How to build a tomato house yourself

• Pond liner: 1 x 2500 mm x 1500 mm, rubber or plasticizer-free pond liner  
• Vinyl hose (PVD hose), 10 mm diameter, 1 m length 
• 4 swivel castors, 50 mm diameter, 2 with brake, 2 without brake 
• Silicone 
• Screws: 12 x 120 mm; 12 x 100 mm; 82 x 50 mm; 16 x 20 mm; 36 x 15 mm round head 
• Posts and roof: 4 x 1680 mm x 57 mm x 57 mm; 4 x 1464 mm x 57 mm x 57 mm; 4 x 564 mm x 57 mm x 57 mm; 4 x 400 mm x 57 mm x 57 mm (45° angle); 4 x 340 mm x 57 mm x 57 mm (45° angle) 
• Box: 8 x 1500 mm x 100 mm x 18 mm (long side); 8 x 564 mm x 100 mm x 18 mm (short side) 
• Plexiglas panes: 1 x 1464 mm x 1355 mm x 2 mm (rear panel); 2 x 1464 mm x 450 mm x 2 mm (roof) 
• Chipboard for the floor: 1464 mm x 564 mm x 18 mm 

• Cordless chainsaw, e.g. STIHL MSA 70 
• Cordless garden pruner, e.g. STIHL GTA 26 + oil  
• AS 2 battery
• AK 30 battery
• AL 1 standard charger
• Cordless sander
• Cordless screwdriver with matching bits for the screws
• Cordless drill for wood
• Hole saw, 12 mm diameter
• Skewer or screwdriver
• Staple tool/tacker
• Workbench
• Rectangular ruler
• Pencil
• Tape measure
• Paint brush
• Cloth
• Silicone
• Wood oil
• Ladder
• Secateurs

Working with high-performance power tools is fun and allows you to broaden your skills, which is great if you can rely on effective and safe protective clothing.

Always wear your personal protective equipment when working with STIHL power tools. Find out more in the operating instructions for your product. Before using your power tool for the first time, fully familiarise yourself with it and ensure that it is in flawless condition before each use.

On request, your STIHL dealer will be happy to prepare your power tool for its first job, and will also advise you on models and sizes of protective clothing that you can try on at your leisure. Please remember that personal protective equipment is no substitute for safe working.

Measure your wooden parts and mark the desired lengths. Now saw them to size with a garden pruner (e.g. STIHL GTA 26 ).

Draw a 45° angle on your wooden posts using a set square and saw off the posts at an angle along the marking.

Now it’s time to sand down the wooden parts to build your own tomato house. All the wooden parts should be carefully sanded both on the smooth sides and on the edges.

Oil your wooden parts with an environmentally-friendly oil and let them dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions – usually for at least 24 hours.

Align the wooden parts to start the roof construction for your DIY tomato house. First, screw the 5 slats for the lower roof construction (3 x long, 2 x short) using the cordless drill to build your own tomato house.

Build two brackets for the upper roof structure from a total of four short parts. Screw these two brackets onto the long piece of wood to build your own tomato house.

Use 2 long slats and 4 short boards to assemble the two sides for your tomato house.

Set up the side parts and place the long slat on its edge. Gradually, you can now screw all the long slats together so that they join to form the side walls for your DIY tomato house.

Your DIY tomato house still needs a roof. Place the lower roof structure from step 1 on your greenhouse using a ladder and screw it tight.

Now also place the upper roof construction from step 2 on your greenhouse and screw it tight.

Set the tomato house down and screw on the bottom – your tomato greenhouse now has a stable foundation.

Now screw the swivel castors onto the tomato house floor so that you can easily push it into a suitable place later.

For drainage, drill 1 cm holes in the floor boards of your tomato house.

Now insert the pond liner and staple it in place.

Drill holes in the pond liner wherever there are holes in the floor. Insert vinyl pipe sections at the back and insert the pipe sections from the inside through the box to the bottom so that they fit through the holes in the liner. This means that water can drain easily from your DIY tomato house later.

Now attach the plexiglass panes to the roof and to the back of your DIY tomato house. Clear silicone can be used for sealing.

You can make the most of your tomato house by letting the tomato plants grow in a protected manner at the optimum temperature. To do this, you should place the tomato house in a semi-shaded, wind-protected place and secure it – for example, by adjusting the brakes for the castors correctly.

It should be possible to open the tomato house so that it can be well ventilated, especially in summer. The moisture resulting from evaporation must not accumulate.

It is best to use an UV-resistant pond liner so that the plants under the DIY tomato roof are protected against moisture and cold.

A semi-shaded space around the house is a good place for a DIY tomato house. Although tomatoes enjoy light and warm conditions, it shouldn't get too hot under the tomato roof.

Plexiglass is very well suited for a DIY tomato house roof. The roof should always be transparent so that the tomatoes get enough sun.

A tomato house – to build yourself or to buy – should be around 2.00 to 2.20 metres high, as tomatoes are tall plants and the shrubs need sufficient space.