Hot Beds: How to grow early crops using an age-old technique

by Jack First

A low-cost, sustainable approach to cultivating out-of-season vegetables in small spaces, using the age-old technique of growing in hot beds.

The ancient method of growing vegetables in hot beds, used by the Victorians and by the Romans, harnesses the natural process of decay to cultivate out-of-season crops. In this easy-to-use guide, Jack First shares essential tips on how to reap the rewards available from modernizing and adapting this remarkable technique. With just stable manure (or alternatives), a simple frame and a small space to build your bed, you can be harvesting salads in March and potatoes in early April.

This accessible, illustrated guide has everything you need to understand how to use this highly productive, low-cost, year-round, eco-friendly gardening system. Straightforward explanations and diagrams show how you too can grow early veg without fossil-fuel energy or elaborate equipment.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent how-to book that I will have to buy. It's very practical and doesn't go on and on, gets to the point about what a hot bed is for and how to construct it. Jack First gives step by step instructions and lots of great alternatives so that you can figure out how best to build a hot bed to suit your needs/climate/resources. Highly recommend to anyone who is looking to make an early start to their growing season.

[R · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of details, but rather repetitive. Interesting and potentially useful topic.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of useful information if one has access to manure. This is not a helpful book for someone cultivating a smallish urban garden.

[Itai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Useful designs for building cold frames