Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Martin on May 13, 2006, 18:44

Title: Earthing up potatoes
Post by: Martin on May 13, 2006, 18:44

My potatoes are growing like mad and I've been earthing up. The first earlies (Red Duke of York) are getting on for 18 inches high, and I've got the earthing up to about 10-12 inches. Should I keep earthing up as high as I can go?
Thanks

Title: Earthing up potatoes
Post by: John on May 13, 2006, 18:53

I reckon you're safe from frost in North Dorset so I wouldn't bother. Just keep an eye out for exposed tubers later in the season and cover those if need be.

Title: Earthing up potatoes
Post by: Nugget on May 14, 2006, 12:45

i was talking to the bloke next to my plot the other day and he said june the 2nd last year he lost his broad beans and potatoes to the frost! i cound not believe it! :(

Title: Earthing up potatoes
Post by: noshed on May 14, 2006, 12:51

I'm putting out my sweetcorn today (balcony overload). The chap next to me has plated out his tomatoes already - special conditions in the costa del Walthamstow.

Title: Earthing up potatoes
Post by: Nugget on May 14, 2006, 13:01

my sweetcorn will be out by sunset, my tomatoes went out in the week but got clouche on standby incase it turns cold, no signs of that this week, my first year on the allotment so i have problaey made a big mistake!

Title: Earthing up potatoes
Post by: kooringa on May 14, 2006, 22:36

If you are worried about your potatoes you can always put grass cuttings on them

Last years weather was unusual in the late frost - my potatoes were as tall as yours and the soil kept falling off so I covered them with grass cuttings and those I couldn't cover with the cuttings I put newspaper on just for when it was frosty - held down with some wood - it did the trick for me

Title: Earthing up potatoes
Post by: GrannieAnnie on May 14, 2006, 22:43

I've put most of my potatoes under Terram to try to keep the weeds down, but knoiwng my luck, I'll probably lose the lot to slugs!!!

Title: Earthing up potatoes
Post by: SweetPea on May 15, 2006, 08:46

I might try that idea with the grass cuttings! The soil in my veggie patch is very fine and sandy, and it doesn't hold it's shape in mounds over the potatoes. The carrots like it though :D

Title: Earthing up potatoes
Post by: John on May 15, 2006, 10:18

If the soil is that sandy, it must be difficult to keep wet as well. Add cow muck if you can get it as that is always wet.

Larry the Rep reckons to get much better potatoes on his sandy plot at Willaston than on our site.

Title: Earthing up potatoes
Post by: SweetPea on May 15, 2006, 10:21

It does dry out very quickly :(  I dug a lot of compost into it when I first started planting and thats helped.  I try and get some manure - we're right by the peak district and there's a lot of farm land so it shouldn't be that hard (having a car would help though :()

Title: Earthing up potatoes
Post by: twysted1 on May 15, 2006, 10:41

i have stopped earthing up my spuds .  i have also filled up the trenches i ended up with, with compost so to keep more moisture near the plants.

Title: Earthing up potatoes
Post by: Ian_P on May 15, 2006, 15:51

I live in North Hampshire at about 300 ft. Our last frost last year was 10th May. Several neighborouring allotments had their potatoes hit quite hard that night.

For me I have done in once, and from now on they are on their own. I will watch for tubers later in the year.

Tomatoes are out now so I am optimistic!

Ian