An inventive method of providing heat for tender plants, without the necessity for any elaborate electric heating cables, is to make a 'hotbed', that uses fresh horse manure to heat plant roots' As the manure rots down it gives off warmth which is then trapped with the overhead frame. In the 19th century, few big gardens would have been without a hotbed, which enabled the gardener to cultivate exotic fruit and vegetables which would otherwise not have survived one winter, let alone provided a crop. To make your own hotbed: Dig out a shallow pit in your ground then heap a large amount of fresh manure into it and leave it for approximately five days to permit heat to build up. You may have to turn the pile and sprinkle it with water if the weather is hot - if it dries out, the decomposition will slow down. The pile shouldn't be too small or it won't ever have the capacity to build up adequate heat - four wheel-barrow loads ought to be adequate to create a good-sized pile. After about five days, when it should be really hot, flatten it as much as possible and cover it with a layer of loam to a minimum depth of 7.5cm.This will ensure an even and regular rate of decay, and corresponding heat output
Place a frame over the soil topped manure to preserve the warmth. The frame must have a lid which can be opened if the temperature rises too high. Plants can be grown in the loam, while seeds should be sown in trays and placed on top.
Raised beds can act like a hot bed as they warm up in the spring. Raised beds can be any height or length but need to be suitably narrow so the crops can be easily reached and tended to without the need to walk over the soil. This means there isn't any danger of compaction and the ground structure will not be damaged. Similarly as there is no need to leave room for access between rows, your crops can be planted closer than usual, increasing yield whilst reducing weed growth. Beds 1.3m in width are ideal. To be successful the beds have to be constructed correctly. Edging should be tough enough to hold back the weight of your earth in your beds, and the height needs to allow for an increase in the level of the soil as you add mulch and compost every year. Among the simplest of edging constructions are lengths of plank held in place by timber pegs hammered into the ground, or else you can construct longer lasting beds with bricks and mortar. To raise the ground level, firstly skim the topsoil from the adjacent paths and place it on the beds, after that work sizeable amounts of organic material into the soil - about 6kg per square metre will really loosen up the structure. lf the beds are prepared correctly they should need little more than light hoeing and a smattering of fertilizer for a number of years.
Author Resource:-
The author been a automotive engineer for many years but his main interest is gardening. He has for a number of years combined his love of gardening with his design and engineering skills to start 'The Lichfield Planter Company' designing and manufacturing garden products. His whole family who also share a love of gardening are now involved in the business in one capacity or another.
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