Garden expert explains how he uses uses 'old trousers' to protect vegetables from winter frost

Winter can be a challenging season for gardeners, with the persistent threat of frost destroying delicate seedlings. However, Welsh gardener Jack Furst has mastered the art of maintaining his vegetable patch productive throughout the year, utilising some age-old techniques that have been somewhat overlooked in contemporary times.

In the Gardener's World Winter Special, Jack reveals that the key to his success is surprisingly, old trousers. Jack has constructed a "hotbed," using decomposing organic material that keeps his vegetables frost-free even on the chilliest days.

"The secret is looking at how things were done in the past," he elaborates. "Looking through history, I've managed to gather a lot of tips that I find beneficial today."

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Jack, who has followed a vegetarian diet for approximately 46 years, grows as much of his own food as he can.

The hotbed is crucial for keeping his vegetable garden thriving through December and January – "There is no doubt that I've, gained another season," Jack states. "For instance," he continues, "I am producing some crops in the spring. My goal is to produce potatoes just as people are planting their potatoes", reports Devon Live.

The trick to creating a hotbed, Jack explains, is having a sharp eye for re-using organic waste that might otherwise end up in landfill.

Alongside more typical compost materials like vegetable peelings, Jack selects old cardboard packaging and even cotton: "That was a pair of trousers," he declares, proudly.

Jack showcases the resilience of his hotbed in fighting frost, remarking: "It's a damp day, it's raining and it's round about 13 degrees. If we look at the soil thermometer that's registering 16C."

He highlights the rigorous test faced by this particular hotbed during the harshest six months of the year. The innovation of Jack's raised hotbeds has allowed him to cultivate thriving vegetable crops amidst tough conditions: "There are mountains all around us. It is challenging because we've got a lot of wind here, a lot of cold air. The other thing is there is no soil as such...it's stone."

With a touch of humour he adds, "In fact," he laughs, "the moles here, they go along the ground, not under the ground."

Jack also speaks to the time-tested value of traditional techniques: "Some of Jack's methods date all the way back to the days of the Roman Empire, he says: " he asserts, "Just because there's a new method of growing doesn't mean it's better than the old ones. I think a lot of the old methods are better than the new ones."