One of the things we will be trying this season at the college is growing very early tomatoes , courgettes, peppers and strawberries with the help of a hotbed.
I have found hotbeds to be a fascinating method of growing that has been used sucessfully throughout history but is used very rarely in this part of the world in modern times. Here in Ireland the first tomatoes only really start ripening in late June into July so we are trying to see how early we can get a crop. The principle of using the heat from manure and compost really appeals to me and we are trying a limited experimental bed under organic principles in the tunnel this year.
We built a timber bed last November and some early seeds were sowed December which are growing strong at the moment under lights. We have used early varieties such as Koralik (Bush) and Cindel Tomatoes and Genovese courgettes plus a few strawberry plants taken from the field and 4 sweet colossus giant strawberry.
We also have some chilis and pepper plants saved and protected over the winter but there is very little sign of new life in these yet so we are hoping the heat from the hotbed will entice them back into production again.
The Timber bed has now been assembled in the tunnel and includes 3 hoops which we can use to cover the bed with plastic to provide another level of protection in those first cold few weeks . We will have some fresh donkey and cow manure and straw bedding coming in next weekend. The plan is to have at least 2 - 2.5 feet of manure and then a shallow layer of soil. The amount of manure should be enough to provide heat to the bed through early February and March and the start of April.
Hopefully by then the plants wil be well established and thriving and able to withstand any smaller temperature fluctuations. We will also be keeping a close eye on the weather and using fleece to protect against any cold snaps.
I will be adding updates over the following weeks on our progress if people are interested