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

New edition

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

Description

A fully updated practical guide on cultivating out-of-season vegetables in small spaces, using the age-old technique of growing in hot beds.

The ancient method of hot-bed gardening, once favoured by both the Romans and the Victorians, uses the natural heat generated by decomposing organic matter to grow out-of-season vegetables in small spaces.

In this practical guide, hot bed pioneer Jack First shows how to adapt and modernise this age-old method to suit today's gardens. With just stable manure (or eco-friendly alternatives), a simple wooden frame and a modest space, you could be harvesting crisp salads in March and new potatoes in early April.

Featuring hundreds of photographs, this accessible book gives you everything you need to build and maintain your own hot bed. With clear step-by-step instructions, a detailed calendar year and helpful diagrams, it's a must have for anyone looking to extend their growing season in a sustainable, budget-friendly way.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Huw Richards
Introduction
Hot beds are nothing new
How hot beds work
The advantages of hot beds
Preparing the hot bed
Creating the hot bed
Planning and sowing
What to grow, and varieties
Management of your hot beds
Case studies
Further possibilities
Resources

Product details

Published 11 Dec 2025
Format Paperback
Edition 2nd
Extent 208
ISBN 9781399419635
Imprint Green Books
Illustrations Colour photos throughout
Dimensions 190 x 135 mm
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Jack First

Jack First is an experienced horticulturalist who…

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