potatoes earlies main crop ?????????????

[simong]

Hi to everyone.
This may sound strange, but I want to grow my own spuds this year, and am confused about all the terms I keep hearing such as earlies, maincrop and so on. Also what is earthing up? I would be grateful for some help.
Regards
Simon g

[TEB]

Hi,
Not strange to me
Earlies, maincrop etc are guides for when to plant the potato and to expect the harvest, for instance:
First Earlies:
Plant: from end February
Harvest from: 10 weeks from planting

Early Maincrop:
Plant: from late March
Harvest from: 15 weeks from planting

These are rough guides and will depend what part of the world you live.
Earthing up is where you draw the soil up around the emerging tubers, this stops the tubers from turning green, also prevents frost damage and cuts down on water loss, etc

[HotStuff]

simong, it will be my first time growing tatties this year too, but thanks to the good people of the Vine I have learnt that first earlies, second earlies and maincrop are different varieties that take different lengths of time from planting to harvesting. Earthing up is the process of adding more soil over your potato plants as they grow. Tattieman will probably be along soon to give you a fuller answer, or he as a very good thread here:

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...asy_26499.html

[jacob marley]

Eathing up means pulling some soil over the spud's to stop the spud's going green and it kill's a few weed's when you earth them up.
When you plant them have the row's about 26 inch's apart then you have enough soil between the row's to earth up with spud's 18 inch's apart in row's maincrop that is second early 15inch's apart and early's 12 inch's should do the job fine....jacob