Hotbeds
Cellar window hotbeds are so simple to make and operate and so practical
for producing winter supplies of salads and low growing flowers as well
as seedlings for transplanting to the garden in spring, that every
gardener who has a window facing south should have one.
A coldframe for two standard 3' X 6' sash is built with the cellar window
central at the rear. The sash are hinged with strap hinges (preferably
four to each sash) to the header above the window or to the studding
of the house wall, so they may be raised from the front. By having
pulleys 6' or 8' above the back of the frame and stout screw-eyes
screwed on the upper side of the front corners of the sash and counter
weighted with stout cords, the sash may be raised with ease.
Such hotbeds require much less attention than those located in the open
ground. Though covering with mats on cold nights is advisable they
usually need no other heat than that from the cellar. This may be
supplemented or increased when necessary or desired by a thermal
cable strung around the inside of the frame and connected with the
house wiring system by plugging in to an ordinary service outlet in exactly
the same way as for the toaster or the vacuum cleaner. Soil
mixing bins are great improvements over floors or the ground, when
relatively small quantities of soil are to be prepared for potting
plants. They may be made of any desired size. Convenient dimensions
for small ones are 36" across the front and hack, 24" from
front to back, 12" high at the front, the sides rising from 12" to
18" or 24" at the back. Preferably they should be mounted on at least
two cleats so as to keep them off the ground, the floor or the bench
on which placed.
When soil is to be mixed, place the various already sifted ingredients
in layers and well toward the back at, say, the left side. When all are
present push a square-bladed shovel on the floor of the bin from
front toward the back and at the right side of the pile. Lift it
when full and, turning it over slowly as it is moved toward the right,
allow the load to fall and spread in a thin layer, thus mixing the
ingredients. Repeat until all the pile has been moved to the right.
Then reverse the action and move the pile in the same way back to
the left again. When these two mixings are well done the second pile
should be uniform; but should it show streaks or mottles repeat the
shifting at least once more.
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