[Grubbypaws]

This is the first time I have grown potatoes and I am confused.

The BBC gardeners world says to wait until the shoots are 10cm tall and then start earthing them up but the BBC gardening guide says to cover the shoots as soon as they appear so that the shoots are just buried.

Which do I do? Should there be some of the shoot in the light and if so how much?

I am growing them in bags so how long do I carry on earthing them up for? How deep should the original tuber eventually be?

Many Thanks

[mumofstig]

growing in bags - just keep adding soil/compost  in layers,each time the plant grows a bit just leave the top leaves a little above the soil each time.
However.....if frost is forecast cover the tops completely, to protect them from harm

For potatoes in the earth, it doesn't really seem to matter how you do it, as long as you do. It stops tubers greening and of course the frost protection is important as well 

[Kleftiwallah]

I don't earth up my spuds, too much like hard toil.  I wait untill they are through then cover with black plastic, cut where I can see the plant and carefully bring through the cut.   Easy peasy.       Cheers,   Tony.

[JayG]

I don't earth up my spuds, too much like hard toil.  I wait untill they are through then cover with black plastic, cut where I can see the plant and carefully bring through the cut.   Easy peasy.       Cheers,   Tony.

....but if you haven't got any black plastic and also want to save time use a rake or draw hoe to pull soil over the spud foliage; works extremely well. 

[mumofstig]

difficult to use black plastic when

growing them in bags

   

[JayG]

difficult to use black plastic when

growing them in bags

   

Good point, well made! 

[Kristen]

The ones I grow in bags I put 4" well rotted manure in the bottom, then about 4" of compost onto which I put the seed tubers, then I fill the bags about half full and include som Potato fertilizer.

When the shoot shave got to the top of the bag I fill the top half with compost, and put in 4 canes and run string around them to keep the floppy-foliage tidy and stop it breaking when it flops over.

having said that I rarely get any/many spuds in the top half of the bag.