Get Started Creating Your Backyard Oasis With Costco's Ready-To-Go Greenhouse

For some people, the perfect backyard oasis is a gorgeous DIY patio where they can sit and relax on evenings and weekends. For others, it's a quiet corner where they can tend to their plants. If you're one of the latter, you'll probably know that there are many advantages to growing plants in a greenhouse. When it's time to add one to your plot, the Yardistry model from Costco could be the ideal solution worth buying.

The greenhouse measures approximately 8 feet long by 7 feet wide by 8 feet tall, and its 6-foot-high sidewalls are half glazed, with the bottom 32 inches in tongue-and-groove cedar wood. The same cedar is also used for the frame. The wood is FSC certified, so you know it comes from sustainable sources. Cedar is an excellent material choice for a greenhouse, because it's naturally resistant to rot and insect attacks. Even if left untreated, it could have a life expectancy of 20 years or more (although Yardistry does recommend an annual coating of water-based sealant). Meanwhile, the glazed portions comprise double-walled polycarbonate. This type of glazing has two advantages over glass: It's much less prone to damage, and it's better at regulating temperature. Hardware is steel; it appears to have a coating to reduce rust, but the details aren't given.

It's nice to have all the components in a single package when building a backyard greenhouse, and Yardistry has you covered in this regard. All hardware is included, and most DIYers will already have the required tools. In fact, the Yardistry greenhouse provides just about everything you need but the compost, including some truly functional additions. For example, running down one side and across the back are 16-inch-deep lower shelves and 8-inch-deep upper shelves. The door has an automatic closer with a quick-hold latch for when you want to keep it open. There's a louvered vent in the back wall so you can regulate humidity; what's more, there's a heat-sensitive spring window opener that automatically operates the roof vent to maintain the ideal climate inside. 

So, what about potential downsides? In terms of construction and equipment, this greenhouse is hard to beat. Feedback from customers is almost entirely positive. However, this greenhouse will need some kind of a firm base, and you will need to put it together. Yardistry estimates it will take two people 10 to 12 hours to assemble the unit, but that might be a little optimistic. According to one customer, it takes two full days, which seems like a more practical timeframe.