Have you ever thought about using a hot bed in your garden? Here’s 5 reasons why hot beds might work for you…

1. They extend the growing season

If you sow your seeds by the end of January, germination will take place by mid-February! In May you could already be nibbling on fresh salad leaves and enjoying new potatoes.

2. They are pest-freeBecause you are sowing your seeds so early, snails are still in hibernation, and most of the aphids and slugs are absent. Hot beds are a natural method which lets you avoid all those pesky snails who like nibbling on your vegetables.

3. They only require a small space

You don’t need much space to have a hot bed, and despite what you might think there are no unpleasant odours around them.

 

4. They help retain soil nutrients.

Soil nutrients are often washed away by rain during the winter, but if you are using a hot bed, soil nutrient status usually increases, despite the heavy yields!

 

5. They can be reused.

Once you’re done with your hot bed for the season you can make compost or mulch out of it. If you mix it some with more soil, it makes a very good growing medium for your next hot bed!

 

To learn more about how to grow vegetables in hot beds, have a look at Jack First’s book Hot Beds: How to grow early crops using an age-old technique . Jack First has pioneered the hot beds method in the United Kingdom and he has tried and fully tested all the methods described in his book. His hot beds have been featured on BBC TV’s Gardeners’ World.

If you want super-early crops without the hassle and expense of a heated greenhouse, look no further than Hot Beds by Jack First. A must-read if you’d like to pursue a low-cost, eco-friendly approach to out-of-season crops. –Grow Your Own

Jack is a fount of knowledge and the expert on hot beds– Joe Swift, garden designer and TV presenter

All images used here come from Pixabay.