Preparing to make the hotbeds

This is one of the old hotbeds knocking around the farm. Mr Miles will be delivering a load of manure in a few days so it's time to drag them over to the area I'm working in and get them ready for use.Hotbeds are wonderful things. If you don't have central heating and a lot of window space it's about the only way you'll get a lot of your plants germinated in time.

You don't really need all that polystyrene, you can get away with making a big pile of manure on top of a pile of twigs, making some hoops of some flexible wood like hazel or willow and draping a sheet of polythene over the top.

Todays planting:

I'm still planting for the forest garden, many of these should have gone in in the autumn but I wasn't ready then. We'll see what comes up even if I get just a few things to germinate it will have been worth the effort and I can try again next year. Some of these seeds won't germinate until 2011 in any case. Some of the deeply dormant seeds need a year outdoors to germinate.

Ceratonia siliqua, Carob http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Ceratonia+siliqua Code L (Needs scarification I use an old fire brick to do that see picture above) This plant is frost tender and may not do well here but we'll see what happens.

Cinnamomum Camphora, Camphor tree http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Cinnamomum+camphora Code O (Not dormant) This will be germinated indoors.

Juniperus Communis, Juniper http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Juniperus+communis 
Code DD 36 (Deeply dormant I expect that these will germinate spring 2011)

Lyceum Chinensis, Chinese wolfberry   http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Lycium+chinense Code O

Morus Alba, White Mulberry http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Morus+alba 2 weeks at 16-20 C then 16 weeks cold stratification or in my case put outside after 2 weeks indoors and hope for the best. This is the plant that silk worms eat. If I successfully germinate some I intend to get hold of some.

Morus Nigra, Black mulberry http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Morus+nigra Same germination process as the while mulberry above. I love the taste of these but haven't had any since I was a child.

Olea Europaea, Olive  http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Olea+europaea Olives will grow here and they can live for 2000 years. As to whether they will fruit, well we'll see (Although I personally probably won't these trees grow slowly) DD 34

Passiflora Caerulea Passion flower or maypop  http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Passiflora+caerulea 1 week @ 4 C then 30 C during the day and 20 C at night. This one is going to be a challenge.

Rosa Rugosa Alba http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Rosa+rugosa DD39 I scarified these in an attempt to reduce the 2 years it an take for them to germinate.

Schisandra Chinensis, Magnola Vine http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Schisandra+chinensis Code O Another of the 50 Chinese fundamental herbs. I'm going to try and grow as many of those as will handle this climate.

My bird feeding station.