More Potato Questions Earthing Up and Pinching

[cilla]

So today I earthed up my 1st row of potatoes for the a second time. 1st time earthing up second row. The potatoes are growing really fast. Here are photos from 5th May and today. They are Pentland Javlin.


So my questions are as follows:-

1. How high should you earth up?
2. How many times do you need to earth up?
3. Is there harm burying leaves and can you cut off the bigger leaves as they are covering the potatoes growing in third row? Did 30 cm per row.
4. Someone told me I should pinch out the tops of the potatoes now so they do not grow any taller, similar to tomato plants.
5. A person from the garden centre said that when they flower to let the flowers die and only dig up 2 weeks later even though they are earlies. As I have read with earlies you dig up when they flower.

Lots of questions going through my head.

[sparrow100]

Personally I would leave them to it now. I only earth up once. There's no harm if some of the lower leaves are buried when you earth up.

I wouldn't cut off any foliage, and I've not heard about pinching out ever. When potatoes flower (and not all do) the potatoes are forming. You can take them then for small new potatoes or leave them a bit longer for larger ones. Just don't forget to water as the plants will need it to help the potatoes bulk up.

[cilla]

Thanks for that. You mentioned they do not always flower so how do you know when they are ready? I planted my 1st row on 15th March.
Also for what purpose are the potatoes earthed up?

[bario1]

Thanks for that. You mentioned they do not always flower so how do you know when they are ready? I planted my 1st row on 15th March.
Also for what purpose are the potatoes earthed up?

Hi Cilla,

You will notice the foliage start to wither and turn yellow even if they don't flower... this means they are done. Should be about 10 weeks for Pentland Javelin, though I'm not sure if this is from the time you planted, or the time they break the surface. Just wait until the foliage starts to fade I guess?

Earthing up is to encourage the plants to make more tubers (spuds) from the stems. The more stem is underground, the more spuds you will get (in theory). These will then be in the ridges when you come to harvest, meaning less digging.

[roitelet]

Early potatoes are ready in about 90 days for the first new potatoes. They are earthed up to keep the potatoes which form on the stem under the ground and in the dark. If they are not well covered they will go green and poisonous. Keep the sides of the ridges at an angle of about 60 degrees, ie not too steep or the soil will fall back into the trenches and uncover the tatties.

[Rocketron]

Personally I would leave them to it now. I only earth up once. There's no harm if some of the lower leaves are buried when you earth up.

I wouldn't cut off any foliage, and I've not heard about pinching out ever. When potatoes flower (and not all do) the potatoes are forming. You can take them then for small new potatoes or leave them a bit longer for larger ones. Just don't forget to water as the plants will need it to help the potatoes bulk up.

Not piching out granted but I have heard of pinching off the flowers.
The supposed logic is that the plant doesn't waste energy growing flowers and uses it to increase the size of the tubers.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I thought it was something to do with seed pods which I believe can be poisonous.

[Penellype]

Quite a lot of the potato plant is poisonous - it is after all a member of the nightshade family. I always thought that removing the flowers saved the plant's energy for forming tubers, but I have never heard of removing any of the leaves (unless they are diseased).

[cilla]

Thanks for the input. Will let you know how the potatoes turn out.

[Bigmallly]

It's also advantageous to earth up if a frost is due.