Spuds in new raised bed?

[shirlthegirl43]

This may be a really dim question but I only grow spuds in buckets so need to ask no matter how daft it seems.

I have found some nice deep timber to make myself some new raised beds, these will be about 12 inches deep so should be enough for spuds. Question is though, can I just put the seed spuds on the grass and then cover them with compost in an 'earthing up' way?

I need to know if I will be able to dig up the crop easily - or will the roots go downwards too - making it impossible to harvest throroughly?

[zazen999]

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...how_31146.html

You should be able to make a small version of this....

If not [the sides coming off for harvesting], then pop 6 inches of soil on the bottom - then the seed potatoes.

[shirlthegirl43]

Thanks Zazen - can't read those instructions but looks more hassle than it is worth.

I will stick to the buckets and put something else in the new beds.

[zazen999]

I'm sure some other suggestions might be along...what about popping newspaper in the bottom to try and keep the roots above?

[shirlthegirl43]

Now that would be a good way to recycle the papers from the hen shed

[Demeter]

I'm sure I read something last year about growing spuds on grass without digging by just laying cardboard or newspaper on the grass, then adding a shallow layer of soil with potatoes in it and adding more soil (or it might even have been straw or some other mulch) on top as the potatoes grow. Can't remember the exact details.

When the potatoes crop, the tubers are effectively grown on the stems rather than on the roots as such so I would think that they would be OK and you wouldn't be digging down past the existing soil level to get to the tubers. The roots will go down into the grass and below, but the tubers should be pretty much at and above the level of the original seed potato? Excellent way of getting rid of the existing grass and weeds I would have thought!

[snohare]

The old Irish method of planting tatties, if I remember Alan Roman's book correctly, was to cut a slit in the grass and fold it back over onto the potato, with another turf coming from the other side. This helped keep the tattie warm as the grass decomposed, and also fed the tattie, which grew up through the gap between the turves. They then earthed up above that. All they had underneath the tattie was a bit of seaweed. Maybe that would give you the extra depth you need ?
I don't know if this is universal, but all the tatties I recall looking at had roots on the stems coming up from the seed potato - they don't come from the seed itself.

[shirlthegirl43]

I don't know if this is universal, but all the tatties I recall looking at had roots on the stems coming up from the seed potato - they don't come from the seed itself.

That's what I thought, but as I said in the first post, I have only grown spuds in buckets so wasn't sure. Might give a row a try - maybe sat on paper or cardboard as suggested by Zazen and Demeter. Watch this space...

[Sanjo]

This may be a really dim question but I only grow spuds in buckets so need to ask no matter how daft it seems.

I have found some nice deep timber to make myself some new raised beds, these will be about 12 inches deep so should be enough for spuds. Question is though, can I just put the seed spuds on the grass and then cover them with compost in an 'earthing up' way?

I need to know if I will be able to dig up the crop easily - or will the roots go downwards too - making it impossible to harvest throroughly?

________________________________________________________________
I was given a link-a-bord raised bed last year which went on top of part of the lawn. This was lightly forked over. I did not have enough topsoil or compost to completely filled the bed so divided it off and sowed salads where I had some depth.
I was left with a triangular bit that had little soil in it and the intention was to fill it as and when I had spent multi purpose or my own compost.
In the meantime it annoyed me that it was unproductive, so nothinbg ventured, nothing gained, I put in a VERY shallow layer of soil etc, laid a few chitted potato bits (not whole seed spuds) on top of this, covered the lot with cardboard and black membrane and a layer of grass clippings as and when I had them.
Left them to their own devices. Grew very tall and when I thought they were ready I peeled back the top layers and took up the spuds. Wasn't a massive yield, maybe a few pounds for the three bits but tasty, clean spuds. Bearing in mind they were not even proper seed spuds I thought it worked well.
So much so that this year I have a new, deeper (about 9") bed and it is full of early seed spuds. I covered the lot in black membrane early in the year to warm it and in February I used a bulb planter to make a hole through the mixture of soil, compost and cardboard and chucked the spuds in, about 3" deep. I have just given them their first layer of grass clippings.
They are under a cloche and some are 6-7" high. I am keeping my fngers crossed that this no dig method will be worth it but I am hopeful based on last year's experiment

[Gryfon]

I grow mine in black sacks. At the moment I have 4 outside with 5 tubers in each. As they grow I'll roll the sides up and add more compost, and it's very easy to get into at the end! Oh and cheap!

[King Carrot]

The old Irish method of planting tatties, if I remember Alan Roman's book correctly, was to cut a slit in the grass and fold it back over onto the potato, with another turf coming from the other side. This helped keep the tattie warm as the grass decomposed, and also fed the tattie, which grew up through the gap between the turves. They then earthed up above that. All they had underneath the tattie was a bit of seaweed. Maybe that would give you the extra depth you need ?
I don't know if this is universal, but all the tatties I recall looking at had roots on the stems coming up from the seed potato - they don't come from the seed itself.

Yes, on a virgin field they would do something like this, unless they could have ploughed a drill and planted straight in that, either way the grass presents no problem. I grew some on grass covered with hay last year, I just forked the grass to break it up a bit.

[shirlthegirl43]

Well, I did it. I built the bed and turned over the grassiest turves. I then put down a bag of compost and some blended farmyard manure on one half (then I ran out) and chicken poo pellets on the other half.

I then nestled 16 King Edward seed spuds in the manure half, and 20 'Hunter' in the chicken poo pellet half and covered the lot with another 60 litre bag of compost. They are planted closer than recommended but they are better off in there than in buckets or on my kitchen worktop.

I am thinking of covering the bed now with weed control fabric and cutting holes for the haulms to grow through and mulching with grass cuttings as and when the lawn is mowed (a bit like Sanjo suggests above). I should then be able to lift the membrane later on and harvest small spuds as needed, leaving some to grow on for storing for winter.

Does this sound good in principle or should I save up and purchase more compost?

[Sanjo]

Originally posted by Shirlthegirl
I am thinking of covering the bed now with weed control fabric and cutting holes for the haulms to grow through and mulching with grass cuttings as and when the lawn is mowed (a bit like Sanjo suggests above). I should then be able to lift the membrane later on and harvest small spuds as needed, leaving some to grow on for storing for winter.

Does this sound good in principle or should I save up and purchase more compost?
___________________________________________________________________________Afternoon Shirl. I thought I had better put the record straight. LAST year I grew UNDER the membrane, cardboard and grass clippings. This year I WARMED the soil with the membane.
I dug into the cardboard and soil to plant the potatoes as it's a very large bed and I am a cheapskate and didn't want to ruin a very large piece of membrane by cutting it about. This year I lifted the membrane off before I planted.
I have topped up the grass clippings this morning (I have persuaded the next door but one neighbour that he should pass his clippings on to me! and I still don't have enough). So far I have over 25 plants growing well and another couple just popping through but all under cover
Like yours, they are planted closer together than is recommended but I just did not have the space to do it properly.
Sorry if I confused you. You can grow under the membrane but cardboard and clippings would be cheaper (unless you intend to use the same bit of holey membrane next year of course Sanjo
__________________

[shirlthegirl43]

Cheers Sanjo. I have a bit of membrane that used to be under the floor of my plastic greenhouse. It is already damaged and not needed elsewhere so can be sacrificed for the spud experiment.

[Sanjo]

Hello Shirl. Hope you have better luck placing the spuds than I did. Despite the fact that I used a bulb planter straight through all layers, when the damn things came up they didn't come out of the hole!! I had to make it bigger to allow for the spread by pulling the cardboard further apart. Not difficult fortunately as when it is soggy it breaks pretty easily. Membrane won't of course!!!
Good Luck. We're all mad aren't we!!!