Warm beds with their own hands

One of the factors affecting the beginning of sowing, as well as the growth and development of planted plants, is the temperature of the open ground. For one season, three or even four stably high yields of various garden crops from one area can be obtained by warm beds, which can be easily settled with your own hands. At the same time, the fertility of the soil on which they are located is of no fundamental importance, and affordable and inexpensive materials are used for their construction.

The essence of the method

The use of a warm garden bed made in the spring for early planting of greenery, radish, cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkins and other garden crops allows the garden season to begin 2-3 weeks earlier than usual. The appearance of heat in specially prepared soil is due to the presence of decomposing organic substances that are in an enclosed space. During decomposition, as with any other active chemical process, heat is generated, which is maintained at a constant level for a long time under the condition of limited interaction with the external environment.

The duration of the thermal effect on the ground depends on the amount of the rotting material and its density. It is clear that the greater the volume and density of organic matter, the longer it decomposes and, accordingly, the time for heating the earth directly depends on these two factors.

Options for warm beds

There are two main types of independently heated beds:

• Temporary. They have the form of rectangular elongated semi-circular hills without additional fencing. Initially used for growing seedlings, and then aligned under the general level of the garden and planted with the main crops.

• Permanent. They are trenches or boxes, which are made of slate, planks, bricks, in rare cases of metal sheets. Designed for the cultivation of major garden crops for 3-5 years.

Stationary devices are divided into the following types:

• In-depth. Trenches of arbitrary length, with or without insulating material, up to 60 cm deep and 1.1 to 1.5 m wide.

• Ground. Puff mounds with a small depression in the main soil (up to 10 cm), which have low sides made of stone, brick, wood, 90-110 cm wide and 30 to 50 cm high in the form of a hill in the shape of a semicircle, trapezium, pyramid.

• Enclosed (raised). The simplest option is a rectangular box of wooden boards and bars with a height of 40 to 60 cm, a length of 4 to 12 m and a width of 1 m.

If you are interested in how to make a warm bed for early cucumbers or tomatoes in the open field, you should begin the selection with the most suitable type of beds for a particular area. For humid and cold climatic zones suitable elevated location. In dry and windy regions with barren soil, it is better to dwell on an in-depth method of arrangement. And for the temperate zone with black soil, the terrestrial variant is quite suitable.

How to make a bed with your own hands

Acquaintance with the technology of growing garden plants on warm beds of elevated type, which are made with your own hands, it is desirable to begin with the step by step production of one wooden box. To create it you need simple tools that are in every house, pre-harvested lumber and a small amount of time. The box will have overall dimensions: width 1 m, length 6 m, height 34 cm.

Materials and tools

In the manufacture and installation of boxes used such tools:

• roulette;
• carpenter's pencil;
• gon;
• screwdriver or electric screwdriver;
• hammer;
• nails or screws;
• ax;
• hacksaw for wood;
• ground drill or spade.

Materials will serve:

• pine boards, 25 mm thick, 18 cm wide, 6 and 1 m long (4 pieces each);
• bars, section of 40х40 mm, 73 mm long (8 pieces) and section of 20х40 mm, 10 cm long (4 pieces).

Manufacturing process

A brief description of the work, showing how you can make a warm garden bed for growing greens, lettuce, and cucumbers with planting in early spring, is not a dogma. This example shows that the process is simple, does not require much time and financial costs.

For work, you need a flat horizontal platform for free placement and movement of objects of great length. So:

1. A board with a length of 1 m is cut off (mark the ends before cutting with a rectangle).

2. The second board is applied to the first one with one face end, both fastened with self-tapping screws (nails) with two short bars, which are located on the joint seam on the inside.

3. The second board is cut with a hacksaw in the size of the first.
4. The first sidewall size 360h1000 mm ready.
5. In the same way made the second narrow side of the box.

6. Eight long bars are sharpened with an ax at one end, since in the future they will perform the function of not only fixing, but also supporting posts.

7. Four six-meter boards are harvested and fastened in pairs in long bars using self-tapping screws or nails. The upper end of the fixing (support) bar should not protrude beyond the boundaries of the board. The first mount is done at the very beginning, flush with the end. Then, every two meters, the next bar is fastened from the beginning to the end of the sidewall.

8. Two sides of the box size 360x6000 mm ready.
9. The sides and uprights of the future bed are painted on the inside and outside of the paint (enamel), which is weatherproof.
10. After the paint has dried, the box is ready for installation on the site.

Installation and Filling

After manufacturing and painting the sides of the box the following steps are performed:

1. The blanks are transferred to the plot and stacked along the markings made with the help of a tape measure.

2. With the help of a drill or a bayonet, the holes are dug under the support posts of the long sidewalls, at a depth of at least 35 cm. The first long side is installed and leveled with the help of a level, the short side is attached to it, then in a circle.

3. After the box is assembled, the wells are filled with earth and tamped.

4. To prevent the walls of the box from bursting with the filled material, the inner support posts are tied with wire or joined with wooden ties.

A warm bed, made by hand on the above dimensions, has a small volume, so it should be filled with organic matter in early spring, using a single layer with sawdust:

1. The bottom of the box is filled with loam, which must be compacted to better retain moisture.

2. The bottom layer of 15-20 cm stacked large branches, tree bark, stalks of sunflower and corn, as they will decompose for a long time.

3. Then follows a layer of 10 cm from the leaves of the trees, cut grass, and tops of the root crops.

4. The next layer should be filled with sawdust 2-3 cm.

5. The topmost layer is filled with humus, which is mixed with the ground and has a thickness of 10-15 cm, just to the level of the sides.

Growing plants

There is no specific list of garden crops for planting and growing in warm beds. Each owner decides for himself that it is more convenient to grow. This technology allows to obtain decent yields of all major garden plants several times per season. Here's more about it:

• The first planted greens, lettuce, radishes. This leaves room for cucumbers or tomatoes, which develop a little longer.
• After the harvest of greens, lettuce, radish, onion, garlic, carrots, beets are planted in their place.
• By the end of the summer, early crops are planted again.

Now you can safely start growing vegetables in warm beds. Have a good harvest!