Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-02-29
BEGINNING THE GARDEN

first of March should see the hotbeds
that most essential adjunct to the veg
etable garden, prepared, and the early
seeds sown. Where one has a good
southern exposure and a well-made
hotbed of some size good crops of early
vegetables can be grown to edible size
long before the ground outside is in
fit condition to SOW seeds or set out
plants.
Although there is usually one family
| in community that has hotbed, it
would be well for every family to have
one. For those who do not know how
to construct a hotbed a short descrip
ton may be of interest.
| The hotbed consists of an Enclosure
covered with glass and supplied with
some sort of heat, usually fermenting
stable manure, to keep the plants warm
and in growing condition. In COM
mercial gardens these hotbeds are fire.
| quently heated by means of steam
pipes. But for the farm garden the
manure answers all purposes very well.
While there are several forms of hot
beds, the most common form will be
described. The following description
by Professor w. P. Paddock will make
hotbed construction simple:
The best location for hotbed is on
the south side of a building or of a
tight board fence. The size of the
hotbed sash is commonly three by six
feet.
After the size of the bed has been
determined frame box without top or
bottom is made of just the right size
to admit of using the sash for cover
The sash should slant to the south
consequently the front of the box will
be lower than the back. An eight
inch front and twelve inch back will
be about right, though many other
forms are used A hole is now dug
where the bed is to be, of the same
size as the frame to hold the manure,
which furnishes the heat The depth
of the hole will depend upon the de-
gree of cold that it is expected the
growing plants will stand Zero wealth
er will require thirty inches of ma
nure while for late fall or early spring
usually depth of twelve inches will
suffice. If twelve-inch layer of ma
nure is decided upon the excavation
should be eighteen inches Deep the
extra six inches to be filled in with soil
III winch TO grow plants
The manure should be collected a
few days before seeds are to be plant
ed or plants are to be set out. Fresh
horse manure, which is mixed with
one third of fine straw, is commonly
used. This is placed in a pile to fer
ment, which it will begin to do in
few days if kept moist. When steam
is given off the pile is forked over,
throwing the outside toward the CEN
ter. After few days the manure will
become heated second time, when it
is ready to put in the bed
In filling the beds put in a layer of
manure at time and press it down
hrmly with the feet. Care must be
taken to see that each layer is spread
evenly and packed thoroughly. The
frame is now placed so that the bottom
VIII be little below the surface of
the ground and covered with the sash
until the bed is heated through When
TINS has been accomplished the surface
OF the manure should be made smooth
and the six inches of fine, loamy soil
filled in. The bed should be allowed
some more time to warm the soil when
1t will be ready for seeds and plants.
In the meantime the frame should be
well banked on the outside with the
same heating material.
Such bed should give off heat for
1lVe or SIX weeks if made in the early
spring or late fall
Covering of some kind must be pro-
Vloed Tor the beds and be put on be-
lore the sun gets low in the afternoon
and then allowed to remain until or
IL o'clock in the morning, depending
on the weather.
Great pains must also be taken with
the watering and ventilating, Wafer
only during the middle of the day. so
that the surface soil and the plants
may have time to dry before dark.
otherwise the dreaded damping off of
the plants may be induced Ventilation
is required for the same purpose. More
over, there is a large amount of iniuri-
Gus gases given off from the manure
which must be allowed to escape. Even
IN the coolest weather ventilation
should be provided. if only for a short
time each day
IL such crops as lettuce, radishes.
onions and spinach are started in
March, tomato and cabbage plants NAV
ne started after these crops are off
flahts Tor the garden may be grown
IN this way which are slperior to
those ordinarily found upon the mar
ket.
Where many plants are to be grown
II Is usual to make the hotbed long
enough that two or more sash will he
used for the cover. A good. servicea-
pie hotbed will not have less than
Tour sash, for then it is possible to
raise one and not have the whole hot
ped exposed to the cold air Then too
the bed can be divided into spaces for
dlf1erent kinds of plants with parti-
ions between so that with sash over
each partition the proper temperature
Tor that particular set of plants can he
regulated. 1t is estimated by market
gardeners that four-sash hotbed will
grow enough early cabbage plants for
nan an acre, 1.500 tomato plants in
adoltlon to an indefinite number of
inelon, cucumber, egg and celery plants
ana still have some room to start
mower seeds For the ordinary farm,
garden this sized hotbed would he foo
large ana two sash would be sufficient
I'd