Using a Hotbed to Get a Head Start on the Growing Season or Extend It

A hotbed allows gardeners to get a head start on the gardening season or extend it. The heated bottom promotes faster seed germination, so gardeners can start seeds earlier in the season. Cuttings and divisions will also take root faster in a hotbed environment. Hotbeds extend the gardening season in fall by adding weeks to the normal growing season. Learning to use a hotbed can be beneficial to all gardeners.

What Is a Hotbed

A hotbed is cold frame about 3 feet wide and 6 feet long that is 18 inches high in the back sloping to 12 inches high in the front. The main difference between a hotbed and cold frame is that a hot bed has a heat source to warm the soil. The boxes are generally made with rot-resistant wood or concrete blocks. The top is made of a sheet of glass, fiberglass or clear plastic, and is easy to raise for ventilation and lower to conserve heat.

Extending the Growing Season

In fall, a hotbed keeps temperatures warm enough to grow some plants during cold weather. These beds are often used to grow cool-season vegetables from seed to maturity out of season, when normal outdoors temperatures would not permit it. Hotbeds, when used in spring or fall, keep soil at 75 degrees F, which is ideal for seed germination and support growth of most plants.

The Best Location for a Hotbed

Even though hotbeds are generally heated, the best place for the beds is a sunny location with well-draining soil where the bed is protected from the wind. The slant of the roof should face south to accumulate heat. The bed also needs to be in an area close to an electrical and water source.

Seasonal Tips

Seedlings grown in a hotbed must be hardened off before planting in garden. Hardening off is the process of allowing the seedlings to slowly become acclimated to their new environment before planting them outdoors. To do so, gradually expose plants to the to open-air conditions during their last week in the hotbed. Gardeners also need to perform certain hotbed tasks each season.

• In spring, after the danger of frost has passed, gardeners can trans plant seedlings from the hotbed into the garden after hardening off. Spring is also time to harvest cool-season crops grown in hotbeds.
  
• In late winter, gardeners can sow annual flower and vegetable seeds in the hotbed so that seedlings are ready for the garden once the weather warms in spring. This is also the time to plant the seeds for cool-season vegetables that a gardener wishes to grow to maturity in the bed.
  
• In fall, gardeners can sow seeds for lettuce, spinach of other cool-season vegetables they wish to grow to maturity and harvest in spring.
  
• In winter, it may become necessary to use an insulating cover for the hotbed to conserve heat during extremely cold temperatures. Gardeners can use straw to cover the hotbed and prevent heat loss. Place straw on top and around the hotbed to avoid heat loss through the frame joints and prevent drafts.

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Winter Houseplant Care

Taking care of your houseplants during the winter may pose a bit of a problem, not because you intentionally ignore them -- or have suddenly lost your green thumb -- but their needs change. Meeting the needs of houseplants during the winter requires some changes in your routine.

Watering: Most plants go into dormancy during the winter months. As plant growth slows down, the amount of water required to keep the plant healthy decreases - but don't be fooled into thinking you can ignore your plant's watering needs. Household conditions, such as forced hot air and decreased humidity may actually increase the need for water. Monitor the soil in your plants carefully to determine a good watering routine. Most thrive on thorough watering once a week.

Light: Houseplants that thrive in a sunny eastern or northern window in the summer may not receive enough sunlight for healthy growth during the winter months when the sun is low in the sky. Likewise, those grown in filtered light near western or southern windows may now be able to withstand direct sunlight. Experiment with new locations for your plants as the path of the sun changes.

Fertilizer: Houseplants do not require fertilizer during periods of dormancy as growth is slowed and the plant is resting. Withholding fertilizer from October to March is typically recommended. Begin fertilizing when a new flush of growth appears in late winter or early spring.

Pinching: Houseplants may produce scraggly or leggy growth during the winter due to the lack of light. If your plants begin to produce weak, spindly stems or appear to stretch for the light, pinch them back. This forces energy into producing new foliage along the stem and creates a compact plant. Move the plant to move light after pinching.

Temperature: Most houseplants are tropical plants and prefer temperature between 65 and 75 degrees F during the day with temperatures 10 degrees cooler at night. For some homes, this may pose a problem - because either temperatures remain constant throughout both daytime and nighttime hours or nighttime temperatures drop too low. Strive to keep temperatures within this range to promote healthy plant growth.

Dangers: Cold drafts or chilly windowsills pose the risk of "freezing" tender plants. As a rule, keep plants several inches from the windowpane. If your windows "frost up" during the night, move the plants away from windows - or place a heavy shade or drape between the plants and the window.

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Winter Protection for Roses

There is nothing quite like the beauty and fragrance of roses in bloom in mid-summer. These hardy shrubs thrive in a sunny location with well-drained soil, but when winter approaches they need a little help from you. Keeping them snug and safe from the ravages of winter goes a long way toward preserving their beauty and protecting their health.

Stop fertilizing your roses my the end of August to discourage the formation of new shoots. Allowing the rose bush to go dormant is an important step toward providing winter protection. If new shoots appear in the fall, cut them at the base with a pair of sharp pruning shears. Young shoots freeze with the first frosts and may stress the entire plant.

Reduce watering in late summer or early fall to allow the rosebush to enter dormancy. Stan Barrett, Master Gardener from the Colorado State University Extension Services explains that if rose bushes are allowed to enter dormancy slowly, the plants cells thicken making them better able to withstand freezing.

Remove dead leaves and garden debris from around your roses in the fall before the ground freezes. Garden debris harbors both insects and disease that may overwinter in the garden. Cleaning the garden now saves time and energy next spring when your roses begin to grow.

Trim back any long canes that may break in winter storms, otherwise do not prune your rose at this time. Fall pruning stresses the rose bush. Leave major pruning until the spring when new growth appears.

Add winter protection for roses in the late fall just as the soil begins to freeze. Covering them too early may actually do more harm than good, as it can hold in heat and interfere with your rose bush entering dormancy properly, making it more susceptible to winter damage.

Make a cylinder from chicken wire and place it around the rose bush. Fill the bottom 12 inches with lightweight mulch such as leaves, straw or peat moss. Heavy soils may choke out oxygen during the winter and kill your rose bush.

Cover the wire cage with burlap to hold in the mulch and prevent harsh winter winds from damaging the canes. Tie the burlap in place with twine or rope.

For climbing roses, either lay the vines down and mulch with a lightweight mulch or wrap them with burlap on the trellis. This prevents breaking from winds or heavy snow and ice.

Remove the winter covering in the spring once the weather has warmed and gently rake away the mulch.

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Choosing Plants for Winter Container Gardening

Enhance Curb Appeal with Front Door Container Plants

Let the beauty of outdoor container gardening continue through winter by choosing landscaping plants suitable for cold climates. Choose weather-sturdy plant containers like those made of plastic, polymers or stone. Catch the eye of visitors by using bright colored containers for your landscape design projects. Fill the containers with evergreen shrubs, ground cover or flowers. Surround the plants in the container with 1 to 2 inches of mulch, such as pine chips or leaf mold, to help retain moisture and smother weed growth from seeds that may float in the air and find their way into the pot. Choose a single plant for each container or choose a combination of plants like a shrub surrounded by ground cover.

Evergreen shrubs

Landscaping evergreen shrubs in containers require little care. Choose dwarf or slow growing evergreen varieties, which may need little to no pruning to retain a suitable height. Shrubs need a large, heavy planter to accommodate root growth and to resist tipping in heavy winds. Shrub options may include leaf or needle evergreen that grow in full sun to part shade. Dwarf Alberta spruce (Picea glauca 'Conica') grows 5 to 8 feet tall and is cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 7. Dwarf Burford holly (Ilex cornuta rotunda burfordii) grows up to 3 feet tall in USDA zones 7 to 9. Japanese boxwood (Buxus japonica) grows to about 5 feet tall and is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 10.

Ground cover

Adding ground cover around the base of plants in a container garden replaces the need for mulch. Green to green-yellow, creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) offers year-round appeal. Grow in USDA plantings zones 4 through 8. Equally bright is goldmoss sedum (Sedum acre) that grows 2 to 4 inches tall in USDA planting zones 5 to 10, and creeping thyme (Thymus praecox) that grows 1 to 4 inches tall in USDA zones 4 to 9. Plant these ground covers in containers located in full sun to partial shade

Flowers

Many landscaping flowers thrive in containers. For a touch of color, pick winter pansy (viola), literally! Snip blooms from pansy to create a tiny floral arrangement for each table setting. Choose from violet, yellow or white blooms that reach less than 12 inches tall. Winter pansy is cold hardy in USDA planting zones 6 to 9 and prefers full sun to part shade. Looking for a winter blooming flower with some more height? Try hellebore (Helleborus x hybridus), which grows to about 18 inches in partial shade. Hellebore is a perennial that is cold hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9 and produces blooms in shades of cream, purple or rose.

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How to Extend Your Garden Season Throughout Winter

While I am thankful to live in Georgia where winter comes late in the year and the minimum average temperature still is reasonable, there are many that don't have that luxury. Getting a longer growing season can be possible with just a few adjustments. In addition, it is a nice way to have your garden plot pulling double duty, with a spring bloom and a winter crop as well. Following these easy steps can have your garden working overtime for you. Tips will be included for both food crop gardens and flower gardens.

• Mark the Calendar - Whenever you go to plant your winter garden, keep in mind when your city's first hard frost is. You will need to pick plants and vegetables that reach their maturity date before this frost date. For example, for areas that have an October first freeze, crops that take 90 days to mature like the globe onion will need to be planted by July 15. With a 60 day maturity, turnips need to be in the ground by August 15.
• Make a Windbreak - According to Ed Hume Seeds, windbreaks can add 10 to 15 degrees F of heat to your garden. One way to do this is by cloches. They are portable greenhouses, using items like glass panes or plastic to keep the heat in.
• Mulch - The benefits of mulching your crop or garden are immeasurable. Mulching can insulate the plants and help the growth of the plant by masking weeds. If you live in an area like I do where the majority of the rain comes in the coldest part of the year, mulch will help keep your soil loss from erosion at a minimum. Mulches that will break down in the garden and help the soil include sawdust, bark, peat moss, and shredded newspaper.
• Rotate, Rotate, Rotate - Make sure that all your winter crops are not planted in the same spots as they were the year before. This keeps the nutrients from being continually drained on the site. It also keeps disease and insects down.
• Garden Journal - Keep track of what plants you tried and where you tried them. That way you know the following year, what worked and what didn't.

The winter season does not have to be time spent looking out the window, you can get out there and garden still. You can be working on improving the soil and location for the spring season, or be working on fine vegetable garden to feed your family through the cold months.

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5 Spring Garden Planning Ideas to Do During Winter

It's that time of year when the spring seed catalogs start to arrive during the darkest, dreariest days of winter. As your have spring dreams during cold days and nights, take a little time to do some planning for the upcoming gardening season.

Make a Plan

To start your spring garden planning, begin with a plan. Write out the goals you hope to accomplish with your gardening projects. Do you plan to grow fruits and vegetables or do you simply want to grow flowers? Be sure to take into consideration your expected time constraints for the spring and summer. Don't bite off more than you can chew and overload yourself with more garden than you can keep up with as that will only leave you frustrated and disappointed.

Consider whether you will be doing all of the gardening by yourself or will you have help from family members. If you are planning a vegetable garden, think about the vegetables you might want to grow.

If you plan to just grow flowers, think about whether you want to plant them in the ground or grow everything in containers. Do you already have perennials planted and if so, how can you build upon what you have?

Mark Your Spot

Even though it's winter, you can still be marking out the spots where you want to plant your garden or gardens. You can begin preparing your spot now by placing newspapers on the ground to begin killing any grass that might try to pop up on those warm winter days. Newspapers will biodegrade into the soil.

Use stakes to mark corners and you will have all winter to ponder and be sure that the spot or spots you have chosen will be appropriate. You can keep track of the sunlight and shade on the spot (remember that when trees leaf out, the sunlight and shade will change so be sure to take that into account).

Do Your Research

Spend some time researching recommended planting dates for your area. Research plants that you would like to grow to learn more about their needs and care requirements. Reading about spring and summer gardening on cold winter days can make the days much more enjoyable.

Pick Your Poison (Plants)

While you are doing your research, take some time to pour over seed catalogs. Search the Internet for seed companies that offer catalogs and request to have catalogs mailed to you. Peruse these gems to determine what plants -- fruits, vegetables, bushes, flowers, trees -- you would like to try and begin to make a list based upon your family's needs, your location and your time constraints. If your family doesn't care for squash then don't spend your time and energy growing squash. Choose plants that your family will enjoy and you can make use of.

Do you plan to "put up" your garden harvest? Now is the time to be looking into preserving your future harvest and adding this to your plan.

Draw It Out

Draw diagrams of your plans and keep them with your written plan. A drawing can help you better visualize what you wish to do and will keep you focused. When the winter is getting long, pull out your drawings and make any adjustments or simply daydream about the coming garden season.

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