Topic: Not quite 200lbs

[MikeB]

Remember this?



Well I built one twice the size.



Time to open up.



Some pots showing.



more like 18lbs,  >:( next year!  :)



I could make a Hot Box out of it,  ::)

[cambourne7]

nice :-)

And it gets around all the pesky problem of putting a fork though your spuds!

now you can tell me what a hot box is as i only know it as a composter :-)

[MikeB]

Hot beds were very popular in Victorian times. Once set up, they can be used to grow salad crops in winter, get a head-start on seed sowing in the spring (by up to a month), and for growing melons and any of the cucurbitaceae family in the summer. A hot bed provides bottom heat, using manure rather than electricity as the heat source, thus speeding up plant growth of seedlings and tender plants.

The heat source: Fresh strawy manure – in a layer 60-90cm deep (after treading). As the manure breaks down, it generates heat. Tread it down well to compact it, ensuring a more even release of heat.
The growing medium: A mixture of top soil and garden compost (ratio of 1:1) – this is placed on top of the manure in a layer 20cm-30cm thick.
The hot bed can be as deep and as wide as you want, as long as the ratio of manure to growing medium is 3:1. If you do decide to make the hot bed deeper, temperatures may rise above the optimum (24C) and plants may be scorched. It can be cooled down by adding water or leaves and garden debris to the mixture. Check temperatures regularly with a thermometer.

A hot bed can be made in a greenhouse or outdoors. Provide insulation in the form of wooden sides (4 pallets) and a cover if outside.

Leave the hot bed for a week to warm up.

There are several methods of making a hot bed.

In a cold frame (the lid is useful for conserving the heat).
In a pit, 60cm (24in) deep.
Stakes and 4 pallets on the ground to keep the materials and heat in.
 In a greenhouse.

[Hyacinth]

Sorry for laughing, Mike ::) - IS THAT ALL?!  ;D ;D ;D

but it's a jolly fine box 8) and the excitement must have been keeping you going all through the summer...so worth it for that (and the entertainment value for us, of course)..

 ;D ;D ;D Lishka

[cambourne7]

Great IDEA i have a raised bed for my pumpkins and salads which i have made but not filled yet i will Leave it and make the hot box mid jan and see if i can get early salad crops in :-)

I EVEN HAVE THE HORSE MUCK AND STRAW :-)

[MikeB]

Yes it is a nice box isn't it?

Cam~7, the horse muck needs to be fresh and renewed every 2 months, the old muck when it's removed can be used straight on the plot.

[Kepouros]

Make a lid for it and you`ll have a perfect compost bin.

Or then again you could threaten to sue the manufacturers under the Trades Descriptions Act.

[shirlton]

look at it this way. it kept you out of mishchief for a while lmao

[KevB]

oops!

dont you just hate it when that happens!!!!

[Hyacinth]

Seemed to be a bad year last year tho...my container pots were v.v.few per plant and ones in the open ground not much better. Still, I'll be buying more seed potatoes towards the end of this month. Here's hoping for a bumper 2007 crop, eh?

[kt.]

Are you gonna use it again for the same purpose  ;D ;D ;D

[carolinej]

You got me all excited for a minute there ::) I was scrolling down the post, thinking about getting hold of some wood to build one of these miracle growers.

Maybe I 'll just go for the traditional way of growing pots, as at least I wont have to embarrass myself by  using my VERY limited carpentry skills. I am still trying to figure out a good excuse as to why my raised beds are as square as a triangle :(

cj :)

[triffid]

Oh dear...

How many lbs did you have in the end?

[supersprout]

Thanks for a good chuckle this morning Mike ;)
Get out that parsnip planter and overplant your spuds with giant 'snips?

There are several methods of making a hot bed.

In a cold frame (the lid is useful for conserving the heat).
In a pit, 60cm (24in) deep.
Stakes and 4 pallets on the ground to keep the materials and heat in.
 In a greenhouse.

or STRAW BALES ;D ;D ;D

[carolinej]

Does it have to be horse muck? Only asking because I heard somewhere that pigs muck is cold ???

[windygale]

hi here a picture of a hot house for propagating seeds

hope some body uses this, tell us how you get on with it
windy

[Robert_Brenchley]

Apparently horse poo heats up a lot better than anything else. I'm not sure why.

[kenkew]

I'd have another go, Mike. Last year wasn't a 'tatti' year at all. The method should work. In fact now I've stopped with my lottie, I might try it myself.

[Debs]

Question for Mike...

It mentions that potatoes should be planted 4" deep, but how close together are the tubers?

Having given up my lottie, but wanting to grow stuff in the garden, I might try this.

Debs :D

[cambourne7]

Hi

One of my compost bins is just about full.

I was going to pop a tick layer of horse manure on it and then straw and then some soil and cover the whole thing with some carpet and plant in one of my pumpkin seedlings.

Do you think that it would be 2 rich...

Cambourne7