overwinter” their plants by covering them with pine needles or mulch to help keep the plants out of the weather. This can work, but I have known people to lose their plants even when overwintering.
One of the best ways to ensure your carnivorous plants make it through dormancy is to keep them in a portable cold frame or a mini greenhouse. This keeps them from the wind that can increase the chill of the air.
Today I’m going to show you the best options for both a portable cold frame or the more affordable mini greenhouse!
The best 5 portable cold frames and mini greenhouses we are going to talk about today are as follows.
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Gardman R687 4-Tier Mini Greenhouse
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MCombo Wooden Garden Cold Frame
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Giantex Garden Portable Wooden Cold Frame
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DanJani Outdoor Raised Garden Bed With Drop Over Greenhouse
- Giantex Large Portable Garden Cold Frame
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Best Portable Cold Frames & Mini Greenhouses
Last update on 2024-05-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Table of Contents
Gardman R687 4-Tier Mini Greenhouse
This is definitely the most affordable option. If you have an area where you can put this that stays mostly out of strong winds, it should do a great job keeping your carnivorous plants out of the elements. It’s super light and easy to move around.
It’s also a greenhouse, so it will double as a small greenhouse during the summer time. You can use it for planting seedlings or even giving your nepenthes more humidity! It’s pretty good sized and you should be able to get most of your venus flytraps or sarracenia in it for winter time.
If you put this next your home, the heat from your home will help keep it a little warmer than what the temps are outside. The only thing I don’t like about it is it’s pretty flimsy. If a strong wind storm comes and it’s not protected, the wind could pretty easily take this mini greenhouse down. It’s super light at only 9.6 pounds.
Click below to see user reviews, more photos and information!
Click Here For Price, User Reviews & More Photos On Amazon
MCombo Wooden Garden Cold Frame
The MCombo wooden portable cold frame is probably the best option on this list. When you combine value for maximum protection, it will be your best option for keeping your plants safe while not breaking the bank. Give your plants maximum protection while also allowing them to still see some sun when it’s out.
This unit is a little heavier at 22 pounds and will take a much stronger wind to affect it. If you set this against your home, it shouldn’t have any problem staying completely still during wind storms. The shelf it adjustable which makes this even better. If you have some tall sarracenias you need to throw in the bottom, this can accommodate that with the shorter venus flytraps at the top.
It’s also really attractive with the more natural wood finish. It would be super easy to stain or paint to your liking if you chose to. The only thing I’m not crazy about is that you have to assemble when you receive it and it’s a little more expensive than the mini greenhouses. That’s to be expected however as it offers a much higher level of protection.
If you really want to give your carnivorous plants the best option to live during winter dormancy, I would strongly suggest going with this cold frame. It will be a little more up front, but the protection it offers will be well worth it!
Click Here For Price, User Reviews & More Photos On Amazon
Giantex Garden Portable Wooden Cold Frame
This is a great portable cold frame for your carnivorous plants. It’s a little more affordable than the last option and may suit you a little better. What really separates this cold from from the other two is it doesn’t have a bottom. You can place this anywhere in your current garden to cover carnivorous plants you may already have in the ground.
I know many people like to create small bog gardens with venus flytraps and sarracenia, this would fit right over the top of one of those. It may have a hard time fitting over some of the taller sarracenia but at almost 2 feet tall, it should house most.
The top is foldable and can be opened to allow in more sun or even some fresh rain if you would like. It has a fairly large capacity on the floor at 35.5 inches by 31.5 inches. You really should be able to fit quite a few plants underneath this cold frame. Even if your plants aren’t in the ground, you can place them anywhere you like and just set this cold frame right over them.
It’s made with heavy duty wood to ensure the structure stays solid. The panels are see through and made of polycarbonate so they should not break easily.
Even though you will have to assemble, it’s fairly easy and one person can handle it. It’s not very heavy and is easy to move around at only 13.5 pounds. With it being super low to the ground, the wind shouldn’t be able to move it around once it’s set in place.
It also has a great aesthetic and is going to look great in your garden without any enhancements. If you want to paint or stain it, it will be really easy to to do that as well. This is probably the most portable and flexible option, especially if your plants are already in the ground. Check it out on Amazon below!
Click Here For Price, User Reviews & More Photos On Amazon
DanJani Outdoor Raised Garden Bed With Drop Over Greenhouse
The Danjani outdoor raised garden box with drop over greenhouse cover is a little different option but will serve the same purpose. It will be extremely helpful keeping your carnivorous plants out of the elements when they are going through dormancy.
It’s probably the most flexible option since you can completely separate the greenhouse from the raised garden bed. You can put the garden bed wherever you like and leave the greenhouse part off until you need it. This would be perfect for making a bog garden in a permanent location. Plant the garden then drop the greenhouse top right over it when winter his.
If you combine this with overwintering your carnivorous plants it should be really easy to keep them warmer and out of the wind. Its also a little more affordable than some of the cold frame options but more expensive than a mini greenhouse. It won’t offer quite as good of protection as cold frames but should do the trick as long as there isn’t any extreme wind.
It’s pretty big and offers a pretty large area for your plants at 49.2 inches by 37.4 inches the greenhouse is 36 inches tall. This makes it one of the more spacious options on this list! There isn’t a bottom on this unit so you can either put it somewhere and add plants or put it right over an existing area.
If you want a great flexible option at keeping your carnivorous plants safe during dormancy in the winter months, check this option out on Amazon below!
Click Here For Price, User Reviews & More Photos On Amazon
Giantex Large Portable Garden Cold Frame
The biggest difference between this one and the other standing cold fram is it’s larger and has another shelf. The shelves are adjustable and can be removed if you just need more space. This cold frame will hold and protect more carnivorous plants during dormancy.
It stands at 43 inches tall and is 30 x 22 inches total. Click the link below to see all the shelf dimensions to make sure this cold frame works for you. It has a very solid wood structure and a top that can be opened. This will allow you to let sun or even rain in if you please. It also has cabinet doors that open in the front.
Even as the largest cold frame on this list, it still only weighs 23.7 pounds and can still be moved around pretty easily. Although assembling an item isn’t ideal it’s actually pretty easy to put together, it should be easily completed by just one person.
If you want to give your carnivorous plants maximum protection during dormancy, I strongly suggest giving this cold frame a try, check it out on Amazon below!
Click Here For Price, User Reviews & More Photos On Amazon
Cold Frames Vs Mini Greenhouse
Now that I have shown you some great options above, I wanted to talk a little bit about the benefits and disadvantages of both a cold frame and a mini greenhouse. It’s important to understand which is better for different situations so you can make the best informed decision for your carnivorous plants during dormancy!
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Why Choose A Portable Cold Frame
A cold frame has many advantages over a mini green house. The main advantage is its going to much more protection to your carnivorous plants than a mini greenhouse. They are made from wood and strong polycarbonate material making them optimal for wind protection.
They can help bring temperatures up 10-15 degrees above the outside temperature which is extremely helpful during sub freezing temperatures. If it’s 20 outside having a cold frame could be the difference between your venus flytrap making it or not.
Cold frames are a little heavier and a lot harder to move around when compared to a mini greenhouse. They are also going to be more expensive, which is probably one of the biggest factors when people make a decision on this kind of thing.
If you are looking for optimal protection for your carnivorous plants during dormancy, a cold frame will likely be your best option. Even though they are a bit more expensive, it will be worth it when you see your venus flytrap or sarracenia growing strong come spring time!
Why Choose A Portable Mini Greenhouse
If you are in an area where the temperature rarely drops below freezing, a mini greenhouse may be the best option for you. Mini greenhouses do a great job keeping your plants out of the elements but won’t dramatically increase the temperature from outside.
They may be suitable if you do a great job of overwintering your carnivorous plants but probably isn’t the best option for a lot of sub freezing temperatures. They are extremely light weight and very easy to put together. They can also be used year round as a small greenhouse for seedlings or increasing humidity on other carnivorous plants like nepenthes.
Most importantly, they are extremely affordable. If this is all you can afford it’s a lot better option than not having any protection for your plants during winter dormancy. There are some benefits to using a portable greenhouse for dormancy but one of the main reasons to avoid them is if you have really cold temperatures or a lot of wind.
They are often made of cheaper materials and have a hard time staying together when in strong wind. It’s important for you to know what your area is like during winter. If you often have temperatures dropping below 20 and lots of wind, a cold frame is probably a better option.
If your winters are fairly mild with less wind storms, then the mini greenhouse should serve its purpose!
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Final Thoughts
In order to make the best decision for your carnivorous plants during dormancy you should have a pretty good idea of what your facing during winter time. In every instance having a mini greenhouse or cold frame will give better protection to your carnivorous plant during winter than nothing.
For optimal protection I strongly suggest spending the money and getting a portable cold frame. This will last you years and years and make sure your carnivorous plants stay safe during colder temperatures and winter wind storms. If you just can’t spend that much money, then a mini greenhouse is considerably better than nothing and will give your plant a much better shot at surviving winter dormancy.
I hope this was helpful, please make sure you check out my YouTube channel, you can watch one of my unboxing videos below!
Also, if you are interested in carnivorous plant conservations, check out the International Carnivorous Plant Society!
https://youtu.be/kKs0Y0Qak6w
