Tatie and Earthing question

[splatcat]

Hiya

Just put my early taties in, i basically left these to themselves last year, but want to maximise this year..

When they grow, i presume i "earth them up", by covering the tops every time they show..

Can i do this with rotted manure instead of compost? I have about 3 tons of this left of last years muck heap down the field, so plenty!!

Also how long do i do this for?

thanks in advance

[Kristen]

I wait until leaves are through and then earth up when frost is forecast - that way the leaves get above ground level and start making "food" for the plant, and don't grow too fast - as soon as you earth then up they will start "stretching" for the light again - and it won't be long before you can't earth them up any more (which will be a problem if there are then more frosts)

Just pull up the soil from either side of the row - I use a swan-neck hoe.

Personally I wouldn't use manure to earth up. The new spuds will form in the manure and I think they will be more likely to get scab as a result. Its fine under the seed tubers, where the roots will find it and get nourishment, but I'm less sure about "on top"

Part of the reason for earthing up is to stop any developing tubers being able to see daylight - as they will go green - so you need to earth-up to prevent that happening. But once you have a ridge formed you won't be able to earth up any more (without raising the level of the whole bed). At that point I put grass clippings on as the spuds don't grow into that, but it keeps the light off any forming tubers.

To maximise your crop make sure they have plenty of water in the 3 weeks or so before cropping is due to start. A high-Potash fertilizer around that time might help too.

[Croila]

Oh aye, I'd reiterate be careful about how you earth up. I grew tatties for the first time last summer and didn't make a very good job of the earthing up thing. I ended up having to dump LOADS of soil on the whole bed and it ended up being raised by an extra foot or so. It was quite awkward to handle.

[Alison]

I don't bother earthing up very much and still get a really good harvest - I used to mean to do it but never find the time but now I'm honest enough to say I don't bother

[chris]

I grew mine in planter bags last year, just added more compost when the shoots were a few inches above the compost.

This year, they're going in the ground - I'll bury them deeper, so less earthing up is required - it'll be awkward in a bed anyway.

[VirginVegGrower]

I plant in rows like Kristen and just pull the ridge draw or draw hoe along to create lovely high ridges. It's not that big a job and if you don't cover your tubers and they go green they are poisonous.
You shouldn't use the manure on top - leave it to keep rotting as it will be great for your ground come Autumn.

[vegetable-gardener]

We grow early potatoes in raised beds. But we make the ridges before we plant them. Then I careful plant each potato and leave it like that. We do sometimes pull more soil over if they start coming through to early.

Works well for us always get plenty of new potatoes.

[Two_Sheds]

I don't earth up at all, I cover the developing tubers with a mulch of wet newspapers & grass clippings. It makes harvesting easy - just move the mulch aside and there are nice clean taters underneath

[Croila]

I don't earth up at all, I cover the developing tubers with a mulch of wet newspapers & grass clippings. It makes harvesting easy - just move the mulch aside and there are nice clean taters underneath

You must need to use an awful lot of newspapers, no? Do you rip them up, or just lay whole sheets over the tattie shaws and then wet them?

[Two_Sheds]

I get a newspaper every day, plus the free weekly one. I use them all: shredded for the guinea pigs, sheets for parrot poops, I make paper pots for peas & beans.

As to mulches, I soak a whole newspaper in a bucket (papier mache style) and when it's sodden I lay it on top of damp soil, around the plant. Then weigh it down with soil or grass clippings

[arpoet]

I get a newspaper every day, plus the free weekly one. I use them all: shredded for the guinea pigs, sheets for parrot poops, I make paper pots for peas & beans.

As to mulches, I soak a whole newspaper in a bucket (papier mache style) and when it's sodden I lay it on top of damp soil, around the plant. Then weigh it down with soil or grass clippings

Good idea TS.. i get half a dozen sacks of sheaded paper from an office every month and use it with spent hops from a local brewery as a summer mulch
Roger

[solway cropper]

Splatcat, whereabouts in Cumbria are you? I'm on the Solway coast and the soil is still too cold to plant spuds outside. I have 28 tubers growing away in containers in the greenhouse but will leave the outside planting for a while yet. As for earthing up, I wouldn't bother. Just put a mulch round them to keep the light off.

[Croila]

I get a newspaper every day, plus the free weekly one. I use them all: shredded for the guinea pigs, sheets for parrot poops, I make paper pots for peas & beans.

As to mulches, I soak a whole newspaper in a bucket (papier mache style) and when it's sodden I lay it on top of damp soil, around the plant. Then weigh it down with soil or grass clippings

Thanks Two Sheds ... That does seem like a very good idea! And the paper and grass cuttings presumably just rot in.

Mind you. We get one free paper a week and I never buy a newspaper as I read the news online, so I might have to beg or borrow!

[Two_Sheds]

the paper and grass cuttings presumably just rot in.

Yes they do, improving the soil as they go. You might get large bits of newspaper after the harvest, just rip them up and add to compost heap

The only great onion crop I've ever had was when they followed the spuds and were grown on the grass clippinged patch of soil

[splatcat]

Splatcat, whereabouts in Cumbria are you? I'm on the Solway coast and the soil is still too cold to plant spuds outside. I have 28 tubers growing away in containers in the greenhouse but will leave the outside planting for a while yet. As for earthing up, I wouldn't bother. Just put a mulch round them to keep the light off.

Hello from Sunny Egremont!! (well it is this morning) along with a hard frost thats surely killed my spuds!!! they are covered but...

I will hold off for a while with the rest i think, thanks guys

Solway.... i may be harassing you for advice!!!