Researchers in Trent Northen’s groups in Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology (EGSB) and Metabolomics Technology at the DOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI) have published detailed video protocols for creating fabricated ecosystems, or EcoFABs, in the Journal of Visualized Experiments (JOVE). These laboratory-scale controlled habitats, constructed using widely available 3D printing technologies, enable mechanistic studies of plant-microbe interactions within specific environmental conditions. The published protocols serve as a starting point for other researchers, ideally helping to create standardized experimental systems for investigating plant-microbe interactions. The video component of this article can be found here.