Preparaing a hotbed

[garrilla]

I'm starting to think about the preparation of a hotbed in my polytunnel on the plot.

The bed will be 8'x4'x4' made with pallets. And reducible to 2' high when the material has settled.

I don't want commission the hotbed until January - the aim being to give me an early start on seedlings from mid-Feb.

I've done a lot of research so far, but there is one piece of information I'm lacking: that is storing the manure until it goes into the hotbed. Every piece of advice about building a hotbed so far, seems to assume that the manure is fresh and available at build time.

Although I have a good supply of fresh manure (bedding removed) and solied bedding, I will still need to hoard some in advance so I'm concerned that I don't store it in a way that will start the decomposition process. So, how best to store manure that I'm getting every 2/3 weeks (600 litres) so it can be used in the hotbed?

Any advice welcome.

[alldigging]

It'll start the process however you store it. A low open stack will probably not degrade as much, but really fresh stuff is needed to get that blast of heat/
You could try watering it as you stack it for the hotbed with something very nitrogen rich to get it going again.

[garrilla]

It'll start the process however you store it. A low open stack will probably not degrade as much, but really fresh stuff is needed to get that blast of heat/
You could try watering it as you stack it for the hotbed with something very nitrogen rich to get it going again.

thanks for you reply

Yes, a low stack had occurred to me. Much of the compositing advice says the the pile needs to be washing maching sized to kick off the process. So maybe a low spread pile, tarped could be ok.

I hadn't thought about wetting with something nitrogen-rich, I 've got a barrel of decomposing comfrey liquor, I guess I could add a bit of that and possible some addition of urea (from humans or a bag)

[Guest]

Most of the hotbed stuff I have read says when it comes to building use manure, straw and urine and the process takes at least 3 weeks to get the temperature stable. As you are making it in a poly I wouldn't have thought you would need quite so hot anyway so some heat loss from storing pure poo previous to building wouldn't be so much of an issue. I may be wrong but in my mind anyway

Hi and welcome to the vine

[alldigging]

The homemade urea is what you need. Cheap and easy to get!

[garrilla]

The homemade urea is what you need. Cheap and easy to get!

although quantity may be a problem

[Guest]

^^^milk bottle by the toilet, tell visitors - no problem and you save by reducing flushes of your toilet

[clod]

I find keeping up my fluid intake helps with this too - cheers!

[Bonsai Si]

although quantity may be a problem

Couple of bottles of vino or a few 6 packs of lager and you're good to go, literally!