[Irene]

Good Afternoon:

How much green should I have on my potatoes before I start adding more soil?

Its been ages since I've grown them and I can't remember how tall I should let the leaves grow before I start putting covering their base. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[richie3846]

You can cover them with more soil anytime now, just leave the tips showing

[Beetroot Queen]

Mine are out on their own now, they have been piled on and piled on and we have no more room to pile more.

I just cover mine as soon as they show.

[ConfusedGardener]

I didn't earth up my potatoes at all last year (my first year growing them), and they turned out fine. This year I've earthed up a couple of times in the hope of seeing what all the fuss is about!

[Spana]

If they are first earlies I don't think its essential to earth up but I usually do. The first earthing up as they come through I use soil but after that I pile on grass clippings every week. Works great  but works brilliant on main crop and the potatoes that form in the clippings  are lovely and clean.

[Irene]

Thank you for your responses.

These are in containers and just getting their first green leaves. I'm in Idaho Falls and we are a tad behind everyone in the U.K..

I planted them with just a few inches of soil below so they will take several toppings to be productive. This is my first attempt at the container method...fingers crossed I haven't messed these up completely.

[Spana]

I've got pots in the greenhouse with earlies planted quite close to the base of the pot, much like you've done. I just keep adding soil, spent compost from last years pots or fresh compost and leaf mould as the stems grow,  to about 1 inch from the top of the pot. 

[barley]

I just grow mine in old car tyres

add another tyre and fill with soil - get up to about a stack of 4 tyres

mind you doubt allotment sites would allow old tyres from all the rules I've read on here 

[Spana]

I've always fancied trying that barley, but Bob Flowerdew put me off by saying slugs get under the tyre rims and ruin the crop. Do you have any such problems.

[solway cropper]

Slugs get everywhere, not just under tyre rims, so I can't Imagine the crop would be any worse affected than growing them any other way. I've grown strawberries in old tyres for 5 or 6 years and never had a particular  slug problem.

[barley]

I've always fancied trying that barley, but Bob Flowerdew put me off by saying slugs get under the tyre rims and ruin the crop. Do you have any such problems.

no problem - just make sure you fill the rim with soil too + I do use slug pellets in my plots

[Yorkie]

Irene, one of the most important things re. growing spuds in containers is the feed and watering once the tubers have started forming - they are very thirsty, in particular!

[Irene]

Yorkie:

Thank you for that reminder. I've been trying to keep a close eye on them (it helps when my garden is at my home) and so far so good I think. I gave them a healthy mix of compost and potting soil as a base and I've been adding a bit of fertilizer as I sprinkle dirt over them to cover the leaves as they grow.

I'm waaaay later here so there isn't a lot happening at the moment....but I'm really enthused about this experiment. Three years with no new potatoes is three years too long.