Preparing a Potato Bed

[WiZeR]

Hi Guys

I am planning to prepare my potato bed this weekend. This is the are that I have designated for it (the brown patch).:



The area was mostly grass and weeds until 2 weeks ago when I started hacking at it with my Azada. Since then it has been covered over with carpet.

I was wondering what I need to do to get this ready for spuds? I have a general idea about digging and double digging and I can get the spacings from my books. But how should I prepare the soil? I do not have any of my own compost, should I buy some to mix in? Does it need fertiliser? Or just rake it over and cover it back up?

[andrewo]

Plenty of compost

Plenty of well rotted manure and compost to improved the soil structure. Just a note, we're all getting really fancy with our computer graphics now, plan to do a fly through one on a video! Not. Back to business, dig it over, double dig is an option but I would avoid it as you're going to earth up anyway. Just add plenty of manure and compost, you could then do an all purpose feed of blood, fish and bone. When you come to earth up, make sure you get nice channels in between the rows, that way you can use them as water canals.

Andrewo

[JennieAtkinson]

I am at a similar stage with a new potatoe bed and have decided to have a go at the "no dig" way.

I have cut the grass short and had it covered in cardboard and black plastic for the last 5 weeks. This weekend I intend to have a concerted effort to move some of the farm cow manure I have access to from the yard next door and shall put a good 4/5 inches on the top of the cardboard (after removing the plastic!) and then cover with a growing membrane. I shall plant my potatoes direct into the manure through the membrane. Later I need to cover the membrane with grass cuttings once the spuds have broken through.

I sound quite knowledgable actually I had the DVD : The Allotment for a Christmas present and this no dig method was explained. So I thought I would give it a go, given my access to the manure. Apparently when I harvest my potatoes, the cardboard will have disintegrated, the grass will not have grown and I can dig in the manure into what will be broken ground - Oh I really do hope so!

Anybody else had success with this "no dig" method????


Jennie

[andrewo]

Anybody else had success with this "no dig" method????

It works, I did the cardboard and black plastic thing last year and it was a god send, no digging and the worms love it!

Andrewo

[poultrychat]

So how long after adding manure can the beds have the spuds put in, I have 2 new link-a-bords and some first earlies that I intend to put in at the end of this month. All I have done to them so far is turned the turf upside down and added straw mixed with poultry manure at the end of last year which has kept the weeds off nicely

[WiZeR]

I don't actually have a real allotment, I'm just playing a computer game! It's called Sim-Garden

Thanks for the advice, can you give me some tips on buying manure from the garden centre? Am I looking for something particular? I have been unsuccesful in finding anyhting free locally.

[Lesley Jay]

Poultrychat you need to wait until the frosts are over before planting your seed potatoes. It's usually about March down south and mid April up here in the north west. You can cover them with fleece to give them some protection but if the ground is really wet wait a bit. If after you plant them and they have started growing there is a late frost forecast be sure to cover them with fleece otherwise the frost will kill the growth off.

[nick the grief]

Thanks for the advice, can you give me some tips on buying manure from the garden centre? Am I looking for something particular? I have been unsuccesful in finding anyhting free locally.

Most of the compost firms sell manure Wizer, It's aroung £3-50 a bag but if you shop around you can fing deals (3 for a tenner etc). It might pay you to try 6x, it's more expensive but you ddon't need so much.