Earthing up potatoes

[Photo]

Last year I grew tatties in sacks, and just kept earthing up all the way to the top of the sacks. When emptied though..the nearest potato was at least half way down.

I'm growing them in the ground this year and want to know how much I should earth up by, is there a rough set distance from seed potato to final last potato on the stem?

Whats your experience on this?

-Photo-

[King Carrot]

If they're earlies then 3 - 4 inches will do as they only make spuds at the base of the stem just above the seed potato you planted and if they're maincrop then they'll make spuds as high as you earth them up - I try and earth up mine to at least 6 inches with my maincrop.

[Snadger]

I never do!

[cazp]

If they're earlies then 3 - 4 inches will do as they only make spuds at the base of the stem just above the seed potato you planted

Oh nooo!! I earthed my Foremost earlies up to the top of the potato sack which is quite deep well above 3-4 inches over the seed potato... so have I just wasted a load of compost!!?

[King Carrot]

If you planted earlies then possibly yes - what variety are they?

I plant my earlies 3-4 inches deep and when they're around six inches above the ground I earth them up 3-4 inches so the original seed spud is now about 10 inches deep.

[Alison]

I'm a bit lazy about earthing up at the plot and don't do it anywhere near as much as 6". Basically do as much as I get round to doing until the overgrowth covers the soil then leave them to their own devices. Seems to work OK as I didn't have any green ones last year but I do plant quite deeply so that may well help.

[hamsterhead]

This is the first time I've grown potatoes and decided to grow them in bags. I've been earthing up, as suggested, to the top of the bag and as you can see from the attached photos the growth is quite substantial. From top of the bag to the top of the leaves is about two feet. Flowers have only just started to form. Is this normal?

[crazii_c]

as you can see from the attached photos the growth is quite substantial. From top of the bag to the top of the leaves is about two feet. Flowers have only just started to form. Is this normal?

mine are also like this. they seem to be very tall plants and mine have its first flowers opening now. and yet ones i see grown in the grown dont seem to have this much growth on top. however my plants are healthy so i just hope its not all foliage and that theres actually some potatoes lurking at the bottom of the sacks!