I always find this time of year is beneficial for taking time to asses what has been grown and what has worked well in the last year and I love the excitement of already thinking ‘this year I’m going to do…’ . So planning for the 2013 allotment begins….
One element you may want to improve is extending the growing season and, as work dwindles for the winter, focusing on hard landscaping elements and D.I.Y can be undertaken now. Jobs such as fixing broken doors, or tidying the path can . But this year you may decide to make a hotbed.
Hot bed Principle:
The principle of a hot bed is to create a warm and humid environment, usually in January and February, that is ideal if you do not have a heated greenhouse. On the bottom level of the hot bed warmth is fuelled by fresh horse manure which is then lined over with straw. Next a frame or wooden slat can be placed over the top and trays of plants such as early salads and lettuces can be placed on top. The rotting manure create steam to kick start seed germination and enhance early growth. Then like a cold frame a lid is placed over the top of the construction and plants left to grow. What is ideal is that once the manure has rotted down it can be transferred to the soil, replacing the hotbed with fresh manure, and again continually recycling in an environmentally friendly way.
How to Build a hot bed- step by step
Firstly take one large square ended wooden post and cut into short sized piece all even in size (coffee table leg length) . Make sure the wood you buy has been treated so that it will remain weather resistant.
Then you will need a bottom of a pallet/ crate or use slats of wood to nail in over the top.
The sides of the bed need to be kept covered to keep all the heat in so you could saw saw up and old spare fence panel and placed sections of this around the exposed sides of the hot bed, nailing and drilling them into place.
The front lower side of the hot bed needs to have a door with a handle, use a piece of wood leaning against the hotbed with a rope tied to the side. This allows you access so you can get your shovel in and fill up or remove manure beneath the crate section. The crate section becomes the seating area for your trays, in which the slats will diffuse the heat through the sections.
And of course on top of the whole thing you will need a lid. You will need four pieces for the sides and an extra length of wood for the back to create a hinge. Next glass can be used, but given the strong winds at the St.Ives allotments and the likely hood of heavy rain you may want to use something more weather resilient such as a firm and and tough clear plastic liner. Staple this tightly around the frame, and there you have a lid! Of course if you are a dab hand at D.I.Y and do not want to run the risk of the top lid breaking you will need to shape the fence wood sides to create a tilt or slope for any excess water to run off the top.
Otherwise your good to go and you can start growing crops even in the coldest of months!
For other tips and hints please see this addition of gardeners world:2012, episode 7 available from
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