potato in tubs / bags

[j r hilton]

When earthing up potato in tubs etc do you leave the top growth exposed or cover it completely. I have read conflicting views on this and am now confused.

[Two_Sheds]

If you cover up the leaves the plant can't photosynthesise

The reason for earthing up at all is to stop the spuds turning green in the light, and to possibly maximise the crop (although you won't get a stonking big massive crop from a container anyway)

[Florence Fennel]

In my bags, I earth the potatoes up until the tips of the leaves are just peeping out. When they've reached the top of the bag (so you can't get any more compost, grass clippings or newspaper in) let them carry on as high as they will go. Mine are about 18" from the surface of the bag now. As TS says, you don't get a massive yield anyway, but what you do get are delicious!

[Potstubsdustbins]

I have tried it both ways in my bins and it made no difference to the harvest. Earthing up over the haulm early in the year as the benefit of protecting the plant from frost but that would be the only reason I would do it now.

I earth up gradually as the haulm grows usually finishing about 6" from the top of the bin this will allow the compost to remain below the surface of the bin even as the tubers swell. It also means I can get enough water in to the bin to produce a decent crop.

With care you should get at least 2 stone of main crop spuds from a dustbin and on a good year more.

Colin

[Aberdeenplotter]

The reason for earthing up is actually to allow the plant to develop more tubers as potatoes are just extensions of the stem. They are stem tubers and are the development of enlarged stolons thickened into a storage organ. Tuber - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Potstubsdustbins]

Spot on AP thats why we get spuds just below the surface when you grow in a bin.

Colin

[kingkano]

Spot on AP thats why we get spuds just below the surface when you grow in a bin.

Colin

Wish I did. Been emptying out my earlies in bags and all the potatoes are in the bottom 12" nothing in the top 12" at all.....

[solway cropper]

I read somewhere that earlies tend not to form lots more tubers as they are earthed up. Later varieties will. I think this is the reason why so many people are disappointed by yields of earlies. Still, we grow earlies for the taste not the yield.

[kingkano]

I read somewhere that earlies tend not to form lots more tubers as they are earthed up. Later varieties will. I think this is the reason why so many people are disappointed by yields of earlies. Still, we grow earlies for the taste not the yield.

Cheers for that. Makes sense. Yes the taste is amazing I must admit. Shop bought not a patch on them.