What to do with compost bed in greenhouse

[Eden]

Hi there,
I have a raised brick bed in my greenhouse filled with compost to grow my tomatoes. The trouble is this year all my tomatoes, one by one just went floppy. I think it was maybe too wet and not sunny enough for them, but the compost is now 2 years old and I think I should get it out, give it a good clean and start a fresh. The thing is what should I do with all that compost I take out, will it be ok to throw over my raised beds outside?
Many thanks
Eden

[Jeanied]

Yep - you got it - turf it all out onto the beds: then refill with strawy manure topped off with soil and create a hotbed in the greenhouse for an early crop of salads!

[Eden]

Smashing - thanks!! Know what I'll be doing tomorrow

[rustylady]

Please make sure you've got adequate drainage for beds and pots in greenhouse. Used compost is fine for topping up beds and borders.

[Scottishnewbie]

Yep - you got it - turf it all out onto the beds: then refill with strawy manure topped off with soil and create a hotbed in the greenhouse for an early crop of salads!

does it need to be well rotted for this or will fresh stuff do just as well?

[Jeanied]

For a hotbed you need fresh! It is the process of maturing that gives off the heat - it has to be strawy as well - I haven't found woodshavings to heat up as much. So you need 2/3 strawy horse manure (if you can get cow even better but you will need to mix in the straw) and 1/3 soil on top. Even hotter with a cloche perched on top.

[Scottishnewbie]

oh wow! i have 4 horses so never a shortage of fresh manure here! I'm going to be busy this week then! thanks.

and then by next summer can i plant stuff like tomatoes and cukes in it?

[Scottishnewbie]

so my hotbed is in (and very smelly i have to report); i've firmed it down and put soil back on top...what do i do now? do i plant directly into it or just put pots on the top?

ta

[Jeanied]

You've got a choice. You can either shove a pot into the top layer - (this was used for forcing strawberries in the hotbed in the Victorian kitchen garden they seemed to have straw packed around the pots too) or planting straight into the soil on top - used for lettuce not sure where. (I warn you I'm good at the theory and not necessarily the practice!) It is a good idea to plunge a cane into the heap - a bit like a skewer into the cake when baking - just to test if it is warm in the middle- keep the cane there and keep testing it for warmth. You may need a cloche as well to keep all the heat in so that may help you decide how /what you plant!

[Scottishnewbie]

Found this link on google, it's really easy to follow and makes great sense. if it works in Sweden then it'll surely work in the UK!

The hotbed, construction and management

[Jeanied]

Great link Scottishnewbie - I wonder what the local equivalent to their insulating breeze blocks would be?

[Glutton4...]

Jeanie, you can buy Leca blocks here - my Dad's workshop is made of them. Fortunately my Dad also has a redundant stack of bricks - guess where they're going?

I just read that whole page re the Hotbed - it's fantastic, yet so simple. Shame my horse is on shavings. I always bag my stable manure, this year I'll have to buy a bale of straw to mix with it. Just got to decide where to build it now!

[Scottishnewbie]

hey glutton - brilliant! doesnt it look easy? i was lying awake in bed last night trying to figure out where i should build one!! how sad is that?!

[Jeanied]

Snap SN! I ended up putting it (mentally, of course) next to the pizza oven I want to build outside my kitchen window. Only trouble is I'll have to move house first to get the room!

[Scottishnewbie]

I can never decide if we are just a bunch of saddo's or a bunch of brilliantly creative people trying to make the world a better place! Depends on how I'm feeling that particular day!

A pizza oven eh??????? Maybe I'll have space for it beside my new hotbed!!!!!!!!

*she whistles as she goes off to plan what plants she can chuck to make way for new pizza oven and hotbed.........