Build a hotbed - grow record early

Grow your own

Are you tired of the winter and want to get an early start on your spring planting? Build a hotbed - a fantastic solution that not only saves space, but also makes the plants compact and durable.

A hotbed is a warm growing place, just like the name suggests. The warmth is created when materials from the stable, such as unburned horse manure and straw, are broken down by microorganisms. These tiny organisms, which cannot be seen with the naked eye, actually work so frantically that the heat generated at the beginning becomes too much for newly planted seedlings. But by adding a 10 cm thick layer of soil on top, in which you sow, the fresh plants avoid the worst heat. And as the roots of the plants grow down towards the heat, the bed calms down and reaches just the right temperature needed.

The frame of the hot bed

A warmbed consists of a frame filled with fresh material from the stable and topped with soil. It is then covered with a transparent cover, such as an old window. The frame can be built with whatever you have at hand. If you want to build the frame with plant boxes, you can use wood in height. Insulating materials help retain heat and make the warmbed extra efficient. Therefore, making the frame out of straw bales or insulating plant boxes or wooden frames with insulation plants is an advantage.

Here's how to build a cold frame

Choose a sunny spot in a sheltered place, preferably where you want to create a flower bed or grow crops next year. Build a frame out of planks, planters, or insulating straw bales. The bigger the bench, the better heat development. The frame can be built in the fall so that it's ready, but it's also fine to make it early in the spring before planting.

Before planting, fill the frame with fresh stable manure and fresh stable material, such as horse manure and straw. You will need large quantities as the material quickly settles.Tamp down the material in layers, and then water with warm water – a couple of buckets per square meter. If the bench is too dry, proper combustion won't start. Leave about 15 cm up to the cover (plastic or window) so you have space for soil once the bed has stabilized.In the beginning, the bed can get very hot, up to 60 degrees. Wait to add soil until the temperature has dropped and stabilized between 20 and 30 degrees. Then add 10 cm of soil on top. The material will continue to sink, creating space for plants to grow and develop.Cover with a lid, such as an old window or plastic sheet.The hotbed is ready, so start sowing and planting!

This is how you ensure even temperature in the hot table

Sometimes it can get too hot and humid in the hotbed, and the bench needs to be aired out. If the temperature outside suddenly drops, it can get too cold - in that case, you can protect the bench by placing an old blanket, bubble wrap, insulation boards, or whatever you have on hand. Feel free to shade the completely fresh plants in the first few days, as the sun can easily become too strong when shining through the glass or plastic on top.

What can you grow in a hotbed?

Seedlings, leafy greens, spring onions, and early root vegetables are often easy to start with. If you have pre-grown seedlings, you will see results extra quickly. Also read 5 tips for successful pre-cultivation. Feel free to mix vegetables that grow above ground with vegetables that grow below ground, as this will make good use of the space in the bench. It could, for example, be arugula, Swiss chard, spinach, lettuce, dill, and shoots of sugar peas mixed with carrots, turnips, and radishes. After harvesting the first batch in spring, you can sow things that require more heat, such as basil. In autumn, you can achieve a last crop with Asian vegetables, fast-growing leafy greens like mizuna, arugula, and spinach, or a new batch of radishes. In other words, you can cultivate in the hotbed multiple times throughout the season. And when the season is over, you can use the material as soil improvement in beds or cultivation areas around the garden.

Topics:

Grow your own