I've heard a few allotment owners talking about a hotbed can anyone explain to me what it is for
It is basically to generate some heat at the roots to aid growth.
It can be as simple as digging a hole and filling with fresh manure, the heat of it decomposing creates good growing conditions.
The more elaborate systems involve lots of manure/green matter, insulating straw bales and a cover at this time of the year to create a very warm groing environment.
Have a look at this link:
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/months/dec.asp
From the RHS
An old Victorian idea is to make a manure hotbed by piling a mixture of manure and straw (or leaves), to be rotted over the winter, into an empty compost bin. This is then covered with a layer of John Innes No 3 compost. A cold frame placed on top will benefit from the heat generated by the rotting manure, and this will aid the germination of crops to be started in January for planting outside in February.
Jerry
I found that this years covered leaf mould pile is warm even at the top. Would it be a good idea to make a hole in the cover and plant a pumpkin in it?
Col
Leaf mould is great stuff, but it is lacking in nutrients so might not support a hungry feeder such as pumpkin for too long.
Leaf mould is more a soil conditioner rather than a feed, it is very high in lignin but has low nutrient levels much like peat compost.
The heat it is generating will be a bonus though so add some well rotted manure around the root ball and keep well watered and you should be fine.
Jerry
Thanks Sanders I will do that.
Lets see if that will help me grow a giant. :D
Col
I've just finished creating one. I got enthused into trying to grow courgettes and then some baby cucumbers. So I've started them off in root trainers on the windowsill as I want a long season.
I am hoping to have a head start with them, using the Hot bed with a cloche covering the whole top.
The bed is front of a south-facing wall, it's 4' wide, 2'6 deep and now 2'8 high. I fixed some posts at the back so that I can have a trellis for the cucumbers to grow up, while the courgettes can trail over the front and sides and if the plan completely works I'll have a central row of Dwarf French Beans (as we love them.)
The plants are coming so well on the windowsill that I've bought a cheap plastic greenhouse for the excess!!
All the best
Cliff