hot beds: how to grow early crops using an age-old technique
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HOT BEDS
JACK FIRST
How to growearly crops
using an
age-oldtecHnique
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Chapter 1
ho bds noing nwThe problem of growing crops early in the British Isles and
other temperate zones was pondered and answered at least two
thousand years ago. If you have ever looked at a stack of stable
manure on a cold day, you will have noticed that steam is visible.Clearly there must be a heat source, and this is a fact that was
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not missed by the Romans. The gardeners of Tiberius (42bc–ad37)
had a problem, as their emperor demanded salads out of season. They
built beds of stable manure and placed frames upon them. Soil was put
inside, and the frames covered with thin sheets of ‘talc’ (translucent
sheets that let light through). The manure warmed not only the soil but
also the air in which the crops grew.
Chapter 1 Hot beds are nothing new 11
A hot bed is a warmed, protected environment,
created by heat generated from decomposing organic
matter, used for producing early crops.
In fact, hot beds of some form were probably in use before the Roman
era, as animals were domesticated thousands of years prior to this
period. Humans lived in close proximity to their animals, often directly
above them in the same building, where they benetted from the
warmth of the stock. Seeds in horse feed readily pass into the dung,
and hay containing seeds is often mixed with the litter of other penned
animals. This litter, probably also containing food scraps thrown downfrom the household above, would have been taken from a pen or stable
and stacked outside, much in the same way as is practised today. Our
ancestors would have beheld the bewildering sight of germinated
seeds growing on the fermenting stack when all around was covered
in snow or ice. Perhaps, in the pre-historical era, this revelation led to
the rst hot beds. In those harsh times the ability to grow early crops
would have considerably improved survival rates.
Down the years many nations have understood and adopted this
principle. Up until the First World War Parisian market gardeners
were masters of this art, supplying not only their home market with
early crops but that of Covent Garden too. One of the French methods,
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16 Hot Beds
or more. It gradually cools over a period of several weeks or even a few
months. The higher the stack, the longer the heat will last.
We also know that these microorganisms require air and moisture, andthat a shortage of either will reduce or even prevent decomposition.
Too much water will not only cool the manure but also drive out the air
that these microbes need. Given the right conditions, a hot bed will pro-
duce heat over a long period. More importantly, although the tempera-
ture slowly declines, heat is released both day and night. As the
microbes’ food supply is exhausted, the heat gradually fades. At this
point earthworms enter the manure and not only aerate it but also
increase its fertility by way of their casts.
Armed with this information, our aims when making use of hot beds
are as follows:
l To manage the manure in such a way as to create ‘bottom heat’ in
the bed.
l To manage that heat over as long a period as possible.
l To use it when it is most needed, and that is from January to April,
while light levels are increasing.
The main principle to remember is this: the hot bed’s decline in tem-
perature must coincide with the longer days of mid- to late March. By
this time the worst of the weather should have passed and longer,
warmer days and shorter nights are compensating for the loss of heat
in the manure.
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CHAPTER 2 How hot beds work 17
Hot bed basics
The growing frame sits on the manure, part-lled with soil or compost,with a cover of glass or polythene. The frame is usually made of wood
with a thickness of at least 2.5cm (1"), which helps to retain the heat
and keeps out frost. The cover, known as the ‘light’, ‘or ‘lights’ if more
than one, also retains heat and keeps out rain and snow. The growing
medium – the soil or compost – inside the frame is thus kept warm,
moist and not saturated, and the air within the frame is also warmed
by the constant heat rising from below. Ventilation is provided by raising
or removing the light.
In essence:
l The stable litter or other organic material used in the hot bed drains
well, so the growing medium above it also drains well.
Side view of hot bed with growing frame and light. The outer frame shouldbe at least 180cm × 180cm (6' × 6'); the growing frame at least 120cm ×
90cm (4' × 3').
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76 Hot Beds
January
l Turn the old hot bed again or purchase compost in readiness for
frames.
l If you are making large hot beds, continue to purchase or collect
manure untilthemiddle ofthemonth. Ifmakingsmallhot beds,
collectorpurchasealoadofmanureattheendofthismonth.(Large
hotbedstakelongertobuildsoyouneedtoallowmoretime!)
l Makeupthehotbeds,largeorsmall,inthelastweekofJanuary,
withtheaimofsowinginthelastfewdaysofthismonth. Makesure
youallowadequateheightofhotbed,asitwillneedtoprovideheat
forseveralmonths.
l Forasmallhotbed,sowacombinationofcarrots,spinach,radishand rocket or salad leaves, or, if lettuces have been grown from
October,planttheseoutandomittherocketorsaladleaves.
l Ifyouhavealargehotbedwithmultipleframes,includetheabove-
mentioned crops and also sow or plant potatoes,beetroots,onion
sets,lettuces,turnipsandspringonions.
l Ifyouareplanningahotbedwithalternativematerials,waituntil
nextmonthbeforemakingit.
February
l IfanyoftheJanuarytaskshavenotbeencompleted,thendothem
earlyinthemonth.Germinationwillbefast–givemoreairwhennec-
essaryandonfavourabledaysremovethelightsforshortperiods.
l Februaryisoftenthecoldestmonth,sokeepbubblewrapclosebyto
insulatewithifnecessary.
l Keepaneyeonwatering,assomecropswillbegrowingawayatthe
endofthemonth.l Sowearlyleeksonavacantbed.
l Ifyouaremakingahotbedwithalternativematerials,itcanbedone
attheendofthismonth.
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CHAPTER 6 Planning and sowing 77
March
l MakealternativehotbedsinearlyMarchifyouhaven’talreadydone
so,andsowupasforaJanuaryorFebruarysowing.l Plantpotatoesinpotsifyouwish,forplantingoutinApril.
l Previouslysowncropswillrequiremoreairnow;therewillbemore
favourabledaystoremovethelights,buttheymustbereturnedat
night.
l Morewaterisrequired,soallowraintoenterthehotbed.Ensurethat
thelightsareclosedagainatnightandprotectiongiveniffrostis
forecast.
l Earlyinthemonthstartharvestingradishes,rocketandsaladleaves.
LettucesplantedinlateJanuarytoearlyFebruarywillbereadylate
inthemonth,aswillturnipsandoccasionallypotatoes.Bewaryof
frosts,particularlywithpotatoes.
l When gaps appear, sow more radishes, rocket, salad leaves and
spinach.
Late March:rocket has beenharvested,
making room forcarrots and othercrops. Leeks are tobe planted later,between carrots.
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“Jackisafountainofknowledgeandtheexpertonhotbeds.WhenIvisited
hisallotmentandsawhowadvancedandhealthyhiscropswere,itproved
tomethattheseancientoldsystemsstillworkatreatandarejustas
relevantnow–ifnotmoreso–thantheyeverwere.”
Joe Swift, garden designer and TV presenter
£9.95
Distributed in the USA by Chelsea Green www.greenbooks.co.uk
Printed in the UK on paper
sourced from responsibly
managed forests, using
vegetable inks
Hot beds are nothing new: they were used by the Victorians and by theRomans. By reviving and modernising this ancient vegetable-growing
method, Jack First produces healthy plants that crop at least two monthsearlier than conventionally grown vegetables, even in his native Yorkshire.
This practical, illustrated guide has everything you need to understand howto use this highly productive, low-cost, year-round, eco-friendly gardeningtechnique. Straightforward explanations and diagrams show how thenatural process of decay can be harnessed to enable out-of-season growingwithout using energy from fossil fuels or elaborate equipment.
With just stable manure (or alternatives), a simple frame and a small space,
you can be harvesting salads in March and potatoes in early April.
Jack First is an experienced horticulturalist who haspioneered, developed and fully tested the hot bedmethods described in this book. He works with volunteerson a large plot in Keighley and is the sole supplier to his
local food cooperative of out-of-season greens, new potatoesand salads.
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