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.

The fundamentals of assembling a greenhouse and customizing it to the gardener's needs.

Table of Contents Introduction Advantages of Starting Plants before Hand Greenhouses Advantages of a Greenhouse Small Green Houses and Sash Houses Ventilation in Your Greenhouse Hotbeds Proper Location of Hotbeds Traditional Hotbed Frame Sash Covers for Your Hotbed Hotbeds Heated with Manure Hotbeds Heated with Flues Hotbeds Heated with Hot Water Electrically Heated Hotbeds Main Advantages of an Electric Hotbed Cold Frames Appendix Hothouse Designs Conclusion Author Bio Publisher Introduction Depending on the area in which you find yourself, or the season when you begin to put out the plants outdoors, you are normally going to start your vegetable crop plants in well-prepared beds, and the young plants are then transplanted later in your field or in your garden. These plants are going to include cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, eggplant, celery, tomato, potatoes, peppers, and others.