Usually people make contact through the internet, nowadays. One of the positives of new technology, but the old ways still have value. I use a great local company to maintain garden machinery, who put me in touch with Jack First. Who needs social media? They thought we’d like to meet up, both being authors in the field of growing. They were right!
Jack has been involved in agriculture and horticulture for decades, and is an expert on growing in hot beds. So I was really excited when he invited me to visit him and have a look at his garden and hot bed systems.
Jack First and Myself holding each other’s books. I’m also holding a rather splendid parsnip he gave me. 600 grams!!!
The French Garden in England, pub.1908
Hot Beds – Proven for millennia!
Hotbeds are not a new technology, we know they were used by the Romans and probably before that. They became very popular with market gardeners in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Jack told me that the book that inspired him to start experimenting with hotbeds was The French Garden by C D McKay, FRHS, which was published in 1908! Slightly pre-dating French Market Gardening by John Weathers which was published the following year and also went into detail about hot bedding.
Both can be found in digital formats to download at the Internet Archive, a treasure box for those interested in old books.
Jack First
Jack’s background is in agriculture and horticulture. He has a thorough grasp of theory as well as the practice of growing. After some years developing his hot bed skills, he wrote his book Hot Beds which was published in 2013. The expanded second edition was released in 2025, so he could include his further experience.
Productive
Dense planted, productive hot bed. 23rd March
When Jack showed me his hot bed area, I was surprised it wasn’t larger but when I got close, I realised how incredibly productive they were. You could hardly see the soil between the plants.
The other big surprise was how advanced the crops were. I stood there on a chilly March day looking at plants whose development wouldn’t have been out of place in June growing in beds a good 6ºC above the general soil temperature.
Garlic and Onions in hot bed constructed in a repurposed old oil tank
Inflation and Shortage Busting Production
As I’ve mentioned a few times in my blog, I’m concerned that another round of food price inflation is now inevitable and that we’re probably heading for some food shortages.
Growing your own can certainly help mitigate price rises and shortage, but growing requires land to grow on. Without a large garden or allotment, the productivity of hot bed growing could be the saviour for people, producing significant crop quantities in a small area.
Organic
Jack is an organic gardener, his hot beds use natural materials and the only by-product is large quantities of excellent compost from the hot bed contents. The frames etc. are made from recycled materials. You can’t get more sustainable or environmentally friendly than that.
Hot Beds by Jack First – available on Amazon.
His book, Hot Beds
If this seems like a plug for Jack’s book, that’s because it is. I really think it’s a work that should be on the shelf of all gardeners. It’s based on his experience over decades of using and developing the system.
It’s detailed, informative and yet very readable. He tells you all you need to get a hot bed producing food for your table, out of season whatever the weather throws at you.
Available from all good bookshops and on Amazon, where you can read a sample
You can follow Jack First on Instagram @jackfirst4
Thanks John for writing this. I hope your subscribers find this interesting.
Thank you, a very interesting. Have a lovely Easter, and hope the Glasshouse stays up.
I’m very keen to start hotbeds properly, I first made a hotbed 40 years ago, but not used one since, although it’s something I intended to do
I’ve just ordered the book and looking forward to an interesting read…
Thank you…