weeds and potatoes

[helly]

my potato beds have been taken over with shallow rooted weeds, should i pull the weeds up or leave them?
cheers H

[Bigmallly]

If they are only shallow, I would pull them. If the are deep beasts, they may disturb the potatoes.

[rustylady]

Pull them up. It will make you feel good to see the bed nice and tidy, and if they are shallow rooted it should be fairly easy. I always feel good when I've done some weeding.

[helly]

I think i will pull them just in case they are swallowing up the water instead of the potato
cheers H

[frogdoctor]

Pull them out I say, as you say they are drinking the water, and stealing the nutrients from the ground..which your pots require.

[Flummery]

Or if you are feeling idle, tell yourself they are a green mulch and are preventing water from evaporating from the surface! (Actually, I've just shifted several pounds of chick-weed from my spud bed to my dalek!)

[coreopsis]

Depends on what weeds you've got.Last year was my first potato growing season.They shot upwards like rockets so no weeds survived tattie jungle.Up to you

[helly]

I think I will thin them out to start with, had tatties last year with some weeds and still had a good yeild.
thanks to all
cheers

[bramble]

I try to pull all kinds of weeds before they go to seed. Sometimes I just manage to pull part of them but so long as they're not producing seeds I don't mind too much.

[Two_Sheds]

they are drinking the water, and stealing the nutrients from the ground..which your pots require.

Not necessarily: the potato roots are lower down than the shallow rooted weeds, so they probably aren't competing.
They may even be helping to keep the soil moist, by preventing evaporation (as Flum said).
I usually leave the weeds in situ until they start to seed, then they come out.