Potato help

[Vixen218]

Hi all...

Stupid question coming up...

I have noticed on here a few people saying that when they earth up potatoes they use grass clippings...

Is this right? Can I use grass clippings to earth up?

I have a massive garden and when I cut the grass I give about 1 sack full to the chooks and then have about 6 more bags that go to the bin men...

So main question is, how much can I use to earth up and how often, and what to do with the rest?

Any help much appreciated...

Vix

[rustylady]

You certainly can earth up potatoes with grass clippings - you can also use them as a mulch on other areas of the garden (provided that your lawn hasn't been treated with any form of weedkiller)

You can also add them to your compost heap.

[kathyd]

Can I just double check please - what's the maximum recommended depth for earthing up with grass clippings? Is it 4"? Or have I imagined that? I know they go slimey and can get too hot if you have them too deep, so I've always used fairly thin layers. I layer them in the compost heap too, mixing with chicken bedding and cardboard and newspaper etc. I also don't let them touch the stems of my plants, especially the young ones - am I being over-cautious?

[alldigging]

Compost it with paper to get a good compost according to nicky clark (think thats the Devon compost mans name)

Put an inch or two on at a time - or dry it in thinner layers and add it once dry.