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An organic marker that can be safely used in the garden area is powdered milk.milk image by Ewe Degiampietro from Fotolia.com
Measure and mark a 6-foot-by-6-foot area in the garden where the hotbed will be placed with powdered milk. Dig to a depth of 24 inches, creating a pit. - 2
Corner posts for this project should not be made from pressure-treated wood if food is going to be grown in the hotbed.old tire on a wooden fence post image by Bo Widerberg from Fotolia.com
Place two of the 38-inch posts in the north end of the manure pit. Place the other two posts in the pit's south end. - 3
Coarse sand acts as the drainage material for the manure pit hotbed.sand image by kw-on from Fotolia.com
Add four inches of coarse sand as drainage material to the pit. Smooth the sand and on top of the sand add eight inches to 12 inches of fresh manure. Mix 8 percent to 20 percent straw to the manure and tap down gently. Gently water the bed with lukewarm water and cover with three inches to four inches of all-purpose potting soil. - 4
Cutting all the wood for this project with a circular saw will make things go quickly and precisely.detail of circular saw image by Thor Jorgen Udvang from Fotolia.com
Cut all materials to size. This includes a 6-foot-by-10-inch, one-piece length of plywood; a 6-foot-by-14-inch, one-piece length of plywood; four 2-inch-by-4-inch-by-6-foot boards, two pieces plywood 6 feet long by 14 inches (with the latter taper cut from 14 inches wide at one end to 10 inches at the other. - 5
A household hammer is all that is needed to put the project together.the hammer image by Jim Mills from Fotolia.com
Attach rear piece of plywood (6 foot by 14 inches) with nails to rear corner posts. Attach front piece of plywood (6 foot by 10 inches) with nails to front posts. Attach sides to unit with nails. Attach 2-inch-by-4-inch-by-6-foot boards to bottom of plywood for supports around the perimeter. - 6
To re-purpose old windows, use them in a hotbed.old window image by timur1970 from Fotolia.com
Place windows atop the unit. Attach the hinges to the windows, and to the sides of unit. The windows should open in the manner of opening a book. Open and close window units to be sure they are not bound in any manner. - 7
A wide bristle brush will make painting the hotbed go faster but do not paint the panes of glass.paint brush image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com
Paint unit to seal the wood materials. Be sure not to paint the unit closed. - 8
Do not plant in the manure pit hotbed until the correct temperature is reachedthermometer image by Holtea Silviu from Fotolia.com
Place a thermometer in the manure pit hotbed and close the lid. Keep hotbed closed until the temperature reaches 72 F degrees. Once that temperature is reached, seed with greens and close lid. Water accordingly and add manure as temperature dictates.
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