hotbed vs regular garden

My husband is going to build me two hotbeds this year.. I am trying to figure out what to plant in those and what to plant in my regular garden. My garden is not very big, and I am not very good at it yet but I am trying..

I hope I am not bugging people with my "green" questions. I am trying to be smart about it and make list to figure out what to plant and what to buy.. I hope this year will be better than the past 2 years.

thanks

Jenn

Jenn, I'm not sure I know what a "hotbed" is--can you explain?

And of course you're not bugging anyone with questions--that's what Dave's is all about! Lots of times I learn more from reading someone else's questions than I do from posting my own. Today I'm hoping I'll learn what a hotbed is! :)

Sorry.. It is a raised bed. My grammy called them hotbeds.. (she is the one who had the green thumb).. Right now I have the I get stuff for a week and then kill it thumb.. :)

Oh, but with your raised hotbed, and all the advice and suggestions from DG you're going to do so much better this year! :)

I have 2 raised beds and several EarthBoxes, but no in-ground space, so I don't really have too much basis for comparison, but I would think about several factors as I was planning:

•soil condition: If you have any amendment issues, your raised beds will be a better place for picky plants. Carrots and root veggies in particular would appreciate a looser, less rocky soil.
•space necessary: This can go either way. If you have something sprawly or viny, like melons or cucumbers or pumpkins (or even large indeterminate tomatoes), you'll want to put them somewhere where they have lots of space. This can be in your raised bed, if they can sprawl over the side, or out in your regular garden if they can have room to go out beyond your plantings.
•protection: If you have anything that is a likely magnet for critters such as bunnies, squirrels or deer, you'll want to think about protecting your veggies. Again, can go either way depending on your space, but it's sometimes a lot easier to fence in a raised bed than an open space.

Those are just what come to mind right off the top of my head, I'm sure others with more experience will have more ideas for you.

Just keep in mind that a "hot" bed is essentially a cold frame with ground heat. Before we got fancy, the only way to start plants like tomatoes and sweet potatoes was with hot bed. These were made by digging a rectangular pit, two to three feet deep, putting in 18 inches or so so of fresh manure, cover ed with 8 inches or so of leaf mold. The bed was then cover with glass ( old window frames and such usually) and a canvas draped over the top until the bed started steaming. The canvas was removed except on cold nights and the plants started in a toasty environment created by the composting manure. They were not used for growing only starting. Totally different purpose than raised beds. In fact to conserve heat, they were normally below ground level.

I didn't know what a hot bed was either. Jenn, I would like to see some pictures once it's built.

My grandmother’s hot bed was old railroad ties... This has been in place for over 34 years. It ran down the middle of her garden. The soil whatever she did worked well. It was about 4 railroad ties high. BLACK BLACK soil and she planted all sorts of stuff in there. She was not an organic gardener but what she did worked for her. She called it her hot bed.

The one we plan to build will be different but I am hoping that I can plant softer plants in it. I would like to collect seeds and I do not think my hubby and mow this over. I have to start from scratch again. lol

I am trying to figure out the best things to put in it. I have a sketch of what I want to do, a list of veggies I want to grow and now I am trying to figure out where to buy seeds from, when to start the seeds, and when to tell my hubby he has to have this done.

LOL! JennGroves, sounds like he's got his work cut out for him. I need to come up w/ a plan for my garden too. I bought a few packs of veggie seeds from Walmart. I have heard of organic seeds, but I don't know if there is much of a difference or not.

He does not mind building stuff for me. He can work outside on his cars while the girls and I play in the dirt. He is really good at helping me with most of this stuff. The only issue is when I finally have it going he thinks it has stopped and mows it down!

Now what to put in the "hotbeds"... I am thinking Spinach, Peas, Carrots, Lettuce, leeks, beets, Chard(?) onions and herbs...

Sounds great, Jenn! Do you have plans for your in-ground veggies as well yet?

I've already planted some spinach, onions, lettuce and peas.

Hey, Jenn, I'm from Baltimore originally. Good for you for gardening in Glen Burnie!

Hot Bed is: As Farmerdill says, the original "hot bed" was heated with decomposing manure. (Basically a bottomless box with a lid of glass or plastic so light gets through.) Nowadays you can buy heating cables.

Cold Frame: A hot bed without heat - but, covered, it still gives extra warmth and protection. For a couple years we just outlined a small area with hay bales and covered them with old storm windows - it worked fine.

Usually, you start your seed sprouting inside, then transfer the plants to the hot bed or cold frame in late winter or early spring, then transplant them to the garden. It's just a way to get plants going early.

Raised bed: It's just soil mounded up, with or without "sides" of wood or concrete or whatever. There's a lot of advantages to a raised bed - it drains well, has a lot of room for roots, is higher so it's easier to harvest, the fluffly soil absorbs water better. (Sounds like your Grammy probably enriched her bed with leaves, grass clippings, etc.) I used all raised beds this year (just soil, no "sides")- all the rows in our 3200 square foot vegetable garden! We thought everything did better - the potatoes were great.

What you plant really depends on how big your bed is. My best advice would be to make one and get it going this season and see how it does. You can always build more. We had a raised bed in Baltimore for years and years - we used old railroad ties too - but they finally rotted away.