Any one tried a Victorian hot bed.

[Jimmy]

Well that's hot in the temperature sense, although ..... no I shouldn't go into that!

Where you dig a big hole and fill it with fresh raw muck. Pile soil on top.
Top off with a cold frame and try growing early veg.
The raw manure should heat up the soil.
Jimmy

[Llamas]

I wanted to give one of these a go last spring. Will hopefully have more time soon to try! Are these just meant for spring/autumn use or could this be a mini greenhouse in winter?

[DaveJ]

Harry Dodson did a kitchen garden TV series many years ago on BBC and part of the programme explained the Victorian hot beds system and how to recreate it. The series is still available on dvd on believe.

[Jimmy]

I wanted to give one of these a go last spring. Will hopefully have more time soon to try! Are these just meant for spring/autumn use or could this be a mini greenhouse in winter?

I think think they are just meant to extend the growing season at each end as I suspect the Raw muck would soon rot and stop producing heat.

But I guess you could keep making new ones through the winter if you had unlimited supplies of fresh manure.

But don't forget, plants also need light and in winter the days are short.

It's not really the thing a normal gardener can try as you need plenty of space and mountains of fresh muck.

Any one with these credentials going to give it a go ?

Jimmy

[Two_Sheds]

I just caught up with Gardeners' World, and thought this was brilliant:

BBC Two - Gardeners' World, 2012/2013, Episode 7, How to build a hotbed

(Jack First's Yorkshire hot beds)

[wildside]

i still have the kitchen garden on my tivo box i watched a rerun a few months ago it was brill and i have just watched joe swift on the gardeners world clip pure excellent

[Peas'n'Kews]

I will be very interested in this thread as a Hotbed is something I really want to try when we finally get moved and I have the space! Meanwhile, off to watch the Gardeners' World link, thanks 2Sheds!

[Kleftiwallah]

I think the initial problem of aquiring a gurt load of fresh horse muck at the same time might stump you.

Cheers, Tony.

[Kaiya]

I tried to make a blowaway heater - black box of horse muck (lots of wood shavings) and grass clippings. Didn't really generate any heat - I think you need a lot of it.

[Two_Sheds]

I think the initial problem of aquiring a gurt load of fresh horse muck at the same time might stump you.

Riding stables: LOADS of muck

[alldigging]

I tried to make a blowaway heater - black box of horse muck (lots of wood shavings) and grass clippings. Didn't really generate any heat - I think you need a lot of it.

Our grass clippings pile got to over 51'C before we stopped measuring it ... suspect it went a good bit hotter than that.

[Peas'n'Kews]

WHEN we finally get moved, I already have a "poo friend" who has 3 horses and a huge, mature heap of the steaming black stuff.

Can't wait! Just need to get sold up......

[Farmer_Gyles]

I just caught up with Gardeners' World, and thought this was brilliant:

BBC Two - Gardeners' World, 2012/2013, Episode 7, How to build a hotbed

(Jack First's Yorkshire hot beds)

that's the only thing i've found interesting on gardeners world this series .... would love to give it a go sometime ....

[MyLifeWithAndrew]

I live on a horse farm.
If I plan it correctly...next year: a mixture of square foot gardening with the use of hotbeds.
Jimmy, thanks for the idea.
TwoSheds, thanks for the vid.

[CimaDirapa]

Everytime I got horse manure from farms around here (there are so many) it is looking brilliant and the piles are smoking hot, somehow by mid season my plot and beds are full of weeds not broken by the heat in the manure hip (despite heavy mulching).

Three years ago I started to use the stuff from our recycling tip (compost made of garden waste at £1.25 for 50kg) plus the droppings from our three chooks and voila! hardly any weeds.

I think horse digesting system is not as capable in destroying common weeds but at the tip there is a big thermometer at the top of the pile and it is constantly showing 71c.