Earthing up potatoes

[marchogaeth]

I just poke a deep whole (not sure, maybe around 2') and drop them in, cover with earth and move on.

I hope you come back to this Chris. Do you plant on the square? I've just dug and earthed up into sort of raised piles the bit of field that I'm trying to bring into being a garden so I've got some nice deep piles of soil to stick the spuds into at about the depthe you use. As I won't be earthing them I was thinking about putting them in square at about 23" (That being half of 15" along the row and 30" between.).

Thoughts anyone?

[planetologist]

marchogaeth, I plant them 15" each way. It takes more plants that way, but they form a closed canopy sooner, which keeps the weeds down.

[marchogaeth]

marchogaeth, I plant them 15" each way. It takes more plants that way, but they form a closed canopy sooner, which keeps the weeds down.

Thanks, I couldn't think of any logical reason not to go square if I wasn't ridging up. I think I'll do my Wilja on this sort of spacing. I have got some really huge, organic Sarpo Mira - they were relatively expensive and are absolutely plastered in shoots so I think I'll go for wider spacing with them. If I don't get the ground cover before the weeds start I'll soak some newpaper or card and put that down.

[jayjaybee]

Like many of you I plant spuds traditionally, trench about 5"deep, earth up to a small ridge and then earh up again regularly during the growing season. I have always wondered why we do it this way, why don't we just plant the blighters deeper?