[colin120]

Hi all
 Anther question, you must be getting fed up with me by now lol

what's the best way to grow potatoes putting them in a trench then having to keep  earthling  up each plant  or the lazy way I do it,
 I plant the potatoes then make a wooded box around them then just fill it up with compost three bags, when the shoots  appear and grow a little I put anther three bags of compost in then leave them until they are ready. no earthling up needed

Thanks

[gavinjconway]

Rather expensive to cover 10 rows of spuds that I grow each year..

[mjpalin]

earthing up for me, too expensive to use compost if you are growing a lot of plants.

[3759allen]

a good idea, some people use old tyres in a similar fashion (unless alotment site doesn't allow it).

personally i would mix the compost 50/ 50 with top soil, saves some money and potatoes seem to produce better with top soil or top soil added.

i would guess you shouldn't use the same compost for next years potatoes either, the same as you would rotate when growing in the soil direct.

[mumofstig]

it's still earthing up - however you choose to do it 

[Dai]

I plant mine quite deep and dont bother earthing up, altho i have had one or two with green bits on this year so next year im going to use mulch or black plastic around the plants.

[snowdrops]

This year hubby rotorvated the potato bed so it was lovely & soft, then I made a little trench, then using my potato planter popped the seed potato in raked over til it was level, then waited until the shoots came. Then earthed up once or twice, not too onerous on the back & superb first earlies so far. I only put 3/4 in my short 5ft rows.

[gavinjconway]

I dig a trench 18" deep - add some manure and fertilizer then plant and heap up about 6"... so with the manure and heaping the spud is at least 20" deep... then I earth up another 6" when they have outgrown the original planting heap.. works for me.. 

[JayG]

Deepish trench for me too - gives me an extra supply of soil for earthing up without having to plunder soil from elsewhere on my not very large growing area (would probably think twice about all that digging if growing on an allotment scale!  )

[Beetroot Queen]

Eartjing up for me. Too many potatoes to do it any other way