[agapanthus]

For the past three years I've been growing my potatoes in beds under black porous membrane. The thing is it's a very fiddly and time-consuming way to plant potatoes....even though there's no earthing up to do. Do any of you grow potatoes in beds and if you do how do you manage the earthing up?

[muntjac]

plant em on flat ground in a trench and then using a string to mark the row .pull the soil up high n fer get em  

[agapanthus]

Would do Munt but I've only got raised beds ....I do get quite a good crop, but it is a lot of faffing initially.

[muntjac]

well dig a trench and plant ya spud n rake the soil over em in a mound? in ur bed ?

[agapanthus]

The bed's only 4ft wide!!!!!!!!!!!

[muntjac]

and ur can get 5 tatties in it ,,, depending on how long it is  

[Salkeela]

Try planting under old hay/straw if you can get it.  I'm told it works!

[agapanthus]

Finally.....a proper answer!!!!    
That sounds like a good idea Salkeela ....thanks

[Trillium]

It does work. Just make sure the layer is quite thick so the potatoes by the surface don't see any light. It's my preferred way of doing it as I detest hilling up. Call me couch potato if you want, but never Mr/Mrs Potato Head.  
Can't believe Munty does all that hilling and and sets his dicky ticker to flicker quicker (try saying that fast! )

[milkman]

Don't worry agapanthus - i grow my spuds on 4ft wide fixed beds and have never learnt the fine art of 'earthing up'.

When the spuds start showing through I just mulch them with whatever I can lay my hands on, in thick layers - usually a combination of semi-ready compost and grass clippings.  

Ideally I like to try and mulch them at least twice but I think last year I only got round to doing it once and they were still fine.  It keeps the moisture locked in the soil for the growing spuds to make use of and the worms are always smiling at me!

The only thing I may try and do this year is to lay soaker hose the length of the bed under the soil, attached to a water butt, so that if we get a really hot dry summer again I can just fill the butt and let the water seep through to where it's needed.  Then again last year I didn't water them much at all and am still eating my spuds from store now.

[Aidy]

Although I dont do raised beds on my plot, I do the raised bed system at the school vege plot I help with, the beds are 3 feet wide and have no problem at all earthing up, once earthed up we then plant lettuce and radish on either side so I can not see what the problem is with the advise Munty gave, the other thing I would be concerned with and I am sure that those who use straw will correct me is I could imagine there may be a problem with slug damage, as I said I never use straw so dont know but it sounds logical that many insects and pest would make there home there.

[GrannieAnnie]

Munty does all that 'hilling' to help him keep fit, its not the work that kills ya, when you've a dicky ticker, its the stress!!!!  So my old boss told me anyways when he'd just come back from a hillwalking holiday up in bonny Scotland!

[milkman]

hey Aidy - there's no trouble with slugs through use of straw or hay or compost as a mulch - reason being that it's also home to all the slugs best predators - in particular slow worms and centipedes, also the blackbirds have a field day rifling through the mulch for bugs and things.

[Aidy]

knew I would be corrected, but is it possible as I do, to then plant other crops with them to maximise the ground, again I see that the whole width of the bed would be under straw!

[muntjac]

right folks , when a farmer grows his tatties a machine chops up the soil in front the tatty row  another bit like a plough makes a trench  in the soil n then a tattie drops into the gap in the soil .then another thing  comes behind n makes a big mound . the tatties like the soft soil above n below them . and basically that what i does .i dig the trench i drop the tatties in n rake the mound back over job done all in one ,, if you need to go down the rows and rake some more over with a pulling hoe ur can   ..