Читать книгу Make Your Garden Feed You - E. Brown T. - Страница 13

It is questionable whether it would pay the amateur home food-producer to go in for one or more heated frames. A heated frame is mostly used for raising plants in the early part of the year before the seed can be sown outdoors so that very early crops are obtained, and this branch of gardening is not advocated at the present time. A heated frame is one raised or rested on a 4-ft. thick pile of mixed horse manure and oak and beech leaves. Stable manure is practically unprocurable nowadays, so the use of a heated frame is automatically ruled out.

There is, however, a suggestion which might commend itself to the gardener who is able to obtain a small quantity of stable manure. This is to make a sunk pit instead of a heated frame. In most cases, however, it would be better to employ the manure for digging into the soil.

To make a sunk pit, dig a hole 2¹/₂ ft. deep and 2 in. shorter and narrower than the area covered by the number of “lights” to be used. Line this with any rough, thick wood obtainable, extending the front 4 in. above ground level and the back 8 in., with the ends sloping from back to front. Prepare a mixture of stable manure and leaves, turning it over every day for a week, then put this into the pit to a depth of 18 in., compressing each layer as it is thrown in. Cover this with 3 in. of soil and then 5 in. of ashes, cinders or coconut fibre if seed-boxes are to be accommodated, or with 4 in. of soil if seeds are to be sown or seedlings planted.

Frames must be ventilated as weather conditions permit. This is done by raising the “lights” at one side—the side away from any wind that may be blowing. To do this, blocks of wood, cut in 1-in. steps, are needed. In unusually cold weather the temperature in a frame may be kept warm by putting a hot-water bottle, preferably metal, under it all night.