POTATOES in RAISED BEDS

I got my plot March this year and have put in Raised beds, 3' x 12' my questions is, how do I get the best from a Potato crop with such a shortage of earthing up space? I would like to try Christmas TATTIES this year, is it feasible?

I grew some in a 4x4ft bed. 9 seeds, three rows of three. Didn't/couldn't earth up and got as many potatoes per plant as the ones in the ordinary bed.

I haven't earthed mine (raised beds) but the jury's still out as I haven't harvested them yet (mostly due to bees nesting tbh). 

I did see an experiment by T&M that concluded that there was no real difference in yield by earthing, but then again, that could have been because they wanted to sell lots of potato growbags? 

I've had a furtle around mine, and in future I'll earth up a bit, as I can see a few small pots which have turned green as they have been exposed to the light.  Having said that, I did plant some festival tatties in the greenhouse last year and got a fairly good crop....2 months ago...

If you stick to normal spacings how about cutting a furrow and planting into the bottom of that, leaving it open until the pots have emerged, then earthing them up with the furrow ridges?

Apart from that, agree with Trllium that you can earth up with mulch instead of soil.

Tom

We don't know where you are gardening (please put your location in your profile) but you'd have to be very lucky, weatherwise, to get a crop of potatoes for Christmas outside.

Covering with poly, as Trillium says, may help - but it's best to grow them in pots so they can be moved into a greenhouse when the weather gets cold.

We're in the third week of August, and we can have bad frosts in early November - even here in the South - so you've only really got about 9/10 weeks before the frost kills the tops and they stop growing.

If you don't mind a bit of hard work sometimes - then the answer is YES 

I grow potatoes in raised beds that are 1.2 m by 3.6m, in rows crosswise - four tubers per row for earlies and seconds, 3 per row for maincrops. With about 40-50cm between rows there is plenty to earth up

I haven't grown any for Christmas but my plot neighbour has - Nicola and Maris Peer - and has already earthed up the first shoots, and she will cover the haulms with fleece when frosts threaten, which in this area is around the end of October/beginning of November at the latest.

Probably too late for this year to plant, but thought it might help you to know this for next year