Is this good enough for spuds?

[Cosmo and Dibs]

I have weeded and dug it over, but there are still quite a few big lumps. I've tried to bash it up as much as possible.

I have also put fertilizer on the top and watered it in lightly.

What else should I do?

I plan to dig a hole for the spuds, put in a little compost, place the spud on it, then fill the hole up with compost. Is that ok?

Should I put some more fertilizer at the bottom of the hole, too?

Thanks......again!

[Alice]

It looks good enough for spuds to me. I don't think I would bother with the compost down the holes bit.
By the time you've dug the holes for the potatoes, drilled them up and dug them up, the ground will have been dug another 3 times and be looking much better.
But well done with that bit.

[sewer rat]

YOU'RE SPOILING THEM
It's definitely good enough for spuds - as Alice says, by the time you plant them, earth them up a couple of times, weed them (at least until their foliage cuts out the light and they become self weeding) and then harvest them, the ground will be a fine tilth.
I would also agree with Alice that there is no need for compost down the planting hole

[FionaH]

Good enough for the Queen that!

[Cosmo and Dibs]

Thanks! I'm quite proud of it!

Someone else told me that I should plant the spuds in trenches.......how on earth do you do that?

[Alice]

C & D, I think they mean when you plant the potatoes rather than dig an individual hole for each potato that you should scoop out a trench across the width of the bed, lay the potatoes out then put the earth back over them. That's how I would do it, but if you want to do individual holes it doesn't matter.

[Lazgaot]

Have a look at tattiemans site for planting instructions.

[weekendwellies]

Wow I am impressed with that. I just dug over my site and weeded what I could then put the spuds in individual holes about 4in deep and a foot apart. Stuck a bit of fish and bone in the bottom of the hole, and covered the whole bed with compost. Will add more compost as they grow through. Plants want to grow. Any that dont arent worth bothering about. Good luck with your crop. Let us know how it goes.

[FionaH]

I used a dibber to plant mine. End of a spade handle, used to belong to my Mum. It worked for her

[geoff]

Looks good enough to me, and potatoes are pretty reliable and robust
I've always planted potatoes by a simple method, and it works - make a hole about 9" deep with a hand trowel, and 15" spacing in each direction. Pop the spuds in, shove back the soil and let them get on with it

[Cosmo and Dibs]

I've put some B&Q soil improver on the rows of spuds, and I will fill the rest of the bed with either bark or leaf mulch.







How does that look/sound?

[jacob marley]

Looks ok to me we are going to have some rain over the next 24 hours and then the lumps should crumble if not walk about on it and then rake it that should break it up .
When i first looked at it i thought it was crushed concrete then i realised that it was lumpy stuff ooooeer best of luck with it with some gypsum in it later on it should be ok....jacob

[rogesse]

I've used potatoes to do the work of breaking up some rough ground this year, no special treatment bar a bit of leaf mulch.

Looks like a 5* potato residence

[Cosmo and Dibs]

I've added a surface of leaf mulch in the gaps:

[jacob marley]

I've used potatoes to do the work of breaking up some rough ground this year, no special treatment bar a bit of leaf mulch.

Looks like a 5* potato residence

It is not the potatoes that break up the ground it is you with the hoe bashing it about a bit...jacob