us gardeners do.
I have a hot bed. let's us please keep the snickering and laughter to dull roar, please!
it is on the south (ssw) side of my house. (actually built up against the foundation..) my house is build into a hill and the south/west side is on the down hill side.. there is a 2 foor high retaining wall, about 2 feet deep of dirts. the main floor joist on this side is about 4.5 feet above the ground. (on the opposite side, the main floor joist is only about 8 inches from ground level.)
the hot bed uses the foundation wall in back,(well actually the basement window.. a secondary function was to block the window as a means of egress a small wooded frame in front, and wooden frame sides. the cover is two window sashes (from double hung windows) each sash is about 30 inches square. It very effectively "blocks the window (the back support that holds the sash in place divides the window opening into two much smaller openings.. and the glass roof of the hot bed doesn't block the light.
i use my hot bed to start perennials from seed, that later get transplanted to the garden. (right now, a sick week hollyhock i missed last fall, has done well over the winter, and is now sending up a flower stalk!)
because of its orientation, and the warmth that leaks from throught the foundation, and window (not to mention the rich organic matter added to the soil from the compost heap) the hot bed never suffers from a hard freeze -- and its a great place to start seeds.
