Backyard Discovery 12×7 Zalie Greenhouse Review: A Hands-On Test

If you’re the type to start planning your summer vegetable garden in the middle of January, or if you’ve finally run out of space in the living room for your forest of tropical houseplants, it may be time to expand your growing space with an outdoor greenhouse kit. The Backyard Discovery 12×7 Zalie Greenhouse is a highly functional, well-designed permanent structure that offers a temperate environment for your plant babies to thrive all year, regardless of your planting zone. 

To test the assembly process, effectiveness, and design of the Zaile greenhouse, I set one up in my backyard in southern Vermont, an area with a short but glorious growing season. I set out to see how well this structure could foster new seedlings in the spring before I transferred them to my summer vegetable garden. 

Though setting up the greenhouse took longer than expected, once erected, it was sturdy, easy to use, and helped extend my gardening season significantly. Anyone who doesn’t mind investing money and time upfront for years of early produce and lush houseplants will love this backyard greenhouse. 

Backyard Discovery 12×7 Zalie Greenhouse: At a Glance

Rating: 4/5

Specs

• Dimensions: 94.1 inches high by 137.8 inches wide by 86.22 inches deep
• Weight: 877.44 pounds
• Interior space: 86 square feet

What We Like

• Includes passive and forced ventilation with a built-in fan
• Polycarbonate windows and ceiling insulate well for year-round use
• Includes concrete and ground anchors for stability

What We Don’t Like

• Lengthy setup process
• Can get too hot in certain climates for delicate plants

Get the Backyard Discovery greenhouse at Backyard Discover for $2,999.

What is the Backyard Discovery Zalie Greenhouse?

The Zalie greenhouse from Backyard Discovery is a ready-to-assemble greenhouse that buyers can set up in their backyards to grow flowers, fruits, and vegetables all year long. It has 86 square feet of interior growing space and 23 feet of foldable shelving for growing buds or storing gardening supplies. 

The structure arrives in several large boxes with assembly instructions and the anchors you need to secure the greenhouse to concrete or the ground, so you can be confident that it will stay in place during any weather. 

Depending on where you live, the greenhouse can significantly increase your growing season by offering a warm, sunny climate for budding seedlings to thrive, even while snow falls outside. If things get really chilly where you live, consider adding a greenhouse heater for extra warmth. 

For airflow when it’s hot inside and out, the Zalie greenhouse has vents and two easy-open windows that allow for passive ventilation, as well as a temperature-activated exhaust fan. During colder months, the product’s commercial-grade polycarbonate windows and ceiling offer insulation against falling temperatures, and the cedar wood frame and base protect against wind and rain. If you have the space and a little time to set it up, the Zaile greenhouse offers a smart season extender to dedicated gardeners.

How easy is it to set up the Backyard Discovery greenhouse?

According to the instruction booklet from Backyard Discovery, the Zalie greenhouse should take two people 7 hours to assemble. Unfortunately, I (and several other reviewers) did not have that experience. It took two to three of us (including one MIT-trained architect and one amateur woodworker) a total of 40 man-hours (about 20 hours apiece) to get this greenhouse assembled—and that was before tethering it down with the anchors. 

The product comes disassembled in several large, heavy boxes. It’s important to be home when the shipment arrives so you can instruct the delivery person where to unload. Helpfully, Backyard Discovery sends regular reminders about your delivery date. After assembly, you can expect quite a pile of recyclables to deal with. 

All that aside, the instruction manual and accompanying videos for assembly are helpful and easy to follow. The pieces are clearly labeled, and Backyard Discovery even has an accompanying app with interactive step-by-step instructions that walk you through the process. In short, you don’t need to be a master carpenter, but you do need more than 7 hours to put this greenhouse together. Once it’s up, though, it’s sturdy and ready to be used. 

Is the greenhouse well designed?

The Zaile Greenhouse has a simple, minimalist design that blends into most backyard landscapes. With a light cedar wood frame and clear paneled windows, the structure doesn’t call attention to itself. 

Internally, the design is smart and functional. The walls of the greenhouse are lined with strong cedar shelves that fold downward and out of the way when not in use, then click into place when you need to arrange your planters or organize your gardening tools. An interior and exterior hose hookup make watering seamless, and the built-in vents and windows allow for regular airflow. That said, on a hot summer day in Vermont, the temperature rose so high that lettuce seedlings could not survive, so if you’re working with delicate plants, be sure to keep an eye on the internal temperature and move things outside when necessary. 

During chillier times of the year, the thick polycarbonate windows and roof trap solar gain and provide enough insulation to keep plants cozy and warm. 

Is the Zaile greenhouse good quality?

Once it’s set up and properly anchored to the ground, this greenhouse is sturdy and durable. It’s made from high-quality polycarbonate and heavy-duty cedar wood that can withstand inclement weather without warping, rotting, or coming apart. Inside, the shelving is well placed and highly functional. 

The shelves offer 23 feet of standing room and can easily hold planters and gardening equipment. Plus, they helpfully fold out of the way when you want more space in the center of the greenhouse for larger plants—or, as some reviewers do, for a lawn chair to enjoy your morning coffee. 

Is the greenhouse worth the money?

There’s no beating around the bush (pun intended): The Zalie greenhouse is an investment at $2,999. That said, its durable construction, practicality, and 5-year limited warranty make it a good value for serious gardeners, especially for those who live in less temperate parts of the country. 

We had to bring in gravel as a base for the greenhouse, which was an additional setup cost. It also requires level ground, so you may need the help of an excavator depending on the topography of your backyard. 

As far as maintenance costs, the greenhouse isn’t too expensive to keep in good shape. The wood comes coated in water-based stain, but it’s a good idea to maintain this with an annual coating of water-repellent or wood stain to protect against weathering (some weathering will happen regardless). It’s worth noting that the five-year limited warranty is contingent upon users applying a sealant to the wood. 

In my experience with the greenhouse, the biggest downside is the time and work it takes to assemble. But once that step is out of the way, it’s a low-maintenance, durable addition to your backyard that opens up a world of year-round gardening that anyone exercising their green thumb will appreciate. 

Is the Zalie greenhouse right for you?

If you’re an avid gardener living in a part of the country without a year-round growing season, or you want to grow hotter-weather plants than your planting zone allows, this greenhouse is a great way to expand your gardening repertoire. Yes, setup is a hurdle, but it’s more about putting in the time than anything else, as the assembly instructions are helpful and clear. But once the shed is secured to the ground and ready to use, it opens up a world of new growing opportunities right in your backyard. 

This Backyard Discovery greenhouse is made from durable, high-quality wood and polycarbonate that can withstand winters in the Midwest and Northeast as well as stormy autumns and springs in the Southeast. It has several handy design features that make the greenhouse highly practical, effective, and easy for gardeners of all skill levels to use. Most notably, the foldaway shelves offer plenty of room for planters and supplies. The hose attachment is convenient for irrigation, and the windows and temperature-activated fan are essential for ventilation and temperature regulation inside. 

This greenhouse is spacious enough to grow dozens of plants, including vegetables, flowers, and even fruit. It effectively traps heat from the sun through its transparent sloped roof and maintains a comfortable internal temperature for plants to thrive. If you live in an especially hot climate or during the summer in certain parts of the country, things might get too hot for more delicate plants to survive. However, every garden lover will appreciate how this backyard addition opens up longer growing seasons in the fall, spring, and winter.

Get the Backyard Discovery greenhouse at Backyard Discover for $2,999.

Meet the Tester

Lizzy Briskin is a contributor to Bob Vila focusing on kitchen and home products. She’s a trained chef and the former food editor at Real Simple and Food Network Magazines. She shares duties with her mom tending to (and harvesting) an extensive vegetable garden in Southern Vermont, where she tested this greenhouse, from unboxing to sprouting the first lettuces from seed in March. She takes a detailed approach to product testing, including researching product reviews, and taking extensive notes and photos along the way.