Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: ches on June 27, 2019, 15:26

Title: Potatoes
Post by: ches on June 27, 2019, 15:26
How do you earth up your potatoes.

I've seen videos of people earthing up to just under the bottom leaves. However, I was watching an old episode of the big allotment challenge on youtube the other day and people on there seemed to be covering the whole potato plant in soil....
Title: Re: Potatoes
Post by: Aidy on June 27, 2019, 15:35
The way I do it...

I plant the seed around 8 inches below, wait until it breaks the surface, let them grow until about 6 inches above then I rake up and cover the plant, within a week it will break the surface again and grow on. Some peeps will cover until the top leaf and leave then do a second earthing up.
Title: Re: Potatoes
Post by: DD. on June 28, 2019, 07:22
If there is a risk of frost, there is a good case for covering the whole plant. If there isn't and you cover all the leaves, you stop the photosynthesis process and the plant making its food until the leaves poke through again.