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29-05-2003, 05:21 AM

(IC_Gardener) wrote in message . com...
I am trying potatoes for the first time this year. They are growing
nicely. They are big enough to start mounding them up. Do they need
to be mounded up with soil, or can I use straw/mulch? I guess I'm not
sure what induces the stem to form tubers. Is it just the lack of
light, or do they need moist soil around them? I know that I have
read about growing potatoes in straw, but I can't find a good
reference now.

Thanks for any help.

IC Gardener
Iowa City, Iowa
Zone 5A

I mulch them with 1-year old wood chips, which do have some moisture.
I am almost certain that straw or grass clippings will do if the
underside of the spuds touches the ground (so straw will work up to 5
inches or so, IMHO). Every year I plant more, when I can get them
fresh out of the ground I want no other starch.