Hot Beds by Jack First
Green Books, £9.95

It may be the 21st century, but for Jack First you can’t beat age-old techniques.

For decades, the experienced horticulturalist has been reaping the rewards of an ancient way of growing crops early – a practice that is notoriously difficult in the UK and other temperate climes.

Jack, who taught organic gardening at Shipley College and currently oversees volunteer work on allotments with the Shipley-based mental health charity the Cellar Project, is an advocate of hot beds, a method of growing early crops that is thought to date back to pre-Roman times.

A hot bed draws upon the warmth created by the natural process of decay to cultivate out-of-season crops. Jack – who has appeared on Gardeners’ World to talk about the remarkable method – has revived and modernised the technique, producing healthy vegetables at least two months earlier than conventionally grown crops.

Hot beds are created beneath a growing frame (details, and easy-to-follow diagrams on how to construct this are included in the book), which helps to retain heat and keep out frost, rain and snow. Growing conditions are warm and moist, but not saturated, and the air within is warmed by the constant heat rising from below.

Seeds are planted in organic material – a good-quality compost. Below that lies a bed of manure, spread out in firm, even layers – this is vital for stability, because, as the hot bed sinks, so does the frame and its contents. This will create the heat. Leaves, which also produce heat when decomposing, are a major ingredient, explains Jack, and can even be used on their own, although they break down more slowly and do not generate much heat.

The pocket-sized book clearly explains the process, from preparing the beds to sowing and tackling wind, weeds and pests. Photographs are testament to the rewards, with fine-looking crops of beetroot, carrots, leeks, runner beans and other vegetables, as well as salad crops, dotted throughout the book.

Jack’s passion for the subject he has pioneered, tried and tested, comes across in this practical guide, as he describes the results of the technique on different sites in Keighley.

I can vouch for his infectious enthusiasm and expertise in growing vegetables, having met Jack in person when writing about his work with the Cellar Project.

Hot Beds explains this highly-productive, space-saving, low-cost, eco-friendly growing technique in a straightforward way, showing you how to grow early crops without fossil-fuel energy or elaborate equipment. Details on when best to plant each crop are included.

Jack, who lives in Hipperholme, was accompanied on Gardeners’ World by well-known TV gardener Joe Swift, who praises the horticulturalist on the book jacket: ‘Jack is a font of knowledge and the expert on hot beds. When I visited his allotment and saw how advanced and healthy his crops were, it proved to me that these old systems still work a treat and are just as relevant now – if not more so – than they ever were.’