My 2013 hotbed project

[Redbaron]

OK Here is some photos, I hope!

Well I tried but got this message:

"Your submission could not be processed because a security token was missing.

If this occurred unexpectedly, please inform the administrator and describe the action you performed before you received this error."

This is unexpected because I have posted pics before. So not sure what happened.

[Redbaron]

OK I will try posting pics again.

Same thing,

"Your submission could not be processed because a security token was missing.

If this occurred unexpectedly, please inform the administrator and describe the action you performed before you received this error."


Edit: test 3rd try after messaging Mishka

[Redbaron]

OK Here it is with a new cookie, as Mishka suggested.

First shows the pit 3'X6' Sorry I didn't post the empty pit but I am not digging out all the manure to show it empty! You'll have to take my word for it that it was about 2 feet deep 3 feet wide and 6 feet long and filled with horse manure, a few cans of coffee grounds, and 2 X 5 gallon buckets of raw compost that never kicked all winter. In the very bottom are a couple woody branches and sticks 2 or 3 inches around. Just for the 300-1 carbon/nitrogen ratio and slow decay rate. (thinking long term here. Really hasn't got much to do with this project, but since I went through all the work of digging it, I am not wanting to go through that again! I am lazy!)

You can see though I filled the pit only to about 3 inches from the top. I had then packed the organic material tightly and watered it till it was fully saturated. Then what you see is me "capping it" with soil which I will also pack tight. That little rim of shadow shows how close to the top I filled the manure etc.

Next few pics show the flexible, foldable framework I scavenged from the old broken tent. (was being thrown away at a camp site by some drunks who had fallen and split a few! I scavenged it last year hoping I could figure out a way to make a low tunnel out of it! It has a hollow center with elastic braided twine running through the middle and it was long. I had 2 very long ones and by the time I finished cutting out the split ones I had 4 shorter ones.

I then show you how I put brass nails in the end of nylon twine and made my 4 "bows". At the end of spring it all comes apart and folds up easily for storage. Light as a feather.

That's it for now. I will take pictures tomorrow as I hopefully finish it.

[Masbustelo]

Thanks Scott for all the effort. It looks like you have it all figured out. It also looks like spring has showed up where you live, here in Ilinois it is 11 degrees this morning.

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by Masbustelo

Thanks Scott for all the effort. It looks like you have it all figured out. It also looks like spring has showed up where you live, here in Ilinois it is 11 degrees this morning.

Well it is warmer here, but yesterday morning before I took the pictures there was snow on the ground!

[Redbaron]

Masbustelo,

OK I finished most of it. All I have to do is the ends and cardboard and mulch the floor. Keep in mind the floor will be twice as wide as the manure filled heating pit. So I will crawl in over the part that still has sod, to care for seedlings directly over the pit. Good news is the pit is already starting to noticeably heat up!

OK, picking up where I left off. I finished "capping" the manure at natural ground level (mostly clay). Then I raked the rest of the loose soil at a gentle grade away from the fence. (mostly A level soil) Then I shook out all the soil from the roots of the original sod and raked that over everything. (mostly O level soil and a few worms etc) So my whole garden is now 6 feet longer over sod (and 3 feet of pit) I didn't throw away the weeds and grass with bare roots, you can see it piled at the back. Most of that will die and eventually become mulch. Anything that lives will get covered with grass clippings to kill it.

Next the low tunnel: Lay out some plastic and lay out the tent poles and tape with duct tape both ends. Then at the middle at what would be the peak tie the tent poles 2 feet apart and leave 2 ends long to stake the hoop down once finished and moved. Then I "strung" the "bows" to all 4 tent poles, moved the whole thing over the pit and then pulled it all tight and staking it all around.

All I have left to do now it cover the ends and put in my cardboard and mulch floor. Will do that hopefully tomorrow.

Here is the pics.

[Masbustelo]

Scott That is a very interesting looking project, and very clever recycling. Are you going to enclose the ends or leave them open?

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by Masbustelo

Scott That is a very interesting looking project, and very clever recycling. Are you going to enclose the ends or leave them open?

Yes I will cover the ends, but right now it is way too windy to work on it.

[Masbustelo]

Yesterday, before I filled the pit.

[Masbustelo]

Her I have the manure packed down and covering with compost. I used a lot of water on the manure.

[Masbustelo]

Here it is with 4-5 inches sifted compost.

[Masbustelo]

At the end of the day. I am going to wait 7-8 days for things to heat up and cool down. Also the weed seeds should sprout. After they sprout I can kill them and plant my seeds.

[Redbaron]

Very nice! Looks awesome! Way better than mine! Very professional looking and functional!


Mine was looking ok until I had to put the door in. Unfortunately the old scrap tent I was using had the zippers on the wrong side! So I had to put the door in upside down and backwards! While it works, it looks terrible! But at least I have a double door, screen and nylon, so I can open the outer one and still have a screen for ventilation. Got my Broccoli in just in time, about 200! The heat from the buried manure kept them nice and cozy through the winter storm that just went through. Now I can start my Tomatoes! Two weeks later than my original plan, but still should be OK.


PS Got my hay Sunday! I am happy as can be!!!!!!

[Masbustelo]

It has been cloudy and even though it was only 20 degrees this morning, the soil temperature is about 90 degrees. When I opened one of the sash to take the picture steam just rolled out.

[Masbustelo]

It has been 12 days since I put the manure in and the soil temperature has been 110 degrees every day until today when it cooled down to 80. So I haven't been able to plant until today. I have an insulated blanket to cover it at night or until we get some sun.