CHAPTER XI 



HOTBEDS AND GREENHOUSES 



WHETHER to get an early start on the garden or for raising 

 plants for field crops, a hotbed is all but indispensable. In 

 making a hotbed what we seek to do is to imitate Nature 

 at her best, so get the best soil and the sunniest spot you can 

 find. 



In all hotbeds the underlying principle is the same : 

 They are right-angled boxes covered with glass panes set 

 hi movable frames and placed over heated excavations. 

 The bed may be of any size or shape, but the standard one 

 is six feet wide, since the stock glass frames are usually six 

 feet long by three feet wide. You can have any length 

 needed to supply your requirements. "Tomato Culture," 

 by A. J. Root, tells us that the cheapest plan is to get some 

 old planks, broken brickbats or stone, and piece together a 

 box-like affair in proper shape: to provide drainage, the 

 front should be at least ten inches above the ground and the 

 rear fourteen inches. A hotbed knocked together in this 

 way is all right to start with, if you cannot do any better, 

 but will last only two or three seasons. For a permanent 

 bed, probably the best way is to make cement walls extend- 

 ing to the bottom of the manure. The bed ought to face 

 south or southeast and be well protected on the north. It 

 should be banked all around with earth or straw to keep out 

 the cold, and mats or shutters should be provided for extra 

 cold weather. The best material for heating the bed and the 



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