Hotbeds
- To: pumpkins@mallorn.com
- Subject: Hotbeds
- From: H* E* P*
- Date: Tue, 04 May 1999 11:16:29 -0700
Some weeks ago, I wrote a letter here and I now wonder if I was
incorrect. I wrote how horse manure composted a year outdoors still
killed blackberry plants when placed in a hole before plants were set. I
did this experiment because customers who used horsemanure in holes
reported dead blackberry plants. Horsemanure on top of soil made the
plants grow nicely. I suggested the ammonia generated in absence of air
was the cause of death. I assumed the same thing might happen to
pumpkins.
Recently, I began thinking about the hotbeds of my childhood. They did
not kill plants. Perhaps, blackberry is a special case??
We made hotbeds by digging a hole 3 feet wide and a foot deep; ours
was 10 feet long. We then built a wooden frame about 18 inches above the
soil line and piled dirt against it to keep cold air out.
We then filled the bed by packing horsemanure (containing about
one-half straw) to a depth of about 18 inches. Adding enough water to
soak the manure without running away. We then added the seeding soil
which was the decomposed manure removed from last year's bed.
We covered it with roofing iron, burlap bags, old coats, etc to hold
heat in. It got hot enough to kill most of the weed seeds. When it
cooled after about a week, we planted tomato, pepper, and sweetpotato
roots. All these are tropical crops and need warmth.
I do not recall any ammonia odor and we had nice plants.
I hear people saying they are using fresh manure below their pumpkins.
Does it do any damage to the plants? If I had the manure, I would try a
hotbed for pumpkin, but only as an experiment. I have seen pumpkins grow
wildly during the summer in the abandoned hotbed, but I did not see any
large pumpkins. It might be an interesting experiment, but probably too
much nitrogen.
Harold Eddleman, Palmyra, Indiana
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