Selfsufficientish.com

Hello.
We're relative newbies down the Lottie, but enthuiastic and armed with our trusty Joy Larkcom book feel like we're getting there.
We've got the manure order in on time this year and hopefully will have a whole load of it soon; pretty raw by the sounds of it.
My new addition for the Lottie this year (of which, of course, I am immensely proud) is a cold frame built out of scaffolding planks and a window that some other geeeezer off the allotment chucked out.

Some people have written elsewhere on this site about hotboxes over the summer for pumpkins etc. Can I use one over the winter to try and squeeze some salad veg out in the winter?
Is it as easy as shoving the cold frame on the pile of manure and putting some topsoil inside?
Many thanks, H

I'm sure there are more scientific ways of doing it - but that's more or less what I would do.... And might even do if I get round to building that coldframe I've been wanting to build for goodness knows how long!

Yeap basically thats it. In previous times the landed gentry quite often piled manure against their orangeries, so that they could grow pineapples and the like. They also used boilers and heating systems.

The key is to encourage decomposition of the heap. It's apparently best to turn it for a few weeks to let the airobic organisims get a hold and get a good heat going. Then cover it with top soil, and or black plastic. You need to keep the moisture in it and not let it dry out.

But to be honest though you probably don't need a hot box if you've got a cold frame if you get the right sort of lettice.
You can get some good mixes of "japanise" lettice leaves mirzuma etc, lambs lettice, rocket, that would all do OK in a cold frame. You need to get them in very soon though.

no idea about hot or cold frames, but I@m planning on doing a cut and come again window box for my new kitchen.

You don't need a cold frame to grow Tom Thumb varieties and there are loads of others out there specially for winter growing.

The cold frame will certainly speed things up a bit though. We grew radishes into December in our last year.

Just a warning about the manure though. You said it was "pretty raw by the sound of it". I don't get out much but if you mean that it's fresh - then you should rot it down before applying it to your soil and I wouldn't advise planting in it directly (as in the cold frame) until it has rotted.

When I get mine I usually go for the bottom of the heap where it's nice and black and crumbly. If I have it delivered I usually ask for well rotted only.

If you need to rot it down, put it on a tarp and cover it (or something similar) or else the rain will wash the best parts of the nutrients straight into the ground and you'll wonder where your pile went!!!

Hope this helps.