Anyone tried this?

[bramble]

So long as you keep the keep the light off the growing potatoes is all that matters. If they go green they are poisonus so just make sure they are covered but not buried alive.

[kentvegplot]

Always grow mine on a 'no dig' basis - the potatoes are covered in a thick layer of straw and as they push through this is topped up twice. After that, thick layer of grass clippings to exclude light. No digging, easy harvesting - I'm all for a lazy option!

[Gwen11ian]

A good pile of fresh grass clippings give off a lot of heat. I remember digging through day or two day old piles as a child after my dad had 'bagged' the lawn during a mow and had deposited the clippings in piles in our woods to compost. I'd open up the to the middle and often it would almost be too hot to touch (but a good way to warm little toes after running around barefoot in the morning dew).

A bucket sized insulated (surrounded by soil) pile might just cook your potatoes if you're using fresh cut grass. Maybe let it sit a week or two first, turning every few days?

[Matt.]

If you have the space you'll get a bigger crop if you plant one seed per hole. Adding multiple seeds to the same hole mean they will be competing. Fine if you grow in a small area like a patio but if you have the space use it.

I use grass clippings to cover my spuds. I earth them up first then add layers of grass clippings ongoing.Its a good readily sourced mulch for most veg. However, take care not to use clippings that have come from lawns fed with "weed and feed" in the last 6 weeks or so.

[allotmentlady]

on the subjet of seed potatoes.........an old chap on the lottie who i was nattering with said that he throws a handful of chioken pellets in with his spuds to give them s good start, when planting. I have heard that this can be harmful to the seede potato.

what do other grapes think?

[craftyslh]

This sounds brilliant. Going to watch this thread with interest and experiment in the garden too.

[SlugLobber]

I'm experimenting with rotten down shavings mixed with manure, too. So much easier to work with and I have plenty of seed spuds to 'have a go' with. Just need more containers!!

[bridget mc laughlin]

I think that the grass clippings keep them from getting scab and it's great for show potatoes

[penny]

I tried this but what do you do about slugs they ate all the tops off my potatoes so no crop at all never mind green spuds.

[Two_Sheds]

I tried this but what do you do about slugs they ate all the tops off my potatoes

The usual: beer traps, gritty barriers, copper barriers, bran, salt, handpicking by torchlight ... hopefully this year will be drier and there will be fewer slugs around

[maytreefrannie]

This sounds brilliant. Going to watch this thread with interest and experiment in the garden too.

Me too. Nothing like homegrown potatoes I think.

[bazzaboy]

SlugLobber mentions applying this method to containers... I grow all my potatoes in containers these days, it solves so many problems, especially cropping. Until now I've earthed up and then added a final layer of grass cuttings to reduce occurrence of scab, but am now thinking of planting in containers in a soil/compost of a few inches and just using grass cuttings thereafter - is that really going to work? Also (see my separate thread about sawdust) would a mixture of grass cuttings and sawdust work? It would certainly be lighter when it came to tipping 'em out which would be a blessing as half a barrel of soil seems to be getting heavier these days - er think it's just me getting weaker, need to grow more spinach... b.

[Matt.]

on the subjet of seed potatoes.........an old chap on the lottie who i was nattering with said that he throws a handful of chioken pellets in with his spuds to give them s good start, when planting. I have heard that this can be harmful to the seede potato.

what do other grapes think?

Thats very interetsing. I used a handful of chicken pellets last year per seed and didn't get great results. I am suprised though as I thought chicken pellets are a good source of balanced all round fertiliser?

[Two_Sheds]

Thats very interetsing. I used a handful of chicken pellets last year per seed and didn't get great results.

Would that be because chicken manure contains a lot of calcium, which is alkaline, which potatoes don't like?

"Potatoes like loose, well-drained soil with a pH range of 5.0 to 6.5. They grow best in acid soil with a pH less then 5.5, which prevents scab. An overly acidic soil, however, can result in small potatoes. Avoid too much nitrogen in the soil, or you'll get lots of foliage and few potatoes." Growing Carrots and Potatoes - Vegetable Expert (UK)

[bluemoon]

Well I've a bit of ground that's going to be brought into cultivation this year by planting a few extra potatoes so I might try it. How far apart does each bucket sized hole need to be?