The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: Frieslandfilly on January 30, 2012, 11:45:36 am
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I want to build a hotbed inside my greenhouse, not to use in the traditional manner i.e planting into it but rather to raise the temperature inside the greenhouse slightly without using fuel and possibly to cover with trays of seedlings that will get bottom heat. We have horses so plenty of raw material available. Has anyone tried this before and can anyone flag up any potential problems that I may not have thought about?
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Apart from a hairs on your chest type of smell in there, cant think of one. Steam maybe thats all. Sounds like an experiment you should report back on!
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I know commercial growers of mushroom used to use horse manure ( pre-wood shaving days) to control the temperature i their sheds. Mushroom growers used to collect the manure in Newmarket for such but then the bottom dropped out of the manure market when stables switched to wood shavings.
I too would like to know outcome.
Seem to recall that indoor melons were started by hot beds as you describe ( Victorian Kitchen Garden).
I recall that an area was dug out and lined with straw then horse manure then straw then soil. All under glass.
I hope others can help us on this one as i may give it a try..
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The Victorians also used to grow pineapples with the aid of fresh manure. It would be packed into brick lined squares set into the ground so most was below ground level and left for the temperature to drop to the right level - but not too much. It was tested by one of the gardeners (probably the most junior) who would drop his trousers and sit on the manure to make sure it was warm enough. The Lost Garden of Heligan in Cornwall still has them - pineapple beds, that is, not gardeners with sh***y bums (not that I checked, you understand). ;)
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It may be better to heat the greenhouse indirectly by running water pipes through hotbeds into your greenhouse. that way you have a heated greenhouse AND a separate hot bed
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Enqire at Heligan in Cornwall. I'm certain they would be pleased to help :)
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Thanks for the replies, I am def going to give it a go and will report back with good and bad points
It may be better to heat the greenhouse indirectly by running water pipes through hotbeds into your greenhouse. that way you have a heated greenhouse AND a separate hot bed
This in theory is an excellent idea, and one we have considered in the past, however I need something simple that I can do myself, Hubby is a plumber but you know what they say about the Cobbler's childrens shoes!!!
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A plumer heh - then simples.
I plan to make a heat exchanger for the pool in the summer as the OH won't go in it unless the water is 30. I plan to run black pipes over a black heat absorbing surface and use the pool filter pump to circulate water. Not sure this is a good option to heat a greeenhouse though as when the sun is strong enough to heat the water in the pipes the greenhouse will itself be pretty hot due to all the glass.
Hotbed sounds ideal.
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Hi have you thought about installing a heat sink in the greenhouse - Dick Strawbridge (before he went over to the dark side of TV) built one in his greenhouse the plans are in his book (practical selfsufficiency ) or go www.instructables.com (http://www.instructables.com) to see if there any plans there as this site has loads of ideas :wave:
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Not something I have planned as we are a lot further south here and the sun is warm even today. besides I have had enough of deep digging for a bit. We are no on mains sewers so I have dug trenches and 2 deep soakaways to take the grey water from kitchen, utility room and bathroom. YES - we have a bthroom.