Every year a huge number of new technologies and devices for summer residents appear, so vegetable growing and gardening are constantly being improved. More and more gardeners for growing vegetable crops are building warm beds. People living in rural areas have already developed some standards for their construction and long-term operation. Undoubtedly, there are certain difficulties in this, but if you know some rules, even a novice grower can quickly cope with everything. We will talk further about how to make a warm bed in the fall.
Warm and ordinary garden: what are the differences?
The main difference between a warm bed and the usual one is that in it the top layer of soil begins to warm up much earlier, due to which it is already possible to get the first crop in early spring. It consists of several layers. The lowest layer serves as biofuel, warming the upper layer of soil in which root crops grow. Thanks to this device, vegetables begin to grow much earlier.
What are warm beds?
Before we talk about how to make a warm bed in the fall, let's look at what types of them exist.
There are two varieties:
In turn, the constants are divided into ground, deep and fenced, the main difference of which is the type of device.
The purpose of warm beds
Temporary beds are used for growing seedlings. This can be done both in open and closed ground. After the seedlings are transplanted, a warm bed can be used as usual.
Permanent warm beds can be built in several ways. By their characteristics, they are very similar to greenhouses designed for long-term use. The average life of such beds is 6-7 years. This type of warm beds is widespread in those regions of our country where spring begins late and autumn, on the contrary, early. Such warm beds, made with your own hands, allow you to quickly grow vegetables and harvest.
Warm beds: pros and cons
Warm beds have both their pros and cons.
The main advantages include:
- This type of beds allows you to grow high quality vegetable crops without the use of mineral fertilizers.
- Dedicated beds are much easier to care for, and the crops grown on them are less susceptible to various diseases and harmful insects, which allows practically no use of chemicals.
- You can build warm beds with your own hands from available means and materials, for example, vines or shrubs. In the process of decay, they will enrich the soil with minerals necessary for the normal growth of vegetable crops.
Among the shortcomings, it can be distinguished that the construction of warm beds requires additional physical costs, as well as the need for more frequent and plentiful watering. This is especially true for those made with fences. The beds in the boxes need to be watered at least twice a week, since the soil dries much faster when exposed to sunlight. In addition, in winter mice and other pests that penetrate the lower layers of the soil very often settle in warm beds. Therefore, timely measures must be taken to combat them.
How to build a warm garden?
Despite the fact that the construction of a warm garden will require more effort, nevertheless, even a beginner gardener will be able to do this. So how to make a warm bed in the fall? Let's figure it out.
Preparatory stage
The best time for constructing a warm garden is autumn, but if you do not have time, then there is nothing wrong with this, since it can also be done in spring.
First of all, you need:
- determine the number of beds that you need;
- choose the plot of the garden in which they will be located. Temporary beds can be built anywhere, but for permanent ones it is recommended to take a well-lit place protected from drafts.
- stock up on the building material from which the fence will be made. It can be slate, old boards, bricks and so on. If you use boards, it is recommended to sheathe them with roofing material to protect the tree from atmospheric precipitation and pests.
- prepare biofuel. To do this, you can use wood chocks, weeds, branches, tops of vegetables and more.
If you have everything you need, then you can talk about how to make a warm bed in the fall.
Construction of a temporary warm bed
As mentioned earlier, temporary warm beds are used primarily for growing seedlings. They are very common in the southern regions of the country with a warm and mild climate. You can build them in any part of the garden.
If a warm bed is being built in the fall for spring, then 10 centimeters of the topsoil must be removed. A 20-centimeter layer of decayed manure is poured into the resulting trench, which is covered with foliage on top. For the construction of the fence, you can use branches or household waste, which over time can turn into compost. Biological fuel is slightly compacted and sprinkled with removed soil, and a ten-centimeter layer of mulch is created on top. In this form, a warm bed is left for the winter.
It is possible to sow a bed with winter winter green manure. To activate biofuel and start warming the soil, the earth needs to be poured with hot water. To speed up the process, instead of water, you can use a working solution of manure or chicken droppings, and then cover the bed with a film. It will be possible to plant after the soil has warmed up to at least ten degrees of heat. When the seeds germinate, the bed is covered with a film.
When constructing warm beds with your own hands in the spring, you should use a different composition of biological fuel. For this, rotted manure or compost is best suited. Biofuel is sprinkled with chernozem, which is compacted a little, after which the bed is watered with a hot solution of manure or chicken droppings to start heating the soil. If the temperature of the soil is too high, then the bed is watered with cold water and sprinkled with a small amount of earth.
How to build a permanent warm bed?
Next, consider how to make high beds of a constant type.
There are three ways to build them:
- Directly on the surface of the soil, constructing a special box. This method is best suited for those land plots on which the soil is unsuitable for vegetable growing.
- In the trench version. The life of such beds can reach ten years. By its principle, such a bed has much in common with a greenhouse.
- Combined option. It is universal and perfect for any region of the country, regardless of climatic conditions.
Let's dwell in more detail on each method.
High warm bed
Many beginner gardeners are interested in the answer to the question of how to make high beds. Everything is very simple. This type of warm beds of a constant type is located directly on the soil surface, from which, in fact, it got its name. The height of the beds can be from 50 to 80 centimeters.
If you plan to build several such beds, then at least 90 centimeters should be left between them, and the bed itself should have a width of about 60 cm.In this case, it will be very easy to take care of vegetable crops, and you can also not dig the soil for the winter.
The construction process begins with marking the length and width of the beds. The correct warm bed of a constant type should have a width of about one meter. In this case, caring for vegetables will be quite simple.
The first step is to remove 10 centimeters of the topsoil. If there is clay soil on your land or close to the surface groundwater, then a drainage layer is created. Crushed stone and sand are excellent for this. This is necessary so that the water does not stagnate.
Further, a box is constructed from old boards or wooden beams. Its dimensions should correspond to the size of the beds. As for the height, it can be any, but not less than 70 centimeters. Since the permanent bed will be operated for a long period of time, it is recommended that the boards be treated with special antiseptic agents to prevent their decay, and also beat with a film or roofing material. Instead of boards, you can use a brick.
On top of the drainage system, branches or tree roots are laid. The height of this layer should be approximately 30 centimeters. Then a 20-centimeter layer of biofuel is poured, which can be used as various household waste or old foliage. Biofuel is slightly trampled and sprinkled with a layer of earth. The next is a layer of compost or chicken droppings. The last layer is black soil. It should be at least 20 centimeters thick so that the roots of vegetable crops do not burn.
Soil in a warm bed is best prepared from a mixture of black soil, peat and humus. You can also add wood ash and mineral fertilizers to them. To activate biofuel and start heating the soil, the bed is poured with hot water.
The construction of a warm trench-type beds
This variety of warm beds is most often found in regions with a cold climate, in which the soil warms up for a very long time. For its construction, the first step is to dig a trench of the required size and pour a layer of sand on its bottom. Then comes a layer of biofuel, for which the same materials can be used as in the case of a high-type warm bed. Then comes a layer of fallen leaves and turf. All layers are crushed a little, after which they are watered.
At this stage, a warm bed in open ground is almost ready. It remains only to build a box with a height of at least 30 centimeters. The bottom of the box is covered with a layer of manure or humus, and on top is a 20-centimeter layer of black soil mixed with compost.
Combined type warm bed
A warm bed built in autumn - for spring - of a combined type is distinguished by its versatility and can be used in any regions of the country, but most often gardeners use it on land plots where groundwater is very close to the surface. The process of its creation begins with digging a trench, the depth of which should be less than in the case of a warm bed of a trench type. Then a box is erected, the height of which should be at least 50 centimeters. Next, all the same actions are performed as in the construction of the trench beds, in compliance with the sequence of layers. The care and maintenance process are also similar.
As it turned out, making a warm bed in the fall with your own hands is not so difficult. Most importantly, you must follow certain instructions and observe safety precautions. Do not be afraid to experiment. Equip your garden as comfortable as possible. And then you are guaranteed a good harvest.