Earthing Up Spuds

[HTurley]

Good afternoon all. Hope everyone is OK :-)

Touch wood - my spuds seem to be doing well and i'm earthing them up every few days - but when do I stop earthing up? (Sorry if this has been answered already - I did a search but couldn't find the answer).

I'm growing Foremost, Cara, Charlotte and Picasso (didn't realise quite how far apart they had to be planted and can only fit 5 of each in my raised bed) LOL - at least I know for next year not to get so many!

Many thanks in advance.

Haze
x

[Hilary B]

You grow them in rows? You stop earthing up when you can't get any more from the gap between the rows, because the slope is getting too steep...... If you are doing things some other way.... My spuds are in big pots, and I will stop earthing up when the pots are full. It's mainly a matter of what will work!

[HTurley]

Thanks Hilary :-)

They are in rows but i'm just dumping compost over the top in a ridge rather than pulling up the soil from the middle... I'm very new to this so haven't really got a clue what i'm doing - LOL.

Haze

[Creemteez]

Earthing up is partly for frost protection and partly to make sure that the spuds don't turn green due to light exposure. I have been earthing up alternately with grass clippings and MPC, meaning to top them off with the soil from the bed, but the little rascals need earthing up every few days they are putting on so much growth and I'm terrified that they are going to get frosted, as we still have the odd temp plunge.
The ridges are nearly a foot high now, and I've used up as much soil as I can from between the rows, so having no fleece, I'm chucking old nets over the beds if the skies look clear in the evenings and crossing my figers!

[FionaH]

I cant earth up any higher, the little darlings are growing everyday! I chuck fleece over them if its forecast for frost. Much to the amusement of my teenagers who reckon its a plant duvet!